Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the sixth iteration of the popular Android mobile operating system, hasn't even officially released, yet competitors are already out to get the big boy.
One of the main features of Android Marshmallow, called "Now on Tap", gives users the ability to do on-demand searches with a single gesture on the mobile phone interface.
Microsoft just one-upped Google by pre-empting the tech firm in the "on-demand info" race. Microsoft Bing's newest feature after an update on the Google Play Store, was introduced this morning.
The latest update gives end-users the ability to achieve search results based on whatever is on the mobile phone's screen at the moment, whether image or text, by long-pressing the home button on an Android phone.
This is essentially what Google's "Now on Tap" is.
Not only that, but Bing has also acknowledged that users may get trigger happy with this new feature and has made sure that these spontaneous searches don't take a user away from what he or she was doing at the time the search was commenced.
Google's Now on Tap is currently unavailable at the moment but will become available as soon as Android Marshmallow launches later this year.
Yesterday, Google launched an update to the Google Now Launcher containing various features found on Marshmallow. Users can download the new app update here.
As for Now on Tap, well, you'll have to wait quite a ways to this fall. Google recently released the third and final developer preview ROM and is currently finalizing the operating system for official release to the masses in a few months time.
Bing's new app update beats Google to the finish line. It's all a matter now of which search engine is better, or which works better for the user, Bing or Google.
Google has lead the search engine market since forever, and it doesn't seem in danger of losing the spot on its lofty perch.
For now however, users can get a taste of what Now on Tap will be like when it finally comes out by downloading the new Bing app.