Microsoft launches Bing in the UK

Microsoft says Bing will help users to make more informed choices

Microsoft has officially launched Bing in the UK, but the release does not appear to have the same features seen in the US version.

Microsoft said today that Bing would help users to not only search, but also make more informed choices. Although the US version was launched some five months ago, leaving other nations waiting, Microsoft said that the time had been well spent as it carried out user research and behavioural analysis to provide a search and information site that was truly useful, locally.

Using a Europe-based research centre, Microsoft analysed three factors in order to launch Bing in a way that lets users find what they are looking for quickly and accurately: feedback from beta users, trends in their searching habits, and their individual requirements.

Microsoft concedes that this has resulted in changes to the way that its search site looks, feels and delivers results. Ashley Highfield, vice president and managing director of Microsoft UK's Consumer and Online business, said: “Bing is ready for the UK consumer, with our revolutionary way of searching the internet proving very popular. Features such as Categorised Search, Twitter and Visual Search are providing a different and intuitive experience, and are enabling us all to make informed decisions and discover more of the web – faster."

Bing's features include a local photo on its homepage; shopping comparison tools powered by Ciao UK; and Bing Maps, which has been improved with the addition of a number of new features, including transit information and local search tools.

Bing in the UK also includes Microsoft's visual search feature, which will let users find what they are looking for without having to use their keyboards.

"Removing our beta tag is merely the first step to signal Bing is here and already has features that are superior to those provided by other search engines,” added Highfield.

However the UK version of the site doesn't currently include Twitter feeds or Wolfram Alpha integration, both of which were recently announced by Microsoft and are available in the US.