Google testing streaming search

 

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 24 Aug 2010 at 10:28

Google is testing out a new streaming search that updates results as users type.

As with Google's suggested results, the system looks at what a user is typing into the search box and predicts the words. But rather than wait for you to hit enter, the streaming tool searches as you type, updating the results on the page as the terms change.

"You don't even need to hit the 'Search' button anymore - Google updates the results for you while you're typing," noted Rob Ousbey, an SEO consultant with Distilled, in a blog post describing his discovery of the service.

"It's a testament to the speed of not just Google, but also broadband internet and web browers," he added.

Ousbey handily took video of the streaming search in action:

The system appears to be in a very limited trial. A Google spokesperson said: “At any given time we are running between 50-200 search experiments."

The web giant has previously said it randomly chooses people to try out such new systems. "If you ever wonder why your Google site looks slightly different from that of the person sitting next to you, this is why."

While the streaming function certainly looks like a futuristic version of search, one commentor on Ousbey's blog pointed out that an independent developer created such a system last year using rival Bing's API.