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Google unveils Instant, live searches

Hasan K — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:37:41 GMT

This morning, Google CEO Eric Schmidt tweeted a hint as to what Google would unleash during today�s big announcement.

�I predict big things happening today at Google. We�re already fast.. fast is about to get faster.�

What Schmidt meant to say was �instant.� As pointed out by the Search Engine Roundtable, Google has shown off live search results. When you begin typing in your search criteria, Google will dynamically show you what your results would be if you were to submit the search at that moment. Of course, this feature can be turned off at any time.

What this new functionality means for Google is unclear. One thing is for sure�no other search engine can do this. That right there gives even more bragging rights to the world�s most popular search engine. It will be interesting to see if a similar search feature will make its way to mobile devices. We will know soon enough.

UPDATE: The new feature will be called Google Instant. You can read up on it at Google�s very own site.

Before Google Instant, the typical searcher took more than 9 seconds to enter a search term, and we saw many examples of searches that took 30-90 seconds to type.
Using Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.
If everyone uses Google Instant globally, we estimate this will save more than 3.5 billion seconds a day. That�s 11 hours saved every second.
15 new technologies contribute to Google Instant functionality.

If you�re interested in trying out Instant yourself then please visit Google�s Instant search page here.

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Google's Realtime search updated

Hasan K — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:47:25 GMT

Google has unveiled a new home and tools for its Realtime search offering.

Although the web giant has been using Realtime search across its search engine, the new home allows you to see conversation views of Twitter messages and an improved overview of the Realtime web. Google has introduced geographic refinements to find updates and news near you, or in a region of your choice.

Google Alerts has also been updated. You can now create an alert specifically for �updates� to get an email as soon as your topic appears on Twitter.

The new Realtime search page makes for an interesting rival to Twitter�s own search engine. Previously Google�s Realtime offerings were only part of the usual search experience and not offered separately. Google hopes that by giving Realtime its own home and more powerful tools, you will find what you need even faster. You can access Google�s Realtime page here and setup your Realtime alerts here.

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CloudMagic: Search your Gmail. Fast.

Hasan K — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:09:44 GMT

CloudMagic, a new extension for Firefox and Chrome which is designed to allow super fast search of your inbox, as well as in-window preview and multiple account search was released earlier this week, promising to �revolutionise� your inbox.

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The software looks good, and while it requires your password to access Gmail, stores all data locally, so no need to worry about who else might snoop into your inbox. It doesn�t actually use Gmail�s built in search box, but instead adds one on the top right of your window to allow you to use both.

The indexing service works surprisingly well, and is very easy to setup. All you need to to is drop your logins into the preferences page, and it�ll begin indexing. You can add as many accounts for indexing as you like, and the service will index them in one place. I found it particularly handy when in the middle of an email, I was able to search for previous correspondance without having to leave the open page, preview it on the same page, then carry on emailing.

CloudMagic also indexes your contacts, and future versions will index Google Documents, much like the �Search Documents and Sites� lab that is built into Gmail.

On my first run I actually ran into compatibility problems with Firefox 4.0 Beta 3 and 4. Eventually I managed to install it in Google Chrome, but found that because my work uses a proxy, I couldn�t use the extension. CloudMagic does support proxies, but only if certain ports are enabled.

Ring-Ring, Your Gmail is calling!

Hasan K — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:54:09 GMT

Google's on a roll lately, releasing various new products and features for a wide range of their products. The latest one that's incoming is a feature that will allow you to make phone calls from within Gmail.

CNet reports that Google may be turning Gmail into a "communications hub" and adding a fully featured VOIP facility to Gmail, with CNET receiving several screenshots of the new features. The features published show the ability to call the U.S or Canada for free, as well as being able to top-up your account to call international numbers. The service is launched in the same manner you would initiate a voice call over the internet using Google Talk now, by clicking in the chat window on the left side of Gmail.

Google's been working with voice before, with "Google Voice" being available in the U.S over the last year, a service that allows a user to have one phone number that rings multiple numbers, and with "Google Talk," it's current built-in Gmail voice and chat offering.

The search giant last year bought a VOIP company called "Gizmo5", a company that specialised in web based VOIP technology. Other screenshots of the product actually showed up on the Google Operating System Blog in June this year, which seem to line up with the ones released today. Cnet points out that it's "not clear" if this is a service seperate to Google Voice or as part of it, even though the services share the same icons for connected and missed calls.

Google was contacted for comment but would not confirm or deny the feature; "Google is always testing new features and products, but we have nothing specific to announce right now."

Google testing new results page which updates as you type

Hasan K — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:41:44 GMT

The world's most popular search engine, Google, has confirmed it has begun limited testing of a new search results page that updates as you type your query.

SEO consultant Rob Ousbey spotted the change and recorded a video of the new-look page (embedded below), which a Google spokesperson today confirmed is in limited testing and one of "50-200 experiments" running at any one time on the popular search engine.

�At any given time we are running between 50-200 search experiments. You can learn more on our blog," Stricker told TechCrunch, pointing out this post from the official Google blog in 2006 which talks about the many experiments the company runs on their search engine.

As Ousbey types in his query, the search results page is reloaded automatically to reflect the new search terms - no action is needed by Ousbey to reload the page manually. Some have pointed out the impact this may have on Google's advertising product, AdWords, which displays ads alongside Google search results - but given the roll-out for the moment remains limited, advertisers are unlikely to be affected for the time being.

The latest experiment is perhaps one of the more radical undertaken since the search giant revealed their big new re-design earlier this year, which saw a cleaner layout and refresh of the Google logo for the first time in a long time. The company is also innovating at a much faster rate as underdogs such as Microsoft's Bing search engine begin to innovate and claim back some of Google's massive market share.

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