Search giant Google on Wednesday introduced instant search results that promise to save users time.
Google Instant searches "as you type, not after you type," Marisa Mayer, Google's vice president of user experience, said at a press event at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art.
The new tools are being rolled out Wednesday to Google users in the United States and will spread internationally through the week.
Google's new search feature tries to figure out what a user is searching for as each letter enters the query box. For example, typing the letter "w" causes Google to speculate a user is looking for the weather. It instantly displays a local forecast.
Similarly, typing "the girl" will display instant results to the popular book "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." There's no need to type the entire title and press enter.
Mayer said the average Google query takes 15 seconds to enter and 300 milliseconds to process. Google Instant is designed to cut down on that time.
"We estimate this will help users save two to five seconds per query . . . or 11 hours for every passing second," she said.
The new feature "makes search more interactive. Power users will really appreciate it," said Greg Sterling, an analyst with researcher Sterling Market Intelligence.
Google is developing a version of instant search for mobile devices.
by Jefferson Graham USA Today Sept. 9, 2010 12:00 AM
'Instant' search result introduced by Google
