Web Design Adelaide

It has been talked about for a while but finally Microsoft through its newly released search engine Bing and Yahoo! have struck a deal which will see them have enough market share to begin to tackle the Google dominance.

What does that mean for the average Internet user? According to the official Microsoft Press Release it will mean the following:

For Web users and advertisers, this deal will accelerate the pace and breadth of innovation by combining both companies’ complementary strengths and search platforms into a market competitor with the scale to fuel sustained development in search and search advertising. Users will find what they care about faster and with more personal relevance. Microsoft’s competitive search platforms will lead to more value for advertisers, better results for web publishers, and increased innovation and efficiency across the Internet.

Ultimately it will mean more competition and better search platforms for users. Bing, since its release has turned heads and made small in roads, particularly with its simplicity and usual Microsoft flair. Yahoo! has a big community of users (although not necessarily search) and many great tools to use. So it would seem the deal to join forces should give Google something to worry about and it will be very interesting to see how they respond.

To read more about the deal visit the official Microsoft Press Release or the Mini Site.

On June 5th we attended a reception at the picturesque grounds of the Governor General’s House which was hosted by his Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR, Governor of South Australia and Mrs Scarce where we were personally awarded a certificate of appreciation by Foundation Daw Park for our silver sponsorship of the Anzac Commemoration Gala Ball held at the Hilton Hotel Adelaide earlier this year. As part of the reception we mingled with over 70 friends, sponsors, volunteers and guests of Foundation Daw Park and enjoyed a tour of the facilities and grounds.

Bing is the latest search offering from Microsoft. The Bing search engine has taken over from Live Search and seems to have taken a leaf out of Google’s book and gone for simplicity rather than overwhelming searchers with features they rarely use.

Although I’m not sure on the background image behind the search box and menu items, it seems to take me back to the gradient fadeouts from the late 90’s, all we need is some over bevelled buttons and giant shadows to complete the effect. Perhaps Bing are aiming for the retro audience re-living the old days and if so – good on them!

One very cool feature of Bing is the video search. When you hover over each video thumbnail in the results the video thumbnail begins to play. This can take you by surprise though if the speakers are up loud!

Like Google Maps, Bing also has the uniquely named BingMaps with integrated yellow pages business listings. So if you’re in the yellow pages online directory try out BingMaps in your area and see if you can find yourself!

Over all the search engine is fast and efficient and gives some very good results and its worth giving it a shot, ultimately it’s going to come down to personal preference and ease of access for most users.

To try Bing visit: www.bing.com