bing

Will Microsoft sell Bing or Xbox?

Influential and long-time Microsoft analyst Rick Sherlund argued in a May 28 research report that it's time for Microsoft to get rid of Bing and/or Xbox.

The title of Sherlund's note -- "Pressure Building to Realize Greater Shareholder Value" -- makes it plain where he's coming from.

"We think there are a number of things that could be done to improve the return of cash to shareholders and improve the profitability and cash flow of the business," Sherlund, an analyst with Nomura Research, said in the note. He added, "We think … Read more

Microsoft to take Bing deeper into Windows Blue, Xbox One

In all the talk about Microsoft's makeover into a devices and services company, one service many forget the company has in its back pocket is Bing.

Bing is evolving into more than "just" a Web search engine for Microsoft. It's also gives the company a way to harness and make use of data using Microsoft's myriad machine learning and computation capabilities. And though it may be hard to see through all the "Scroggled" fog, Bing may be more important as a service than a "mere" search engine to Microsoft going … Read more

Trekify Bing by searching for 'beam me up'

I like my Khan clad in real Corinthian leather, so I'm not warping over to the closest theater to catch "Star Trek Into Darkness." And while many fanboys and fangirls are, Trek enthusiasts can also try Bing for some animation that's as fun as a locker full of tribbles.

The search engine will respond to "beam me up" with a series of interactive scenes promoting the latest installment in the J.J. Abrams reboot series.

Clicking on the floating Enterprise brings you to the bridge (littered with furry friends), where you can explore the science behind concepts from the show like the tractor beam and the tricorder. … Read more

Google e-mails money; Hangouts with ponies

CNET Update geeks out:

In this episode of Update:

- Learn how to send money through Gmail using Google Wallet, and RSVP to events without ever opening your e-mail invite.

- Become a Google Hangout app master and know the secrets to sending your Bronies some ponies.

- Beam yourself to Bing to be transported to the Star Trek universe, and brush up on your Klingon while there. Qapla'!

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps, and what's … Read more

Maj! Bing adds Klingon language translation

'Ij, eartHlIngh, veng SuvwI' Hol chu' tu'lu'. I'm not sure how accurate that really is, but, according to Bing, it means, "Listen up, earthling, there's a new language in town."

Bing is so excited about the new "Star Trek Into Darkness" movie that it added Klingon to Bing Translator, the translation service that usually handles Earth languages like Bulgarian, Turkish, and Polish.

Bing didn't just throw together some guttural sounds and call it done. Microsoft got together with "Star Trek" studio Paramount, the Klingon Language Institute, and Marc Okrand, the creator of the Klingon language, to do it up right.… Read more

Bing adds more Facebook to search

Continuing down the path of enhancing search results with social data, Microsoft's Bing search engine added even more Facebook features to its right-hand social sidebar.

Thursday, people who search on Bing, and who have connected their Facebook accounts, will find that they can view comments on Facebook posts in the sidebar, add their own comments to surfaced status updates, and "like" the social-network posts without leaving the search engine.

"Now you can see what your friends might know about what you're searching for and engage with them directly without leaving the search page," Bing … Read more

Security certificate problem trips up Bing Web site

A security certificate problem triggered warnings not to use Bing over a secure Web connection Friday, and Microsoft said an issue with network service provider Akamai is to blame.

Browsers displayed prominent error messages and warnings at about 9 a.m. PT when visiting https://bing.com.

The HTTPS standard governs how Web browsers and Web servers set up encrypted communications, for example so that others can't eavesdrop on network activity to find out what you're searching for, but valid and up-to-date security certificates are required for such communications.

"An attacker on your network could be trying … Read more

How Dish's deal could improve Sprint

CNET Update dishes the details:

Dish has made a $25.5 billion unsolicited bid to merge with Sprint. Today's video explains what this deal means for consumers and how it might improve Sprint's network.

Also in this tech roundup:

- Microsoft reportedly is considering making a smartwatch

- Windows 8 apps for news and maps get updates

- Electronic Arts will shut down Sims games on Facebook

- This 55-inch Panasonic plasma is the first television to get a 5-star rating from CNET

Watch CNET Update in the video above, and subscribe to the podcast via the links … Read more

Bing serves up more malicious sites than Google, report says

Although most search engines have measures in place to protect users against trojans, malicious sites still manage to crop up from time to time -- even in the top search results. An independent testing lab in Germany by the name of AV-Test has just completed an 18-month survey to find out which search engines are the worst offenders.

The lab tested 40 million Web sites (PDF) across seven search engines -- Google and Bing, the world's two most popular search engines; Yandex, Russia's biggest search engine; Blekko; peer-to-peer search engine Faroo; Teoma, better known as Ask.com; and … Read more