New Technology (Double Feature)
Image courtesy of Apple
Recently, the technology sector saw two impressive product roll-outs – Bing, Microsoft’s new and thoughtfully improved search engine, and iPhone’s much-anticipated 3G S handset and OS 3.0 software update.
Bing, whose sole purpose is to surpass Google as the world’s best-loved searchlight, is more intuitive and in-depth than its arch rival, offering users pinpointed results rather than random, excessive Web copy. Bing, for example, has paid special attention to these tight economic times; when searching for flights, hotels and other products, the engine searches for deals and highlights items for which consumers can get money back with its Bing Cashback icon. If users want to see if a flight is on time, or what to expect from the morning commute, Bing can help with that, too.
The search engine also capitalizes on saving users time. Rather than taking Bingers away from the search page, a simple roll-over the text or video link will tell them whether they need to click. The site has received complimentary reviews from The Wall Street Journal, CNET, Paste magazine and TechCrunch by writers who are just as surprised by Microsoft’s newest offering as they are pleased. Check out the company’s user-friendly Bing tour to see the engine’s other features.
Although Apple’s iPhone is hardly a relic, the company’s new 3G S model secures its place as a leader in the world of cool, user-friendly handsets. The newest iteration maintains the popular look and feel of its recent predecessor, but is faster, has greater memory capacity, longer battery life and features several new bells and whistles – a built-in video recorder (with on-phone cropping and ability to post to YouTube), voice control, a digital compass and an improved 3 megapixel camera for still photography. The 3G S retails for $199 or $299, depending on its memory level (16 or 32 gigabytes).
Apple has also gone a step farther in securing its market share by including an updated software platform – OS 3.0 – for its iPhone 3G S and making it available to 3G users as well. The software upgrade enables a landscape keyboard option for typing, cut/copy/paste, phone-wide search functions, MMS, lost iPhone pinpointing, remote data clearing, and the ability to support turn-by-turn navigation with voice commands (utilizing 3rd party apps), erasing your need for a separate GPS device. Other new features can be found here.
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Categories: Technology |
