Internet search engine company Google unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine today that predicts search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online and to generate more searches on the website.
Google Instant delivers search results on a Web page before a user finishes typing in a query. The search results displayed on the page refresh and change as the user continues typing additional letters of the search term.
Google said the new technology can shave 2 to 5 seconds off every search, while making it easier for people to quickly search related topics.
At a press event at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art to demonstrate the changes, Google Vice President of Search and User Experience Marissa Mayer compared the new technology to a car's power steering.
"Once you get used to it, it's very tough to go back," said Ms Mayer, though she acknowledged that in testing, certain users had opted to switch off the new feature.
Google executives said the new technology would not change the order in which the search engine ranks Web pages, or the way it serves advertisements alongside search results.
The new technology means Google's search engine can serve up a local weather forecast as soon as a user types the letter "W" in the search box, for instance. If the user continues typing a word other than "weather" into the search box, the results on the page refresh and change accordingly.
Google is the world's most popular search engine, but is facing increased competition from Microsoft's Bing search engine.
New technologies, such as the specialised applications that run on Apple iPhones, and fast-growing social networking services such as Facebook, are also threatening to undermine Google's position as the main gateway to online information, according to analysts.
Google shares are down roughly 26 per cent from their 52-week high of $629.51.
Google said the technology will also be available in many more countries, including France and the UK, in several weeks, and said it hoped to have a version that works on smartphones available in the coming months.
Reuters