Google unveiled a major upgrade to its core search page Wednesday, introducing the Google Instant search feature that gives users likely results as soon as they begin typing their query, dpa reported.
The new technology, which instantly mines Google's vast trove of user data to predict what searchers are looking for after each letter they type, gives Google a new weapon to demonstrate its lead in search as it faces a renewed challenge from the search alliance of Microsoft and Yahoo.
"We're predicting what query you're likely to do," said Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience. "It means much faster search ... and really providing results in real time."
The new feature was made available to Google users in the US Wednesday and will be rolled out next week to users in Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain and Britain. Google hopes to introduce a version for mobile devices this fall.
Prior to the introduction of Google Instant, the search giant used a suggested searches feature, which proposed likely search terms as the user was typing but did not offer results until the user clicked on the enter or search buttons.
Google Instant search offers varying results as the user types in a query and is expected to save an average of between two and five seconds on every search. For instance, typing in the letter W immediately offers weather forecasts for the area where the query was typed.
Google predicted that it would save its customers a total of 350 million hours a year.
Analysts said the new feature marked a significant upgrade to search capabilities, but could bias results to large companies and make it even more important for others to get a high Google ranking in order to get their information seen by consumers.
Google updates search with instant results
