Google makes web searching with your mobile device easier

Google Inc. is giving Canadian mobile subscribers first crack at some new mobile search features. The company introduced new functionality to its popular online search engine last week that makes searching the vast World Wide Web with a mobile device much easier. One of the key changes is to the location setting. Rather than having to type in the location of the search for each query, the location defaults to the location of the first search. When the wireless subscriber changes cities, the location will have to be changed. Secondly, the search engine determines the best types of results based on the search. For instance, if a person is searching for images, they will appear at the top the search results list. But if the subscriber is looking for a business address, results that reflect that type of query will be at the top of the page. Alex Nicolaou, a mobile engineering manager at Google's Waterloo ON facility, says both of these upgrades will make mobile searching easier and save users' time. The features address the inconvenience of having to conduct searches with a traditional handset. "Typing a lot of information is pretty inconvenient certainly on a 12-key phone trying to type in words is very awkward," he explains. The new search engine upgrades also make it easier for wireless users to view file formats that were previously incompatible with a device. If the search results in a Word file, there's a component built into the search engine that can render the Word document readable on the mobile device. Nicolaou says this is a big challenge because of the variety of file types, but at the end of the day it's about giving users want they want. "The most important measure to Google is that the user looked for an answer and they found their answer," he says. In addition to Canadian users getting a first look at the features so will wireless subscribers in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The reason, says Nicolaou, is that the US is currently testing another search technology. But, he adds, that the current search system used in the aforementioned countries will likely overtake the technology being tested south of the border. Nicolaou expects these new features to be rolled out worldwide after results from the US testing come in. Traditional Internet searching is now well-established with a number of options for consumers. In the mobile search space, however, things are a little less clear with respect to adoption and usage. Nicolaou suggests that uptake of mobile search will vary depending on region, noting that adoption in Japan will be much different than that it will be in Canada, the US and Germany, for example. The device type will also play a role in how often a person conducts Internet searches using a handset, according to Nicolaou. "We've seen a lot of publicity of late around the iPhone launch, which has attracted a certain market segment's attention very strongly. BlackBerry users tend to be big data users because their comes with big data plans," he says. "So certain types of users are more likely to be searching on their mobile phones than others. It's a bit difficult to generalize across the entire mass market."Of course, the price of wireless data plans is another factor that will either help or hinder mobile search. But with prices generally trending downward in Canada over the past several months, price likely won't hinder adoption of mobile search by a greater number of Canadians.

Google makes web searching with your mobile device easier

News | 02/05/2008 9:06 pm EST

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