Microsoft is inviting us to break the Google habit and try out its search engine Bing instead. The idea is to take a blind test and see whether you prefer Bing's results or Google's.

Microsoft claims that in independent research Bing was preferred over Google nearly 2-to 1 and has initiated an online, in-store and TV advertising campaign to get users to test the quality of its search results. This promo is part of the campaign:

The instructions are to go to Bingiton.com and input five search queries of your choice and compare unbranded web search results from Bing and Google side by side. For each search result, you choose a winner or declare it a “draw.”  Then the test shows you which search engine came out on top.

In the preliminary the research study, sponsored by Microsoft and conducted by  Answers Research, a representative online sample of  adults over age 18 across the U.S. compared unbranded results in this way.

Of the nearly 1,000 participants, 57.4 percent chose Bing more often, 30.2 percent chose Google more often and 12.4 percent resulted in a draw.

One shortcoming of Bing It On is that is targeted only at America. However, that doesn't step the rest of  the world from trying Bing.

Bing's profile is also boosted by the fact that as it is going to be the default search provider on the new Kindle Fire HD.

Look out for an article on using the Bing API coming shortly on I Programmer.