Microsoft have reinvigorated it’s search and now Bing is out in the open for all. The Usage is interactive with text snap to get a quick preview of results.

Watch parts of even paid content or inaccessible videos through Bing

Bing list all videos as moving thumbnails with sound. This means you will be able to watch even restricted shows and paid content videos as thumbnails. Remember these are only excerpts NOT full videos. (Sometimes certainly worth it )


Bing is available on Mobile too

Access bing mobile via http://m.bing.com. Works as fine as Desktop version and better than Google and Yahoo’s mobile interface.


For More options change Location

Use http://www.bing.com/worldwide.aspx to choose your region. US, UK regions have more options and more unfiltered content.

Search files inside Pages

Use the contains keyword to search for specific files like gif, avi, mp3, divx etc inside the pages. This is unlike suffixing search term with ext:ppt in Google.

Example:

To find PPTs related to hedging

Bing: hedging contains: ppt –> The page will contain links to PPTs

Google: hedging ext:ppt  –>PPTs which contains the word ‘hedging’

More search services

Currently the following services are active:

Health

+ –>Contains inline articles from medical experts

Images

++ –>You can scroll infinitely to find related images on the web. This is really a GREAT feature. It will save pressing “Next” several times like in Google which is now seem a tiring effort.

+ –>Facial search features

+ –>Black and white search

+ –>Photo or Illustration

++–>open an image in a new window/Tab you don’t have to come back to the other images as they are listed in the left side scroll bar.

+ All the options easily accessible unlike in Advances options in other search engines.

Local

http://www.bing.com/local

Maps

http://www.bing.com/maps

+ –>Bird’s eye view for cities

+ –>Virtual 3D

News

http://www.bing.com/news

Shopping

http://www.bing.com/shopping

+–> Bing cashback offering money back for certain purchases made through the site.

Translator

http://www.bing.com/translator

Translate texts or entire web pages

Travel

http://www.bing.com/travel

+–> Best buy suggestions, looks promising.

Videos

http://www.bing.com/videos

++–> The Smart Preview to instantly watch a short preview of an original video.

xRank

http://www.bing.com/xrank

Search ranks for celebrities, musicians

More about Bing @ : http://www.discoverbing.com/

Bing Tidbits

1. Bing has taken over second position at over 15% of search traffic (Source: StatCounter) and this may be due to new interest in a new product and initial hype.
2. Microsoft has set aside $100 million to promote Bing
3. As usual Bing has been already banned in China. Ironically “Bing” is an easily memorable name for Chinese.
4. Your IP address will remain in Microsoft’s log of your search for the next 18 months. For Google- 9 months, and Yahoo 90 days.
5. The search still points to Live search help L
6. Search Linux on Bing is not so OK.

Million Dollar Question

In one thing Bing may not be able to compete Google I think. Guess what -duration of Beta status.

Bing is not Google but this time it is neither like ‘Microsoft’ and is certainly on the upward trend.

Yahoo! Briefcase is closing on March 30, 2009. You have to download all your files before that, after which any files remaining on Yahoo! Briefcase will be deleted and no longer accessible.


If you are a Yahoo! Briefcase Premium subscriber, your current subscription will be cancelled on March 30, 2009. You will be refunded the unused portion of your Premium subscription, if any. The refund will appear as a credit via the billing method you have. So please make sure that your billing information is correct and up-to-date. For more information, please visit https://billing.yahoo.com.


How to download yahoo briefcase files by folders
The one main hitch at this point of time is that you cannot download all your files by folders. To do this,
1. click on “Show All”
2. “Check All”
3. Then click “download” to download your folder as a zip file.


Finally you have to manually rename your zip file to something of that folder.

While opening all Adobe documents you will receive an initial pop up Content Preparation Progress which says please wait while the document is being prepared for

Problemo
This wastes lot of time and we got to remain idle every time until this preparation is complete.

Why this Occurs?
Accessibility standards ensure that the software must be accessible even for visually challenged persons. In order to prepare the document for reading every time this pop up checks the document for preparing it to Read Out Aloud.

Solution
1. In the Adobe Reader press CTRL+K (Alternatively open EDIT > Preferences)

2. Go to Categories, select Reading