Microsoft has finally revealed some of the first official information bits about the new features it will put into the upcoming free Windows 8.1 update. That includes some improvements to the search experience from the Bing team, which has been working in concert with the Windows division on Windows 8.1.
In a new post on the official Bing blog, Derrick Connell, the Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft"s Bing division, states:
With search in Windows 8.1 our intent is to have one way to find what you’re looking for, no matter where it lives – whether it’s a document on your PC, a photo album in the cloud, an app, PC setting or a website. In just a tap or a click you can play, view, launch, or browse.
As previously rumored, search in Windows 8.1 can be enabled from anywhere in the OS. The search engine will automatically offer up suggestions for your search string and those results could come from inside the PC or from the Internet; the Bing engine will also generate images from a user"s search results.
Connell uses an example of searching for "Paris" that brings up photos of the city in France, along with links for popular attractions in the area and upcoming local events. Windows 8.1 will also let users book a trip with the Bing Travel app to the city without having to type in "Paris" again.
Source: Microsoft | Image via Microsoft