Two Microsoft Search Dudes Talk About Bing! (BoomTown's Flip Is Waiting by the Phone for the Google Search Gurus' Call!)

Yesterday, BoomTown liveblogged a demo session Microsoft held for reporters about some new features on its Bing search service, a glimpse at what Twitter and Facebook integration will look like and the debut of a nifty new beta of its online map service.

It is still the bazillion-dollar question–and I do mean a bazillion dollars, since that’s about what Microsoft (MSFT) has lost online after many years of trying–whether Bing can gain some truly significant share in the search market and challenge the sector’s behemoth, Google (GOOG).

But there have been nascent signs of progress, helped by an aggressive attempt to keep innovating and differentiating its Bing product, which is new for Microsoft, long used to dominating.

And, despite various criticisms–over the use of Microsoft’s Silverlight video technology in the cool new map offering, for example–I always like to see competition, because it is the only way consumers win as these tech titans battle it out.

So, after the demo today, I talked to two of the Microsoft search execs there–Harry Shum, a corporate VP who is leading core search development, and Brian MacDonald, corporate VP for Core Search Program Management–about their thoughts on Bing so far.

Here is the video of the interviews:

Please see this disclosure related to me and Google.