Google Instant

Google has been around a long time. It started of with a search engine, which changed the way many people use the Internet. Instead of typing in a website address, people now go to Google, type in roughly the name of the website and then access it that way. Then Google moved into different areas.

They started by going into the browser market by releasing Chrome for PC and Mac. This then led to Chrome as an operating system on Net books. This was due to be the next big thing, but with net book sales decreasing then its hard to see where that product could be going. Then they brought out Android for mobile phone platforms. Here they created a conflict of interest with Apple that lead to Google’s Eric Schmidt resigning from Apple’s board of directors. The android platform was to have a different approach to Apple’s iOS platform in that it was offered on many different mobile phones and various networks. Out of that then came the Android market that is open to anyone to write and publish apps.

Google have now set up a deal with Sony, Logitech, Intel, and DISH Network. This will enable regular tv viewers to access Google from there sofa in the living room. They will have access to Google’s different programs like YouTube. This has all came from a company who originally set up to allow people to find information quicker on the Internet.

Now they are taking it one step further with Google Instant. This is a service that as you type into Google, it will provide you with instant results. No longer do you need to hit the return key to generate these results. As you continue to type in the word or phrase, the results will update with a more
accurate list. Why is this important?

Over the years, Google firmly established itself as the leading search engine on the internet. Recently though, it has come under competition with a huge marketing campaign from Microsoft which offers a service called Bing. On launch, it was proving to be a hit with users. The graphical outlay of the program was nice, the results were accurate and it was generally a good place to be. Bing started to take up some of the market share that Google occupied. Companies were paying a lot of money to have their ad’s featured on Google and if consumers were being lured away by Bing, then they weren’t getting value for money. Google needed to act, and therefore, out came Google Instant.

It might take a while for people to get used to using it, but they are again changing the way people search the Internet. Making it a quicker and therefore more enjoyable experience.

Mark Hoy