Google today introduced its newest search feature, dubbed Google Instant. The search giant is always exploring innovative opportunities to present relevant search results faster to the end-user. Instant provides search results while the user types, taking away the need to press enter or even finish typing.
The three core features of Google Instant, as laid out in Google's blog post:
- Dynamic Results: Google dynamically displays relevant search results as you type so you can quickly interact and click through to the web content you need.
- Predictions: One of the key technologies in Google Instant is that we predict the rest of your query (in light gray text) before you finish typing. See what you need? Stop typing, look down and find what you’re looking for.
- Scroll to search: Scroll through predictions and see results instantly for each as you arrow down.
This is a great new search feature that's fun to play around with. It will be rolled out to most users over the coming weeks, so if you can't see it now, check back soon.
This is a web-only feature at the moment, but Google is aiming to get it up and running in the mobile space in the fall, according to Google's official Twitter account. That said, you can get a mobile preview now by clicking here (in a mobile browser, natch).
For a demo, check out the video after the break. If you have Google Instant, have some fun and play around with it! [Official Google Blog] [@Google]
12 Comments
I'm having issues with it to be honest. I love the idea and I went to Google.com and it says that live search is enabled but it's not actually doing it as I'm typing. And I checked and I'm using the most up-to-date Google Chrome browser so I'm not really sure what's going on.
*Edited because my space bar fails me at times*
So I clicked on the mobile test version and it's working for me. So maybe it says it's enabled but really isn't? Color me confused I guess.
"It will take a couple days for Google Instant to be available to everyone on Google.com. Check back soon if you do not see it yet."
Oh, I read that part. I get an A+ for reading comprehension. If you would have read where I noted that, off to the side, it said that it was enabled but it wasn't working, you would have realized that.
So please don't quote the article to me. Thanks.
Why do you say coming to mobile this fall?
If I go to the google.com on my Nexus One (isn't that everyone's home page anyway) I get largely the same behavior. Its been this way for a while.
I see the suggestions below, I can tap them. (Same as Bing) Only bit I don't get is the search results on the search page. Not sure that's a plus yet. Why show me results for a request I haven't even finished? Wastes my bandwidth and Google's resources.
I agree its responsive. This kind of responsiveness is going to be hard for search engines with smaller infrastructure to match. (Bing) Takes a lot of CPUs to search for results based on incomplete questions, only to throw it all away when instead of finishing "AND" with ROID, you finish it with OVER.
Cool, but is this something we want/need on mobile with all the carriers slapping caps on us?
I just tried this, and I really like it. The more you type about what it is you are searching, the better the results will be. I just tried a couple of odd-ball searches, and it found exactly what I was searching for.
WOW! My google searches from this morning are on my incredible.....google is the s#i$
works great for me. I like the way the page results actually change as you input more text. Sounds like gingerbread will be a beast. Now I only how I get 2.2 on my x.it had better get gingerbread too. But right now verizon its doing more harm than good to android/google. Bring the nexus two to lte available for verizon and I will defintly get one.
I for one didn't like it. I was searching for something and my search cache kept changing what I was typing and my search results kept changing. It was like talking to someone with multiple personalities.
The preview doesn't seem to be working in my mobile browser at the moment. I'm on an Epic 4G with 2.1.
Nifty feature. I could've done without them employing "magic" as it reminds me of Apple. Perhaps a way to beat them at their own game?
Was playing around with this on my laptop earlier and now out on the town on my droid x. The searches that I performed came up in the google home page on my phone. Never really noticed that before. Running 2.1. I know that chrome is the reason but wow. That's pretty cool. Can't wait till the page updates while you are typing on my phone as it does on my computer. Awesome