Microsoft has been very busy lately. Just in the last month, the software giant has adopted an international standard for cloud privacy, released Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones, introduced an Outlook app for mobile devices, updated mobile Office to support its rivals' cloud storage services, and removed all restrictions from its OneNote app. However, Microsoft isn't done, as it just introduced two useful new features in Bing.
Bing is making it easier for users to order food and find the right hotel right from the search results. For restaurants that make deliveries, the search engine will show an Order online button; click it and you'll be taken to an ordering service to receive your favorite dishes at the door.
If you're unsure of what's on offer, clicking on the Menu button will take you to the restaurant's menu. For those who like to order at odd hours, Bing makes it easier to know when a restaurant can make deliveries as it shows open hours.
Eat24 is among the ordering services that Microsoft uses to make this feature happen. To test it, Microsoft recommends Golden Crust Pizzeria Chicago, Khan Toke Thai House San Francisco, Shawarma Spot Washington DC, Thai Spirit Los Angeles, and Oui, Oui New York City. (Presumably, other locations work as well.)
The second feature is designed to make it easier for Bing users to find the right hotel in a certain area. The search engine will show a list of hotels with photos, ratings and other information at the top of the search results.
Click on one and Bing will show a map of its location, the average price per night, review snippets, a link to the hotel's site and reservations page. You can also find rates for specific time-frames, thanks to TripAdvisor integration.
