Google Search Adds Currency Conversion Tool

Google has strived to pack as much functionality into the search engine, beyond just the search results. One of the classic ways it's been doing this is with the currency conversion answers which display conversion rates for currencies based on queries.

Now Google is improving on the concept with a currency conversion tool built into Google search.

Whereas before, all you got was the conversion rate, if you were lucky enough for the feature to trigger for your particular search, the new tool is significantly more complete.

For one, you get a history graph of the conversion rate to see how the two currencies have moved against each other in recent years.

You also get a box to fill in your sum, to edit it without doing a new search and you can even change the currencies which are displayed.

To trigger a conversion rate answer or the new conversion tool, you have to do a query related to the subject. Be warned that it can prove rather fiddly to get the currency OneBox to show up.

For example, a query like "1 eur usd" may not trigger it while "1 eur to usd" will. Interestingly enough, if you search for "currency converter," the new tool is automatically populated with the current conversion rate between USD and EUR, if you're in the US and using the Google.com search engine.

The new tool is quite useful since it makes it easy not only to change the sum you need to convert, but also the currencies your using, simplifying the task of doing several checks at the same time.

Google has several interesting tools built into the search engine, it also has an unit converter, for example, which works in pretty much the same way and even a calculator. In fact, these tools could be heading for a makeover soon too. [via Google OS]