Google Is Now On Crack
If you wish your search engine was more like a brain implant, then you'll love the new Google: It displays results instantly, predicts what you're looking for, and is extremely fast. It's also a big gamble.
Right now Google is in the midst of announcing big changes to its flagship search engine at Google.com, whose interface has changed little over the past 12 years or so. Under the changes, dubbed Google Instant, you'll no longer need to push a button to search, or load a new page, since results will stream in as you type (and quickly, judging from our initial experience). Google will predict what you're looking for and offer suggestions, as it has in the past, but now you can try out the suggestions without leaving the page. Gizmodo has full coverage, and SearchEngineLand.com is liveblogging the event.
Our own testing pulled up surprisingly relevant results (click to enlarge):
For now, the feature only works if you're signed in with a Google account. But as Google Instant spreads, it's got the potential to alienate some of the site's 1 billion users. A Google video, below, indicates the company has tested the new search on a wide range of users, including older people. Given that the vast majority of Google's revenue comes from search, via contextual advertising, the company had better hope said testing is indicative of broader reactions, lest Google Instant become the internet's version of New Coke.
[Top pic via Gizmodo.]