Microsoft adds Bing features for Windows Phone

Microsoft has added a pair of features to the Bing search platform on Windows Phone.

In a posting to the Bing UK blog, the company said that it would be equipping the search platform with additional options for mobile users. The update will allow users additional options for scanning and viewing content on their handsets.

The Bing Vision add-on will add the option to scan in QR and bar codes as well as image recognition tools which will allow users to view sites and retail information by scanning images from DVD and CD covers. Additionally the tool will recognise book covers and data from the Microsoft Tags platform.

The company is also looking to expand its image recognition platform into the print media space. Set to launch in March, Bing Imaging for Newspapers will allow the handsets to take pictures of newspaper and magazine articles and then match the article with its online edition.

The reception of the Imaging for Newspapers platform will be watched closely by newspaper and magazine publishers who have seen their print readership plummet in recent years and have strugled to transition their business models into the digital space.