When you think of searching for something online you instantly think of Google. The Google search engine is so popular that you “Google” something now rather than “search the Web” for something. Can Microsoft compete with that?

Microsoft has dabbled in search for a long time now, but its Live Search engine was little more than a bit-part player in the market. Now meet Bing, the official name for its new search engine. This is a demonstration video of Bing in action.

Why Microsoft chose Bing is anyone’s guess. The new search engine was codenamed Kumo for a long time and while that is pretty terrible Bing just conjures up images of Chandler Bing from Friends. Which isn’t an auspicious start.

The problem Microsoft have is trying to compete directly with Google while also offering something different. There’s only so much you can do with an online search engine. Could Bing topple the mighty Google? I very much doubt it, however cool it looks.