14 DAY TRIAL // Google may have been busy with its massive I/O developer conference last week, but that doesn't mean that the company is sitting still. A number of new features have been rolled out for its search engine, notably a new way of searching for images. Some other tweaks have been introduced and Google is running some experiments as well.
The big new feature is the new sorting option for Image Search. It may not seem like much, but the technology behind it is very interesting, very powerful and has the potential of improving a lot more areas of search.
The technology behind Sort by Subject can be applied to other areas
"Let’s say you’re searching for a picture of [flowers]. It’s such a broad topic that instead of browsing through all the different results, you can click 'Sort by subject' in the left-hand panel and your image results will be organized into related categories," Google explained.
"The categories help narrow down your search and pinpoint what you need, whether it’s roses, lilies or tulips," it added.
The feature can come in quite handy, but there is more than meets the eye. Google uses quite a lot of information and several data points to group images.
The algorithm looks at the composition of the images themselves, what colors dominate, shapes and so on, but also at the meta data and the context of the photos to create the photo groups.
It's a complex algorithm that can be applied, with some adjustments to other topics, turning 'search' more into 'discovery' and 'knowledge,' as the new name of the Search group inside Google indicates.
Instant Search internationally, Dictionary search integration and experimental search page designs
Google also rolled out Instant Search to a few more places last week, users in Germany, Spain and Italy now get the feature. iPad users visiting the main search page now get predictions and Instant Search as well.
The new Dictionary search tool, integrated into the left sidebar in Google Search seems to have been rolled out to everyone, after being in testing for some time.
Speaking of testing, Google has been running a series of experiments, showcasing a new design for the search results page. It's quite a major departure, considering that Google rarely makes big changes to its homepage. Several versions have been spotted in the wild, but they haven't been met with much enthusiasm.
