Windows search bar flub
On February 5, this year, Microsoft experienced a snafu that caused the search bar, one of Window's core features, to literally go blank.
If you were like me, you were casting blame on your computer, a virus, a failed update, or who knows what. But, in fact, the Bing search engine is integrated with the search bar and a failure with Bing caused this massive, although short-lived, loss of function.
Microsoft was able to quickly identify and fix the problem with just a computer reboot fixing the problem for Windows users. However, this is a good time to take a look at the features of the search bar. Long time Windows users may not have noticed how much it has evolved. So, here are a couple of features to notice.
Read More.Manage in Timeline
First off, the search bar can save you a couple of clicks because it shows you recent activity and a top icon list of your most used apps. However, more than that, the search bar has a useful "Manage in Timeline" option. When you choose that option, you get a vertical timeline that you can slide down to a recent day, allowing you to find and reopen the Excel sheet, say, that you were working on that day.
Reverse Search
Another handy new feature is the reverse search. You click the camera icon in the search bar and then use the resulting cursor to frame an image anywhere on your desktop. When you release the cursor, Bing will do an automatic image match. Of course, if the item of interest is something real right in front of you, open Google on your phone, click the camera icon in the Google search, aim, and click again to get an immediate search result.
