Microsoft releases Bing iPhone app
As its officials have been hinting and promising for a while now, Microsoft announced it has developed a version of its Bing search app for the iPhone.
The new Bing app is available on the iPhone app store as of tonight (December 15).
Microsoft already offers Bing on a number of mobile phones, and has a five-year deal with Verizon to provide Bing on a number of phones available to Verizon Wireless customers. A mobile version of Bing already is available for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, BREW and Sidekick devices on Verizon.
In other Bing news, Microsoft has finally hit the 10 percent market share mark with Bing, according to the November U.S. search share data from comScore. Bing's growth is continuing to come at the expense of Yahoo, not Google.
Update: To those wondering why Microsoft would deliver a version of Bing for the iPhone -- and not decide to make it a WinMo app only, in an attempt to keep more users in the Windows Mobile/Windows Phone fold -- don't forget Microsoft isn't really one big company. It's six or seven different companies, loosely joined, with each business unit doing whatever it takes to build market share and profits for itself. And the iPhone is gaining share while Windows Mobile is ... not.
Update 2: In other Web 2.0 app news, Microsoft is making its Twitter application for its Zune HD available on December 16, according to company officials (via Twitter). So now you'll be able to Tweet from your Zune, as Microsoft said you'd be able to do earlier this year. I'd guess the promised Facebook app for Zune HD isn't far behind.
Update 3: Here's a gallery of screen shots of Bing on the iPhone, from my iPhone-toting colleague Ryan Naraine.