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Post a reply to the thread: News: Before Microsoft moved in, Bing.com was a cell phone idea

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Topic Review (Newest First)

  • 07-09-2009, 10:28 AM
    tavenger5
    Long before Microsoft was searching for onomatopoetic words to compliment their new search engine, bing.com was setup to advertise an idea for a "small device that vibrates when a person's cell phone rings".

    In August 2004, Bing, Inc owned the domain bing.com. Mark Longacre was apparently trying to market his idea for the device. The site explained, "bing! is a small device (e.g., possibly even a small Band-Aid®-like sticker!)" "bing! allows a person to keep their cell phone in a pocket, purse, briefcase, heavy coat, in another room, or anywhere up to a few hundred feet away, and be notified of a cell phone call without attracting attention and without having to "wear" a clunky phone on his or her hip."

    In 2004 cell phones were relatively clunky. The need for such a device may have sounded like a good idea. Not many people had bluetooth headsets either. The device was never made and marketed, however. No trace of it can be found. Maybe people didn't like the idea that it stuck right to them like a band-aid? Maybe because cell phones got smaller and people figured out how to use the vibrate setting?

    Below are a couple screen shots courtesy of Internet Archive: Wayback Machine


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