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"Microsoft has released a new tablet-centric version of its Bing search app, Bing for iPad.\nThe new app takes many of the same features from the Bing search engine and Bing for iPhone, optimizing the interface and user experience for the iPad form-factor.\nThe new app [iTunes link] provides direct access to maps, weather, trends, news and movies. Users can also easily search the web using voice or text search.\nThe app is attractive and the layout is well-designed. Users can swipe between different sections of the app by sliding their fingers across the top portion of the screen. This makes it easy to pull up various \"pages\" or tabs within Bing, without having to rely on a standard navigation or tab bar.\nAt the bottom of the home screen, Bing offers up easy access to various sections of the Bing service, including Weather, News, Maps, Movies, Trends and Finance. Each section has its own specially designed display.\nThe news and trends sections, for example, display content in a Flipboard-esque paneled display. This makes it easy to browse new stories or top trends. Tapping an item will open up its web page within the Bing app. Swiping a finger can return users to the main sections of the app or a user can simply tap the Home button next to the search bar.\nLike Google, Bing is touting voice search as a big feature for its mobile and tablet apps. Unfortunately, Bing for iPad suffers from the same problems as Bing or iPhone and Bing for Windows Phone 7; that is, it can't reliably decipher certain words or phrases. The word \"Mashable\" is consistently difficult for Bing to understand and it's a problem we've faced with the service since 2009. For what it is worth, Google for iPhone, iPad and Android can understand \"Mashable\" via the voice search feature with no problem.\nAlthough we're impressed by Microsoft's efforts with Bing for iPad, we do question how often the app will be used. In some respects, the app seems to want to be a web browser replacement, but it just lacks the full functionality to serve that purpose.\nThe weather, news and movie search options are useful, but we're not sure how often users will opt for Bing rather than simply using the built-in iPad web browser. \nTo us, the app could be more useful if it could hook into third-party apps like Twitter and Facebook and if it would allow users to open a web page in the default web browser. \nCheck out our gallery to see Bing for iPad in action and let us know what you think of Bing and its tablet strategy in the comments.\n\n\nBing for iPad\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Home Screen, Portrait\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Home Screen, Landscape\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Home Screen Options\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Wallpaper Overlay\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Weather\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Scrolling Instructions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Voice Search\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Search Results\nBing for iPad, unfortuantely, isn't any better at deciphering \"Mashable\" than Bing for the iPad or Bing for Windows Phone 7.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Movie Search\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Search\nMashable!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing News\nFlipboard-style scrolling.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing News\nUsers can browse through selected categories. A thumbnail, brief article description and source are all visible.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing News: Article View\nLinks open up in their own window overlay.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Movies\nBing's customized movie search/display.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Movies\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Movies\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Top Searches\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Video\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Video\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBing Video\nPlayback.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/04/07/bing-ipad/>