Bing refresh brings a new logo, more ‘at a glance’ info with cards and info from your friends

Posted on 17/09/2013 by Richard Lawler

Microsoft's search engine continues to push the rock up a hillside as it chases Google, and some new Bing features add or enhance its search in very familiar ways. First up is a reworked logo, detailed to a level that we're sure Marissa Mayer can appreciate. Bigger than that however are the adjustments to search, with improved "Snapshot" cards that try to fill in what you want to know about a person, place or thing before you even click on a search result. Like Google's cards it has a quick index of info, but it also pulls from Facebook and Twitter to see what your friends might be saying about it. The "Page Zero" results that auto-fill even as you search a query are improved as well, with mini-tiles there that have pictures and text. Other tweaks are meant to improve the experience on screens from phone to TVs, while new "Pole Position" results fill in answers for easy questions about things like the weather. Senior Director of Search Stefan Weitz tells the WSJ the company "went back to the drawing board about how to build searches" -- let us know if the changes are enough make you switch.

Filed under: Internet, Microsoft

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Source: Bing Blog (1), (2)

Escher Reptile Flooring: Lizards Under Foot!

Posted on 24/04/2013 by Paul Strauss

If M.C. Escher were still alive today, I’m betting he’d redo all of the floors in his house with these wood tiles…

escher floor tiles

Madrid, Spain flooring contractor Arbore created these awesome hardwood pieces in the form of Escher’s famous interlocking geometric reptiles.

Though if Escher had these in his house, actual lizards would emerge from the edges of the floor when you step on it. He’d also have to cover the walls and the ceilings with these, since I bet there was no difference between those and the floor in his house.

[via Buzzfeed on Facebook]

Windows 8 may not let you boot to the desktop, demands you accept not-Metro

Posted on 06/08/2012 by Terrence O'Brien

If you were hoping that you could force Windows 8 to bypass the don't-call-it-Metro homescreen and boot straight to the familiar desktop you've come to know and love, we've got bad news. Word on the street is, Microsoft has removed this ability from the latest builds of the OS -- so you're gonna have to stare at a pile of tiles when you boot up, whether you like it or not. According to Rafael Rivera, one of the authors of Windows 8 Secrets, there is a work around that involves creating a shortcut to the desktop and scheduling it to run at boot. But, it appears that even enterprise customers will be blocked from making the standard desktop the default environment. While Redmond is no doubt implementing such a policy to enforce consistency, it could prove to be a source of frustration for big businesses, which are notoriously resistant to change. We'll just have to wait for the final release to find out for sure.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablet PCs, Software

Windows 8 may not let you boot to the desktop, demands you accept not-Metro originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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