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Google Search has a New Look

6 May 2010 by Graham Lyons - News , , No Comments


Google Search has a New Look

Nothing is more pure looking than the white empty expanse that is the Google search home page. Pure but with the menacingly basic search box at its heart ready to whisk you anywhere in the world; to see anything your soul can imagine, read the most ancient tomes or the latest celebrity gossip, or do some business in Acapulco. Google search is a blank canvas, inviting you to dive in. And now it has a new look.

Cosmetics

Firstly, a subtle cosmetic makeover: This includes a subtle brightening of the red, yellow, green and blue hues in the logo, less of a shadow in the background as well as the removal of the ‘TM’ mark. I don’t imagine they will have any trouble defending their trademark rights.

Not only does Google have a new look but added features too. Some might argue that despite roughly 550 revisions a year, should it have waited until now to release changes to its main feature with its new search options menu side bar, which both Yahoo and Microsoft already include in their search pages. And it is indeed similar, yet slightly slicker, to Bing. So what is so special about the new features?

New Features

Well, powered by Google’s feisty search technologies: Universal Search, Search Options Panel and Google Squared. The new search side panel offers easier access, more dynamic access to contextual search features such as news, books, maps, shopping etc so you can filter within your search results and switch to more refined results and back seamlessly. It also allows you to filter by ‘past search results’ and to view a time line.

Click to enlarge image

Another new feature is the ability to add an iGoogle gadget from within your search results. Currently there is a limited few sites this works with including BBC News, New York Times and National Geographic.

Available on Mobile Too

But the most interesting and possibly the most useful thing announced by Google came in a separate announcement. Google’s newly redesigned SERP (search engine results page) will be available for mobile users as well. Google’s Mobile Engineering Team explains:

“When you go to Google.com in the US on your iPhone or Android-powered device, and enter a search, you can now tap on the button to the left of the search box on the results page to see a new search options menu. Then, selecting any item in the menu will refine your search. For example, if you are looking for recent results for “Mother's day gift”, simply tap the “Past week” option.”

With mobile search the gallivanting behemoth that it is, the announcement of Google’s new search page features being available for mobile users should come as no surprise – but is by no means unwelcome.

While the new features are indeed an improvement in terms of number of options and Google’s already sleek vista, will it dramatically improve our searching life? Or are Google just catching up with its competitors in this instance?



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