BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft's Bing.com goes visual
Software giant Microsoft has introduced visual search to further set itself apart from market leader Google.
The new feature for its 90-day-old search engine Bing.com will let users browse results using pictures instead of text.
Visual search will concentrate on four main areas: travel, health, leisure and shopping.
"The whole concept is that the world of search is going to change," said Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi.
"There will be a more graphic way people will search, and it will pivot how people search," said Mr Mehdi, the firm's senior vice president of online services.
Microsoft also claimed "Visual Search" allows users to conduct certain searches faster than the "traditional image search offered by rival Google and other search engines.
In a blog post, the company said a study it conducted found that consumers can process results with images 20% faster than text only results.
"It's like searching through a large online catalogue," Microsoft said.
