Microsoft's search engine Bing launched 'Bing deals' for both desktop as well as mobile (m.bing.com) in partnership with The Dealmap, an online service that collects local deals from a large number of sources. 'Bing deals' gives users access to more than 200,000 unique offers in over 14,000 cities and towns across the US. It assembles offers from Groupon, Living Social and Restaurant.com, among others, enabling users to discover, share and search for the best deals in an area, all from one place. The mobile functionality is based on HTML5 and will work with phones that support it. Windows Phone 7 will have HTML5 support in an update later this year, at which point 'Bing deals' will also work on Windows Phone 7 OS besides the currently supported iOS and Android. On m.bing.com (iPhone and Android), users can access deals while on the go by clicking on the 'deals' link displayed on the homepage. With one click, users see the top daily deals featuring the very best offers in their metro area. Clicking the 'nearby' link highlights places offering deals within a few blocks of where users are. At the same time, users can browse by category or keyword, narrowing down the numerous deals to exactly what they are interested in. Once they find the deal they like, they can save it, share it with a friend via email or claim the deal directly with the deal provider. Available deals are also highlighted below the business listing. As for desktop users, they see deals highlighted in search results using green icons after searching for a specific business, restaurant or attraction. Clicking through the listing to the details page enables users to find more information about the business they are searching for, including reviews, featured dishes (if it is a restaurant), pictures, and maps. Bing even helps users make restaurant reservations through OpenTable.
