Microsoft just released an upgrade to Bing Desktop, adding in support for a whole slew of Windows versions, from XP to Vista, Windows 8 as well as the 2008 and 2012 editions of Windows Server. The tool was first released as a beta back in April for Windows 7. Bing Desktop search adds a standalone Bing Search bar in the center of the desktop screen, allowing users to not only quickly make searches on the Microsoft’s Bing search engine, but also change the desktop wallpaper every day to match the image on the Bing.com website. Apart from compatibility for all active versions of the Windows OS, this new version also adds support for four additional languages — French, German, Chinese and Japanese — to go with English. The Bing Team announced the availability of version 1.1 on its official blog:
“To start searching, simply click on the Bing taskbar icon, or the Bing tile on your Windows 8 Start screen, and the search bar will automatically appear at the front of the screen. Type in a search term or phrase using the autosuggest keywords or your search history, and the search results will appear in your default browser. You’re off and running in a matter of keystrokes. When not in use, the search box recedes into the background to maximize precious screen space”.Other minor changes to the tool include icons on the search bar that take users to top news items, trending images and videos. Another helpful feature is the ability to go back through up to 9 days of images and set them as wallpapers. Just in case a user was away from the computer and missed those iconic images. It remains to be seen how many Windows Server users download the tool, but it is nice to see Microsoft has not left out enterprise software.]]>