Cortana replaces the Bing Homepage?

[EasilyTheBest]

I haven't updated my Nokia Lumia 630 to the newest update so I am still without Cortana in the UK.
I understand that the search button on Windows Phones will now just be used for Cortana. If so, is it possible to get Internet Explorer to always start on the Bing homepage or is it possible to have a Bing Search tile.
I thought it would have been alot better to have Cortana on the search button but a long press would let you onto the Bing homepage.
Perhaps I'm missing something, hope someone can enlighten me...

 

[Laura Knotek]

If you have Cortana but disable location service, then you will just get Bing search. Cortana requires location service to be on.

 

[EasilyTheBest]

Thank Laura for you're reply. I obviously want to use Cortana but I was hoping Bing access would stay as it is on Windows Phone 8, on the search button.
Hopefully you will get that choice with later updates.

 

[JasonKruys]

It does stay the same, in effect. Long press is speak to Cortana. Short press, you type your command/query, which will usually result in a bing search. The only thing you miss is the picture of the day - I have set my lockscreen to it now.

 

[EasilyTheBest]

Thanks Jason, that's not to bad then. I will miss the music and the eye icon etc on the bottom of the bing page tho. For reading barcodes and listening to a song I don't know so I can get the songs name....

 

[JasonKruys]

The music icon is still there, it is at the top now.
Sent from my Lumia 1520 using Tapatalk (with free typos)

 

[EasilyTheBest]

That's great. I think I'm up for doing the update to take a good look myself..

 

[theefman]

If you're talking about being able to go to the bing homepage that's no longer possible, it automatically launches Cortana so no viewing of the bing homepage, which I for one don't like. It was nice especially when they had an animated picture but now you'll only see that from a pc. Stupid move, imo.

Sent from my Surface Pro 3 using Tapatalk

 

[EasilyTheBest]

This is what I was thinking, I liked being able to go to the Bing homepage. Is it possible to get Internet Explorer to always open on the Bing homepage? That way I could pin that as a tile.
Why didn't Microsoft do like I said above, have Cortana on the search button but a long press to skip Cortana and up comes the Bong homepage as before...

 

[theefman]

Won't matter, IE will always redirect bing.com to Cortana regardless of how you get there. I have the tile still pinned just for the image but in reality its useless now.

 

[EasilyTheBest]

Hope there is some kind of update not to far in the future...

 

[Pete]

Just to help my understanding here, but why the need to go to the bing homepage when the search button on the phone does the same thing?

 

[EasilyTheBest]

Once you have Windows Phone 8.1, Cortana then takes over the search button. So no more Bing homepage...

 

[neo158]

Once you have Windows Phone 8.1, Cortana then takes over the search button. So no more Bing homepage...

What Aperture means is why would you go to the bing.com website in IE when Cortana does exactly the same thing for web searches.

 

[neo158]

Won't matter, IE will always redirect bing.com to Cortana regardless of how you get there. I have the tile still pinned just for the image but in reality its useless now.

Which is exactly the same behaviour as before, it would redirect you to Bing Search on your phone.

 

[theefman]

Which is exactly the same behaviour as before, it would redirect you to Bing Search on your phone.

No, it never used to redirect you to Cortana just by opening bing.com in IE, that behaviour is new.

 

[dabs1710]

Agreed. I loved the animated pictures. It was one of my sources of daily new information. Stupid MSFT!

If you're talking about being able to go to the bing homepage that's no longer possible, it automatically launches Cortana so no viewing of the bing homepage, which I for one don't like. It was nice especially when they had an animated picture but now you'll only see that from a pc. Stupid move, imo.

Sent from my Surface Pro 3 using Tapatalk

 

[theefman]

Agreed. I loved the animated pictures. It was one of my sources of daily new information. Stupid MSFT!

Latest update to the preview has fixed this (for now), bing.com now no longer redirects to Cortana.

 

[Carlos Alberto De la Fuente]

Yes it does. I have the latest update it still opens Cortana.

 

[EasilyTheBest]

If I use internet explorer to navigate to the bing homepage, it just opens up Cortana. Is it different in other countries perhaps, I'm in the UK.
I want to pin Explorer to my home screen with bing as the homepage and on a tile...