14 DAY TRIAL // Google says mobile search is growing very fast in terms of both users and volume. The market is still nascent and, though Google has a lock on it just like it does with regular search, the company is not sitting around waiting for its competitors to catch up. The latest addition to Google mobile search could prove very interesting, even though it’s somewhat limited at the time. Searching for information related to a mobile app will now provide users with a direct link to either the iPhone App Store or the Android Marketplace, where they can acquire it.
“In addition to helping you find the mobile app information you’re looking for, Google Search for mobile now also makes it easier for you to get the actual apps themselves while you’re searching,” Milena Nikolic and Paul Hadfield, software engineers at Google, wrote.
“As of today, if you go to Google.com on your iPhone or Android-powered device and search for an app, we’ll show special links and content at the top of the search results. You can tap these links to go directly to the app’s Android Market or iPhone App Store page,” they announced.
The entry, which shows up on top of the regular results, features some basic information on the apps, such as the price, rating and who made it. Google says these types of results will be included only if a relevant and popular app is found related to the query. The app search feature is live in the US for now, but will be rolled out elsewhere in the future.
It’s easy to see how the feature could prove useful. The Android Marketplace search is notoriously bad and it’s a good idea to get more information on an app than what the app stores provide. However, those who have tried it out got mixed results. Some obvious queries didn’t trigger the feature and others returned apps that might not have been the best option. Hopefully, Google will improve it to make it more relevant and consistent.