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MSN Bing

Microsoft moves new MSN out of beta in a move which will see Bing take a backseat

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

September 30, 2014 | 3 min read

Microsoft has announced that it will resurrect MSN with a series of new apps, some of which will replace existing Bing services on the mobile and desktop platforms.

The new MSN homepage will come out of trial shortly

Throughout the next week the revitalised MSN will be launched in over 50 countries worldwide with an expected reach of 425 million people.

The computing giant, which released a preview of its new MSN service early in September, has struck over 1,000 media partnerships for the rebranded browser including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, CNN, TechCrunch, the Huffington Post and more.

Furthermore, the MSN homepage toolbar will feature shortcuts to Outlook.com, Office, OneNote, OneDrive, Skype, Facebook and Twitter.

Most importantly for the firm, MSN’s return spells a reeling-in of Bing services with it only being used as search tool from now on.

Brian MacDonald, corporate vice president of information and content experiences at Microsoft, said: “In the coming months, we will release a suite of MSN apps across iOS and Android to complement today’s release of the Windows and Windows Phone apps. You only need to set your favourites once, and your preferences will be connected across MSN, Cortana, Bing and other Microsoft experiences.

“Every single line of code was re-written to ensure one consistent experience regardless of whether you are accessing your stocks in MSN Money, your favourite sports teams in MSN Sports, or your recipe collections in MSN Food & Drink - across all your devices.”

In the last month, Microsoft claimed that 10 million people have tested out the new MSN in a beta test which saw 80,000 feedback forms returned.

Naturally, MSN’s return in such fashion will come as a surprise to many after it in August announced that it will discontinue its messenger in its final market of China.

MSN Bing

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