Microsoft Rolls Out Bing Desktop Update, Offers Integrated Facebook Feature

Microsoft rolled out its Bing Desktop app back in 2012, allowing users to easily get the backgrounds visible on Bing.com to use as desktop wallpapers, along with a desktop search box and a couple other features. Now the company has rolled out a new update, which brings with it a handful of new features, including integrated Facebook content.

The latest version of Bing Desktop allows users to connect to their Facebook account via the application. Once connected, the desktop app will populate with content from the user's Facebook feed. Viewing options includes friends' statuses, page posts, and comments. This is offered as a simple way to check out what's going on without firing up your browser.

Another new feature is the ability to customize how Bing Desktop integrates into your computer's desktop, with three new options being added. The first option is a minimize-to-Windows Taskbar option, which is self-explanatory. The second lets the user create a keyboard shortcut to pull up the search box without using the mouse. And the third option is for minimizing to the system tray.

Last but not least are the personalization features, which have been improved for greater control. Users can now easily set whether Bing Desktop will run as a start-up process, as well as configuring their search history and choosing the Bing.com image that will be applied as the desktop background. You can grab the update from Bing.com; it's available in nine countries, including the US, UK, and Canada.

[via Bing]