Google Unveils New (scary) Search Features....

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 10:16 Written by Daniel

The search engine wars are heating up. First Bing announced twitter integration, visual search and a new Maps application now Google, never to be outdone, has unveiled a set of new features, demoed at the Computer History Museum, to help it one-up the competition and maintain their dominance in the now, hotly contested, search engine arena.

Real-Time Search....

The first among Google's new features is what they call Real-Time search. Google search will now include real-time Twitter, blog and Facebook (if profile access is set to public), and numerous news sites in a real time stream as part of its search results that scroll up as new updates are posted. The new feature is also set to work on certain mobile devices namely Google's Android and the iPhone. Below is a video for an example of how this will work:

Mobile Search Updates

Google will now be taking your location into account when you do Google searches on your PC or mobile device to help make your searches more relevant. Google demonstrated this feature on two phones, one phone believed it was in Boston and one that believed it was in San Francisco. Upon typing the letters "RE" the Boston phone suggested searches for Red Sox, the local baseball team. The San Francisco phone suggested a search for REI, the outdoor gear outfitter. The feature is currently only available on Android and iPhone mobile devices but you can be sure Google will be rolling it out across all major cellphone platforms in the near future.

Google's also adding a "What's Nearby" feature to their mobile maps application. With a click of a button you can find out where the nearest ATM, restaurant or hotel is. Very handy if you find yourself in a strange town.

Voice Translation....

New Google prototypes not only show searching by voice but also near instantaneous voice translation. Simply speak the phrase you want translated into your PC mic or cell phone and with a second or two a full translated phrase will be said back to you. Google hopes to launch the service early next year and throughout 2010 add support for all major languages.

Google Goggles....

Google Goggles is a new service under Google Labs that allows you to simply take a picture and submit it to Google. Once submitted, Google will then analyze the photo and present you with search results based on the photo you've taken. Goggles can be used for identifying landmarks, finding book reviews, finding further contact info by taking pictures of business cards, getting more information on artwork and even finding restaurant reviews simply combining your GPS location and by taking a picture of the front door.