14 DAY TRIAL // Google is launching several new features for the mobile version of its website geared towards requiring users to input less typing, cutting down on the time needed to do a search on mobile phones and making the site easier to use. One feature that the search engine just introduced is a sync option that synchronizes the search history on your desktop with the one on your mobile phone. Local search also got a revamp in the new version.
“Today in the US we're launching Personalized Suggest for Android, iPhone and Palm WebOS, which makes it really easy to repeat your past searches on the go. For example, suppose that before I depart for the airport, I quickly check my flight status by searching for "american airlines 19" using google.com on my computer. Later, as I am hailing a taxi in rush hour traffic, I can open google.com on my phone, click in the search box, and choose "american airlines 19" from the list of search suggestions!” Toshi Tajima, a software engineer from the Google Mobile team, exemplifies the new search history sync.
The feature is pretty straightforward and should be familiar to anyone using the regular search page. Users need to be signed in both on the desktop and on the mobile phone to access this feature but if you find yourself doing the same search several times it could come in quite handy.
In the same vein as the search sync are the new local search options that are designed to allow the user to get things done with less typing. The first option lets users view the places they saved on their desktops using Google Maps on their mobile phones. After 'starring' several locations in advance, when the users finally arrive at those destinations they can go to the local tab on Google.com and the places they saved will show up in a list. Similar to this, even if you don't save any locations, going to the local tab on your mobile phone will now list several categories of businesses that may be nearby making it easier to find what you are looking for without having to type anything.