Xbox Gets Voice-Powered Bing Search

 Microsoft said it plans to add a search capability to its Xbox 360 entertainment console that will allow users to find digital media content such as games, movies, and music simply by speaking the search terms.

The spoken commands will be picked up by Xbox Kinect's built-in microphone and processed by a specially designed version of Microsoft's Bing search engine.

"Voice search works across media types and across apps so you can focus on deciding what to enjoy rather than where and how to find it," said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's senior VP for Bing, in a blog post Monday. The company formally unveiled the technology at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles.

Searches will span media stored locally on the Xbox or on the Xbox Live online network, and also streaming services operated by Microsoft partners like Netflix and Hulu. "Today's announcement opens up your living room entertainment the same way search engines opened up the Web by indexing it and making it discoverable," said Mehdi.

Bing voice-search on Xbox integrates a number of technologies that Microsoft has developed or acquired over the past several years. It combines the Xbox gaming hardware, Bing's search algorithms, Kinect's audio input sensors, and speech recognition software the company gained through its buyout of Tellme Networks in 2007.

The offering is aimed at consumers and will be available in the U.S., Canada, and UK by the 2011 holiday season, Microsoft said. But it's likely that the underlying technology will eventually make its way to business PCs and services. Microsoft recently said it plans to release software that will enable developers to create Kinect-compatible apps that can run on Windows-based desktops and laptops.

Microsoft believes hands-free computing will gain a foothold in a number of key industries, including education, engineering, and healthcare.

One usage scenario: physicians could remotely manipulate surgical equipment positioned in battlefields, disaster sites, or other areas that may be inaccessible. On a more pedestrian level, business users could open and manipulate desktop files with a few simple hand gestures or voice commands.

Microsoft said Bing search on Xbox will hit the international market next year.