Bing Join Hands with Wolfram Alpha to take on Google

According to our anticipation Wolfram Alpha was Google’s Replacement for Factual Questions?. We had also suggested a Firefox add-on that would allow you to use Wolfram Alpha simultaneously with Google as mainstay.  Microsoft’s much hyped Google-challenger Bing now integrates Wolfram Alpha into its search. Wolfram’s search is one of the many inclusions in Bing’s features and updates.  Wolfram Alpha is considered as a computational engine that has been designed to provide users with a definitive answer to a search query. Microsoft would use Wolfram Alpha’s algorithms to improve its searches on mathematics, nutrition and fitness.

For instance, users looking food items will now have more information that would include the nutrition tab, BMI(Body Mass Index) calculator as well as nutrition facts label that will be displayed at the bottom of results page.

Microsoft’s recognition leverages Wolfram’s image as a search engine, which otherwise was reduced to a fun tool. This is clearly reflected in the words of Schoeller Porter,

The first things that people generally search on Wolfram are the fun things and our developers certainly have a sense of humor and that’s all well and good, but that’s not really useful,

Wolfram’s search capabilities extend far beyond the funky stuffs. The secondary search engine allows complex comparisons across multiple domains. Porter says although people start  their searches with junks, but return to check serious useful stuffs.

Enhanced Video Search

In a bid to take on Google’s YouTube, Microsoft would turn Bing’s video page into a robust video parlor. Interestingly, Bing’s revamped video page would include videos from YouTube, Hulu, MSN Video and ABC. This modified video page would combine the best of powerful search experience of Bing team and expertise of MSN video.

Weather and Events

Bing now provides localized results for weather and events.  Hover preview and tweaks to Bing Shopping. The latest features on Bing would unfurl gradually in the next few weeks. It features Microsoft’s revamped MSN homepage, which also uses Bing to ferret out local information.