Soon after launching its upstart search engine, tech giant Microsoft rolled out a software development kit, which gives developers the tools needed to build Bing-powered apps or add Bing functionality to other programs.
The first such app to hit the iPhone is a new one called Robotvision, and it uses Bing in a way that Google usually dominates.
The app only works with the new iPhone 3GS, which include a video camera. Robotvision is what's called an "augmented reality" application, which means that it uses video data to deliver information to users.
For example, Robotvision uses the iPhone's camera and GPS functions to show users relevant information about surrounding stores and attractions. The trick is that all of its search data comes from Bing, not Google.
Robotvision also packs a few other extra features, such as a feed that displays relevant Twitter posts about a nearby location and geo-tagged photos from Flickr.
