I’m addicted to Bing’s daily images and the tidbits of info they provide every day. The only problem with having Bing as my homepage is that, all too often, I forget what I was going to search for, because Bing’s homepage photo (or even better, video!) is so distracting. But with the Best of Bing 2013 theme, I can have some of the world-traveling flavor of the Bing homepage on my desktop, without the too-intriguing distractions. (You probably already know this, but you can download some Bing wallpapers directly from Bing, too.)
On the subject of world travel, I’m really excited to introduce Wild Beauty, our first theme by traveler and photographer Charles Bergman. This collection features stunning wildlife and landscape photography from some of the most fascinating and picturesque places around the globe, including Antarctica, Patagonia, the Falkland Islands, and the Galápagos.
Actually, most of our new themes follow a sort of travel motif, as they feature compelling locations that draw many visitors every year. For example, photographer James Poulsom’s images of the French Riviera show the beautiful Côte d’Azur in the moody light of dawn and dusk.
Flying eastward around the globe, our next stop is Hong Kong. Wilson Au’s poetic photography of the region includes images of both delicate natural beauty and glowing city skylines.
After an imaginary flight from the Hong Kong International Airport to the Kansai International Airport in Osaka, we disembark with Wilson Au’s brief introduction to the beauties of Honshu.
Photographer Kazuo Nakadai guides the next stage of our tour, sharing unique perspectives of Japan from the bustling nightlife and shining streets of Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama to the quiet natural landscapes of Nagano, Shizuoka, and Kagoshima.
After crossing the Pacific, our virtual flight taxis to a stop on the tarmac of the Winnipeg International Airport where we meet our next tour guide. Photographer Hayley Elizabeth takes us on an exploration through the diverse landscapes of Manitoba.
Continuing eastward again, we touch down at JFK International Airport in New York City, just in time to meet photographer Johnny Lam and be introduced to the many sights of the City that Never Sleeps.
Our last new theme, featuring the photography of Marc Schroeder, makes me think of campfires and roasting marshmallows. It wraps up a busy day of vicarious world travel with a quiet evening around a backyard barbecue.
We also publish new wallpapers on a regular basis, just in case you have an older version of Windows that can’t use themes, or you prefer to use a single image (perhaps on your lock screen or Windows Phone). Here are a few of the newest ones:
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I hope you’ll keep checking back more new themes and wallpapers to beautify your Windows PC or Windows Phone. Your own private (albeit imaginary) travel service is just a click away with the Personalization Gallery… It can already take you to hundreds of beautiful places around the world, and we keep adding new destinations all the time. Best of all, you never have to go through airport security or check your bags!