If your NCAA March Madness brackets are as messed up as mine, you’ll need a distraction this weekend.
So, catch up with these search stories from the week that just didn’t make it into their own post.
Google Analytics is now integrated into the Microsoft Silverlight framework. They also announced they are developing a global, browser-based opt-out plugin.
Google Commerce Search added advanced synonym options.
Google Android has added Gesture Search to versions 1.6 or higher.
Yahoo! is acquiring CitizenSports.com.
AOL is expanding their local efforts.
MapQuest adds “Search Along Your Route” functionality to its mobile version.
Find out what’s in stock nearby.
Ever go to pick up something at a store and they’re out. No problem, just go to another store or another location of the same chain. But they don’t have it either. Annoying.
Google wants to help you save time (and frustration) by showing you what’s in stock where.
While you’re out, simply go to google.com on your mobile phone. Click the “More” tab and select “Shopping.” Do your search thang.
A list of results will come up – look for a blue dot with either “In stocky nearby” or “Limited availability.” Click the link and find out which store has what you’re looking for.
Handwrite your way to faster search.
If we’re going to be honest, no one completely loves the process of typing search queries (or typing much of anything) onto a mobile device. The search engines know it – that’s why they include query suggestion features on their mobile apps.
There are also voice search features, barcode scanning apps and experiments with like-image search. Now you can add another nifty search feature to the lineup: gesture search.
Google has introduced the feature as a Labs product for Android. To use the search, you write a letter across the screen. Gestures search will then begin bringing up contacts, apps, bookmarks and music that begin with the letter.
The iPhone/iPod Touch application is the latest in a buying spree.
Gabor Cselle is the Founder and CEO of reMail, an iPhone and iPod Touch application that downloads email and makes it searchable. Cselle has announced that reMail has been acquired by Google.
As part of the acquisition, Cselle will now join the Gmail team at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View. Cselle previously worked at Google, so we’re guessing he’ll handle the ropes quite well.
Also as part of the acquisition, reMail has been removed from the iTunes App Store. Support for existing customers will run through March.
Google goes after Apple’s iPhone with new Android software update for Nexus One.
Google is competing with Apple head on by adding “pinch-to-zoom” functionality to its new Nexus One phone. One of the biggest complaints after launching the device was that it lacked multitouch but a new software update answers that complaint.
Other updates included in the software refresh:
Google Goggles: Allows image search using the camera on Nexus One. This app will be available directly from the device after the software update is downloaded. It can be found in the All Apps menu.
If you have an AdWords campaign set up to reach searchers using Google’s mobile search, you’ve got a new feature to enhance your efforts. Google is enabling click-to-call phone numbers in the ads that appear on mobile web browsers.
Smartphones allow users to click on phone numbers and a call is automatically generated. If a smartphone user is searching for a local pizza place on their mobile device, then they can now simply click on the phone number and order up their favorite pie.
Typing on a mobile phone is a pain in the you know what no matter what device you’re using, so query suggestion features on search engines come in handy. Now, Google is making its Search Suggestions on mobile devices even easier.
The feature now serves up query suggestions based on your location. The update is only available for iPhone and Android devices at the time. You might need to refresh Google.com on your device in order to see the updated suggestions.
Let’s take a look, comparing the desktop search suggestions to the mobile suggestions.
First up the desktop:
If you’re rocking the iPhone or Android 2.0.1 or later (can you say, Nexus One?), then you’re getting access to a new feature on the Google mobile homepage. It’s called “Near Me Now” and you can access it via a link underneath the main search box (you know, where you type in the keywords).
Once there, you’ll – and I know this is going to blow your mind – find restaurants, businesses and other establishments that are in close proximity to your current location.
Google announced a bunch of new features today. Let’s dive in:
Real-time integration
See the latest tweets, blogs, news etc. You can click on “Latest results” in the search results or the “Latest” link in the Search Options panel in order to get more results for a given keyword/phrase.
Hot Topics on Google Trends
This feature is similar to “trending topics” on Twitter. This is not the same as “Hot Trends” launched in September. That included a Google graph at the bottom of search results if you happened to search one of the top 100 hottest trends in Google search on a given day. This new feature is viewable simply by visiting Google Trends.
This was one of those weeks where Google unleashed a google of updates. Try as we might, sometimes we just run out of time at the end of the week. So, occasionally, we have to compile a list of the leftovers at the end of the week. Here’s what we haven’t yet covered that you’ll still want to know:
Google Retail told us that consumers are increasingly shopping online on the weekends – yes, even during the holidays (avoiding the crowds?). They also unveiled hot holiday searches and Cyber Monday’s hot search trends.
