When Android Marshmallow is released later, one of the most
attractive features is in the Google Now app. Named Now on Tap, this feature
actually allows Google Now to understand the context and display the
information without having to wait for your command.
This feature is very interesting because you can perform a
search without having to switch application and only by holding the Home
button, without typing anything. However it seems that Microsoft wants to
precede Google; now Bing Search app on Android has been able to do it all.
Microsoft calls this feature as Bing Snapshots. The working
principle is exactly the same as Google Now on Tap, where Bing can understand
the context based on what is visible on the smartphone screen, and provide
relevant information.
For example, you're opening your Facebook account and see a
post from a friend about a holiday in Rome. Hold the Home button, then a window
of Bing Search will appear directly on the Facebook application while
displaying related information about Rome.
Not only that, Bing Search also displays links to other
applications such as Lonely Planet or Wikipedia, so you can find out more about
Rome. Again, all of this will come without receiving any instruction from you; you
just need to hold the Home button, and Bing will automatically carry out its
duties.
Another example, when you open the site of a restaurant,
Bing will read the content displayed on the screen, and then display the
information of the restaurant without closing the browser application. From
there you can read a restaurant review on Yelp, or book a private taxi from the
Uber to immediately go to the venue.
So far, Microsoft claims that Bing Snapshots has been able
to identify approximately 1 billion entities which include people, locations,
and a wide variety of objects - equivalent to that's owned by Now on Tap. From
these 1 billion entities, Bing is capable of displaying 21 billion related
facts.
Bing Snapshots feature can be enjoyed now by the users of
Android devices. You only need to update or download the Bing Search
application via Google Play.