Microsoft's Bing gets a new look, offers new functions

— -- In the real world, when folks decide where to eat, what to buy, which movie to go see and so on, they frequently seek the recommendations of friends and so-called experts.

Three years after launching its "Decision Engine," Microsoft is overhauling Bing to make its online search engine more social. Though it's taking a different path, Bing's strategy resembles that taken by rival Google, still the dominant player in search.

As part of the new Bing, people you know, and in some cases, strangers, are more prominently featured in the decision-making mix that includes Facebook and other networks.

I generally applaud Microsoft's approach. But not everything in this still-early-stage preview is working smoothly . For one thing, I ran into trouble getting all the new Bing features to show up on the Mac's Safari Web browser (which Microsoft says is related to the version I've been testing and will be fixed). For another, I want to see more users actually have access to the revamped Bing to more fully unleash its potential.

You can check out the changes for yourself at Bing.com/new, but consumers must still wait a few weeks for all the latest features to be made available.

When you type in your actual search query, you're exposed to Bing's clean new three-column design interface that takes in information from traditional Web pages, enthusiasts, bloggers and yes, your friends.

The left panel is where you'll find the kind of results you've come to expect from a major search engine such as Bing or Google. When I typed in "sushi new york city," I got a typical list of results.

Things start to look different in the center column, the space reserved for the "snapshot," where Bing pulls in relevant contextual resources from across the Web. In the sushi example, a map appeared in the snapshot with locations for some of the restaurants listed in the left column (a number appears next to the restaurants whose locations are pinpointed on the map.)

When I specifically searched the name of one popular restaurant, Nobu, the center snapshot column displayed star ratings and links to reviews from Citysearch, Urbanspoon and TripAdvisor. There was a map here, too, with directions or a street view. The center column also listed Nobu's hours of operation, and included a photo you could click to "step inside" for a tour. A handy link lets you make a reservation through OpenTable.

In a search on The Avengers, the snapshot included the movie trailer, film length, parental rating, plot synopsis, director and cast, as well as links to reviews from Moviefone, Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.

Snapshot doesn't fire up for every search, which makes sense. I didn't love that ad-sponsored results otherwise filled the space.

The third column on the right reveals the social "sidebar," probably the most significant addition to Bing due to its heavy reliance on people. Depending on the query, you'll see some combination of the following: "Friends who might know," your pals on Facebook who might lend some expertise because of where they live; photos they may have posted; or what they "liked" on Facebook. You may see a "People who know" section, featuring presumed experts and influencers.