Bing Audio now available in 14 more countries

Most of you probably already know Shazam and Soundhound, two must have apps (or get just one, that’s sufficient as well) for recognizing that great tune on the TV, in an online ad or in that great GoPro video you just saw. Now there is another great addition to music recognizing apps; Bing Audio.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone blog just announced that the service is coming to more countries around the world including; Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. It is a pretty decent addition to the service that was only available in a handful of countries before.

But why Bing Audio and not one of the apps you can get in the Store? Simple, it is fast. Really fast. Just hit the search button on your phone and the search screen opens. If you happen to be in one of the aforementioned countries you should now also have a small button at the bottom with a music note in it. Hit that and your phone should start listening for music. A more elaborate explanation how Bing Audio works can be found here.

The Bing search interface with Local Scout, Music and Vision (QR-scanner) at the bottom. Note that Local Scout isn’t available everywhere, luckily there is Nokia City Lens etc.

The benefit of it being native to your phone is not only speed, but there is also a direct link to buying a song in the Store whenever it is recognized. How convenient is that.

So, no downsides then? Not really, but from the quick testing I’ve done, Bing Audio doesn’t yet recognize all songs correctly. I’ve tried it with some more obscure songs and it either didn’t recognize them or it thought it was an entirely different song. In that aspect Soundhound (and Shazam) can offer better results, so do keep those apps around!

But, it is great to see some of the great Bing features being rolled out further than just the US. And it is one the quickest ways to recognize music and let’s face it, time is essential when trying to ID a song.

Source: Windows Phone Blog

Category: Nokia