Microsoft shows off 3D mapping, voice commands for Bing
The company takes aim at Google's popular mapping app with the addition of 3D imaging capabilities and voice search.
Microsoft showed off some new capabilities for mapping, including 3D imagery and voice command integration, on Wednesday at its Build conference for developers.
Bing VP Gurdeep Singh Pall highlighted some new possibilities with Bing. He told developers that the search engine can now be "a canvas for a whole lot of interesting things."
The Windows 8.1 app will now come with 3D imaging, Singh Pall told developers. He then showed how developers can use the 3D imaging and voice command to create new Bing search experiences. While viewing a demo of a foreign country map, Singh Pall asked, "who is the architect?" for a museum pictured on the map. The demo pulled up the answer.
Apps are going to have eyes, ears, and a mouth in the coming decade, and developers can use all that to make their software more seamless, Singh Pall said, challenging developers to come up with creative apps that utilize this technology.
Read more coverage of the conference on our CNET live blog.