With the notable success of Bing search engine having given Microsoft a much-needed boost in the Internet search arena, the Microsoft search site has grown beyond being a “decision engine” – it now allows users to play music, movies, and games; without having to send them to an external Web site.

Thanks to Microsoft’s numerous deals with record labels, movie studios, TV networks, and casual game providers, users of the company’s Bing search site can easily access all content they are searching for, while enjoying the “comfort” of Bing. com. Moreover, even some online video sites like Hulu have started allowing Microsoft Bing users to access their content without being redirected.

In addition, attempting to further notch up its challenge to Internet search market biggie Google, Bing is currently undergoing an overhaul – bringing about changes to its user interface and additions to vertical search options like Entertainment, Travel, Shopping, and Autos.

Furthermore, Bing has also released a new iPhone app, which boasts new commerce and social features, including product barcode reading.

Noting that Bing is heading towards an intent-based dialogue model, Stefan Weitz - Microsoft’s director of Bing Search - said: “We went back to the research and figured out what kind of decisions people were trying to make with web search and we built a new experience around this. The number one request we get is ‘help me complete a task more quickly’.”