What is new in Microsoft Bing

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft is making its Bing search engine more entertaining by spotlighting music, films, games and television shows.

The US technology giant added an array of features to make it easier for Bing users to find and play their favorite songs, movies, TV programs or online games.

"In this release of Bing one of the biggest investments we are making is in the area of entertainment," Bing senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post.

"Bing is making a first step today to help make entertainment on the Web easy and fun, so you spend less time searching for entertainment and more time doing the stuff you love."

Bing software was modified to improve results to entertainment-related searches and a page devoted to the content was launched at www.bing.com/entertainment.

Microsoft tapped into its games divisions, which makes titles for the company's Xbox 360 videogame consoles, to arrange for people to be able to play scores of popular online games on Bing pages.

Bing users can search out song lyrics as well as get videos or concert tour dates of musicians and even sample tunes.

Bing offers new tools to get information about movies along with local restaurant, parking and other information "you need to get to the movie stress-free and have a great night out," according to Mehdi.

Microsoft is also tailoring Bing for television lovers.

"We've brought together a very comprehensive collection of full-length TV episodes and visually organized them so it's easy to find what you are looking for and start watching," Mehdi said.

"And if you are one of those people who watch TV on an actual TV, we're pulling in guide information to help you easily find what's on in your area from your service provider."

Satyam rebranded as Mahindra Satyam

Hyderabad

June 21: Satyam Computers has rebranded itself as Mahindra Satyam and got a new logo incorporating Mahindra and Mahindra’s identity. The company’s name legally, however, will still continue to be Satyam Computer Services Ltd. The company was rebranded to distance itself from everything that is associated with its founder Ramalinga Raju, who confessed to the biggest accounting fraud in the Indian corporate history. The rebranding, company officials say, would help the IT major to do away with the negative image that the word Satyam has come to represent because of Mr Raju’s fraud. This newspaper had reported on May 25 that the company would be rebranded as Mahindra Satyam.

With this, the company sheds its old logo with a blue pyramid and gets a new logo that has ‘Satyam’ in red colour.
Unveiling the new logo, Mr Anand Mahindra, vice-chairman and managing director, Mahindra Group, said, “This rebranding exe-rcise symbolises an amalgamation of the Mahindra Group’s values with Satyam’s fabled expertise, even as it retains that part of Satyam’s identity which signifies commitment.”
Notwithstanding the rebranding, the company would be called Satyam Computer Services Ltd for all legal purposes at stock exchanges, where it has been listed, all government departments and courts.

Sources said the company would go in for an official name change after two years. “For an official name change, the company, being publicly-listed, would have to take shareholders permission at an extraordinary-general body meeting. Then we have to approach the Company Law Board for effecting a name change. However, because of some legal issues, we cannot take this recourse,” Mr Hari T., VP, marketing and communications, said.

ICWAI launches new course

Kochi: The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI) has introduced a new course — certificate in accounting technicians (CAT) — of one year for those who have passed Plus Two, a press release said. The course is available at St. Albert’s College, Ernakulam and ET &T at Aluva. — Special Correspondent