Google refreshes mobile search app
The offering makes it easier for users to input queries and find results. It also includes a new design.
Google has unveiled a refreshed mobile-search application that the company says makes it easier to input queries and get to desired Web destinations sooner.
The company's improved mobile search, which is available today, features icons under the search box to help users find local results. If users click on the new "Restaurants" icon, for example, the service will show nearby eateries. Users can also check out coffee shops, bars, or other businesses in the area.
A new "plus" icon next to query suggestions lets users dig into a particular subject. So, as a user types in a query from her mobile device, she can tap the plus icon next to a related suggestion and add that to the search box. As she continues to type, suggested queries related to that addition are displayed.
Google also added the ability for users to find results without typing out a full query.
To save folks the trouble of clicking through multiple pages, Google has added a preview feature to its mobile app, allowing users to find out what's on a page before clicking all the way through. In addition, the company's updated tablet search now makes better use of those devices' large displays, and includes a limitless scrolling option so people can sift through images without flipping through pages.
The announcement came today at the company's Inside Search event held in San Francisco.
Updated at 12:03 p.m. PT to include more details.
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