14 DAY TRIAL // Google News has been around for about a decade now. It's one of Google's earliest efforts to move beyond search, though the product is clearly linked to the search algorithms and technology. It's evolved throughout the years and is now getting another spruce up.
The user interface, which has been updated plenty of times yet is still very similar to the original one, has gotten a few changes and some new features.
"Every day, Google News crawls through thousands of news articles to present you with the most relevant and recent stories. For a long time, we’ve realized that bringing relevant news to the surface is only part of the puzzle—it should also be easy to scan for stories of interest and dig deeper when you find them," Chase Hensel, Associate Product Manager for Google News, wrote.
"The newly expandable stories on Google News in the U.S., released today, give you greater story diversity with less clutter," he announced.
"Now you can easily see more content, see less of what you don’t use and have a more streamlined experience," he added.
One interesting change, if only because it's a big departure for Google News, is that all entries only list one article by default, you have to expand them to see all the other sources.
The ability to view all the articles linked to a story has been News' biggest strength. Now, only the top story lists more sources by default.
Some articles now have labels next to them, indicating why they're important to the story, for example if they are "Highly cited" or "Opinion" pieces.
The Google News update brings more life to the site as well, as most stories now include a photos and videos slideshow. The default view has been changed to One Column, though the classic Two Column view is still available as an option.
The Top Stories section now includes personalized results as well. The top three stories are still the same that everyone sees, but there are three additional ones that take into account your preferences and likes.