Google Rolls Out “Real-Time Search” and “Google Goggles” App

By Dena Cassella December 7, 2009

google-goggles — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google wins again for coming up with another cool and inventive search tool—what else is new? Today Google announced at its “Searchology” event it launched its new “search options” on its main search page. This news turned out to be Google’s Real-Time Search, a new search feature that gives you the very latest and more specific results for your searches. When you click “Search Options,” you can filter your search with more specific results like by time, related searches, a “wonder wheel” view, or a timeline view.

This new Google search feature is not a replacement, it will be embedded as a part of the Google’s main page search window—a scrolling feed will constantly update and inform you of the newest results on that search, and it also lets you backtrack to see what you’ve missed. Google’s Real-Time Search feature went live today, but it may not be in full effect, as Google says it may take a few days to fully roll out its functions.You can try out this new search option for yourself at Google Trends page just by clicking on one of the “Hot Topics” or entering your own search in the field below them to get real-time results.

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Another Google tool launched today was “Google Goggles,” a visual search option available as an application for Google Android phones. Google Goggle’s can recognize certain landmarks, famous attractions and paintings, and even company logos all with the click of a button. Simply snap a photo with your smartphone’s camera and Google compares elements of that picture against its database of images, matches it up and provides you with a relevant results lists of Web sites and news stories.

“Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words,” said Shailesh Nalawadi, product manager for Google Goggles. “For many search queries, using an image to search is easier and more useful than text alone, especially on a mobile phone. Computer vision technology is still in its infancy, but Goggles demonstrates its potential. We are hard at work extending our recognition capabilities. You can imagine a future where visual searching is as natural as pointing your finger.”

Check out these videos that demo and explain Google’s two new features.

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