Microsoft takes aim at Google with Bing

Software giant launches ‘decision engine' as competitor to Google

Ballmer: Search engines don’t do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find

Software behemoth Microsoft has unleashed an attack on search engine Google’s turf, with the launch of its ‘decision engine’ Bing.

Microsoft hopes that Bing will enable it to claim more market share in the cut-throat search-engine arena, which is dominated by Google.

Microsoft claims Bing is designed to build on the benefits of current search engines, by incorporating tools to help customers make better decisions.

The service will initially focus on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision; planning a trip; researching a health condition; or finding a local business.

Results from a custom comScore study across core search engines showed 30 per cent of searches are abandoned without a satisfactory result.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive, said: “Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the web and find information, but they don’t do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find.

“When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the web. Bing is an important first step forward in our long-term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information they’ve found to accomplish tasks and make smart decisions.”

Previously due to be fully deployed by Wednesday 3 June, Bing unexpectedly went live today at http://www.bing.com.