Google faces some new competition

"When it comes to decisions that matter, Bing and Decide." That's the slogan of a new search engine by Microsoft called Bing. I heard about Bing after stumbling upon an article about it on NYTimes.com. So, I had to test it out for myself and find out if Bing really is better than Google.

Google is the only search engine I've used for the past (probably) 4 years. And I'm really a creature of habit. When it comes to certain things (mainly food) I don't branch out. But I must admit, I like Bing.

The engine offers much of the same elements that Google does. There's links for news, maps, images and video. But it's also a little bit more pleasing to the eye and gives you more information in one glance than Google does. The homepage of Bing is aesthetically appeasing with a background image of a landscape that has links right on it to describe what you're seeing (today's is one of the Galapagos Islands). And just like google, there's a search bar and you simply type the word in and it takes you to another screen with a listing of all related Web sites. A list that on Bing seems to be a little more concise than on Google. Also, on the left is categories related to what you're searching.

I decided to use the Phillies to test Bing out since there was a game going on tonight. Right after simply typing in Phillies the site took me to a list of Web sites, as you would assume. But also at the top were Phillies stats and info on the current game. Now Google does this too, but Bing gave more information. Including who was on bat, what bases were loaded, stats etc. It also updated this information very quickly so that when I hit refresh, the names and score changed instantly to reflect exactly what was happening in the game. And on the left of the screen were links to bring up more informatiom regarding the Phils, such as schedules, tickets, rosters etc. Nice. Simple. Easy. You can even scroll over the Web sites Bing recommends for your search to get a little more information on each one before committing to it.

However, the one thing I feel Google does better is Gmail. I could never give that up. And while Bing has something called Windows Live, I doubt it matches up. Also, all of my contacts and friends have Gmail so chatting and e-mailing them is a breeze. And right now that is something no other search engine could replace. However, that doesn't mean I won't use Bing now and then. Especially when the Phightin' Phils are playing.