iPhone News Updated

Update to Bing iPhone app adds social results, bar-code scanning

Update to Bing iPhone app adds social results, bar-code scanning

Today Microsoft updated the Bing iPhone app, giving it the ability to scan bar codes and integrate with Twitter and Facebook.

Users can now view combined status updates from their Twitter and Facebook friends. Sharing via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail is supported. Plus, the updated Bing app incorporates relevant search results from a user’s social networks into search results from the Web.

“So if you search for a movie, you’ll see movie showtimes first, then anything your friends may have said about it next,” Justin Jed, Bing Mobile product manager, wrote in a blog post. “This is also handy for local businesses or products where you want to see what your network is saying.”

Courtesy of Microsoft

Social-network results are integrated into Web search (left), and Twitter and Facebook updates are consolidated into one stream (right).

iPhone users also can now get more information about a book, CD, DVD or video game by snapping a photo of its cover or bar code. The Bing app can recognize a product and open up its shopping section, where users can compare prices, read reviews and visit retailers’ websites.

Microsoft said it also updated the movies section so people can view more trailers and find showtimes more easily. The Bing app update is available for free from the Apple iTunes app store.

Courtesy of Microsoft

Take a photo of a product cover or bar code (left), and the Bing app might recognize it automatically (right).

[Thanks: http://blog.seattlepi.com]

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