Bing Beats Google in Some Ways

For the last 15 years, Microsoft’s master business plan seems to have been, “Wait until somebody else has a hit. Then copy it.”

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And now we have yet another me-too effort. It’s something called Bing, and it’s the latest iteration of Microsoft’s multiyear attempt to imitate Google.

The name, presumably, is supposed to evoke the sound of a winning game-show bell. The cynics online, however, joke that Bing is an acronym for “But It’s Not Google.”

Here’s the shocker, though: in many ways, Bing is better.

That’s quite a statement, of course — almost heresy. But check it out yourself. It’s easy to compare the two, thanks to sites like bing-vs-google.com. Here, you’re shown search results from both Bing and Google, side by side, on a split screen.

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But search services are constantly in flux. They’re online, so their creators can keep refining them without making you install anything. Bing will keep getting better — but so, inevitably, will Google. If Google doesn’t eventually respond by making its own results more manageable in Bingish ways, I’ll eat my hat.

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Finally, people won’t start dumping Google en masse; Google is a habit. Everyone already knows how to work it, and it may even be built right into your Web browser. But if you value your time, you should give Bing a fling.

State of the Art - Bing, the Imitator, Often Goes Google One Better - News Analysis - NYTimes.com.

I, personally, have not tried Bing.  Google does what I want, and, as Pogue says, it’s a habit on some level.  When I want information, I know Google will get it. I’m not interested in “testing out” alternative searches. Based on this, perhaps I should give Bing a try. If I can break my habit.