What's next for Microsoft Bing?

It was only yesterday that Bing was just a glint in Microsoft's eye. Now, one year after the official Bing launch, the little search engine that could has settled into a comfortable third-place position on the search leader-board, right behind competitors Google and Yahoo. And if you believe the folks at Compete.com, Bing is the 10th most-visited site in the United States.

So what's next for Microsoft Bing?

Well, for starters, Bing will be included as a search option on the new Apple iPhone 4, which was unveiled earlier this week in San Francisco. Google will remain the default browser, but in a blog post, Microsoft staffer Yusuf Mehdi predicted the iPhone would help increase Bing's market share. "Needless to say, we are excited that Bing will be included as an option in Safari because it will make it easier for you to search and get the benefits of Bing," he said.

Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to attempt to integrate Bing into its other products. In March, for instance, Microsoft rolled out a new MSN homepage with sections for social networking, news – and yes, search. Microsoft also has pushed a Bing feature called The Week in Search, which highlights the top trending articles from the past few days, and keeps users plugged into the search interface.

Microsoft is also reportedly testing a search history functionality, which will let users access and build off previous Bing searches.

Bing was launched in 2009, with a major multimedia advertising campaign comprised of banner ads, video spots, and interactive displays on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. From the beginning, Microsoft has touted Bing as a “decision engine” – a tool more dynamic and friendly than Google. And Bing was hot out of the gate, gobbling up shares of the search market.

The test now for Bing is longevity – will users return repeatedly to a site that isn't Google? Drop us a line in the comments section. Just try to be polite.