Google's New Search border Disables Many Shortcuts

With the newest redesign of the search results pages, Google made it more difficult to use most of the keyboard shortcuts that permitted you to quickly select a result or see a small preview.

Until now, you might type your query, press Enter to hide the list of suggestions and press Enter once again to go to the first result. If you didn't like the first result, you might press the down arrow to select the second result. Google also incorporated a keyboard shortcut for Instant Previews: the right arrow. None of these shortcuts are obtainable in the latest interface, at least not by default. Now you need to press Tab after performing a search to allow the old keyboard shortcuts.

Here's a search results page after typing a doubt (notice that there's no arrow next to the first result):

Here's what happens when you press Tab (you can use the up/down arrows, but the shortcut for Instant Previews no longer works

Google most likely disabled these features because not many people used them and a lot of users complained that the shortcuts made routing more difficult. Power users need to learn that Tab enables keyboard shortcuts, but having to allow the feature every time you use Google Search is annoying. After all, shortcuts were supposed to make your life easier and help you be more creative.

Google Instant shortcuts are still obtainable. You can continue to use the up/down arrows to select a different look for suggestion, the right arrow to visit the first result for the search suggestion, Tab to use Google's suggestion and continue to type your query, Esc to choose the query so you can quickly overwrite it.

Google Real time Search, Temporarily engaged

It's not the most accepted Google service, but Google Real time is useful as an alternative to Twitter's search engine. The service is no longer obtainable at the moment, the "Real time" option disappeared from Google's sidebar and google.com/real time returns a 404 error. Google says that this is just temporary. "We've temporarily disabled google.com/real time. We're exploring how to slot in our lately launched Google+ project into this functionality going forward, so stay tuned."

Google+ doesn't offer a search feature for messages yet, but it should be obtainable soon. It's strange to see that Google had to stop a service to add support for a new site.

Search Engine Land also reports that Google's Wonder Wheel feature is no longer obtainable. "[Google's] spokesperson said that the search tool was removed due to the 'initial stage' of the Google site redesign announced [last] week."

It's probable that both Google Real time and Wonder Wheel had to be redesigned, but Google didn't want to delay the launch of the new border until they're ready. When Google Instant was launched, many of the higher features were not obtainable, but some of them were extra after a few weeks.

Google Toolbar 7 for Internet Explorer

Google launched a new edition of its toolbar for Internet Explorer, but it's only for IE8 and IE9. Google Toolbar 7 focuses on search: there's hold up for Google Instant, the search box is a lot better and all the other features are obtainable in the "More" drop-down.

There's a funny help center article titled "Where did my buttons go?" which answers the most understandable question after installing Google Toolbar 7.

"You may have noticed that some or all of your Toolbar buttons have left with the latest update of Toolbar. The newest account of Toolbar helps you focus on the features you use the most, by removing your less often used buttons from view. If you've recently used a specific Tool on your Toolbar, its button will be pinned to the Toolbar so that you have easy access to it. Otherwise, all buttons are detached by default. Don't fret -- you can easily add your favorite features back to the Toolbar. Click More next to the search box and select the tool that you want to add. It'll routinely appear back on the Toolbar."

So Google Toolbar skin are less discoverable, users lost some of their preferences, but the toolbar is less cluttered.

Google Instant addition is not enabled by default, but you can open the options dialog and check "Enable Instant for faster probing and browsing".

For some cause, Google also installs Google Toolbar 7.1 for Firefox, which is an old version of toolbar and doesn't include the new features. The addition can be uninstalled from Control Panel, not from Firefox.

This week in search

This is part of a usual series of posts on search experience updates that runs on Fridays. Look for the label "This week in search" and donate to to the series. - Ed.

Time is a valuable commodity for most of us. To save you more precious seconds as you search, we’ve introduced Google Instant in Places View and redesigned the Google Search app for iPhone for faster, easier searching—whether you’re on your way out or by now on the go.

Instant for Places View

As part of our continuing effort to give you the Instant experience everywhere on Google, this week we’ve enabled Instant in Places View so you can find where you want to go even more rapidly. To get to Places View, click “Places” in the left-hand panel; once you’re there, any search you perform will have place and map results that inform as you type. We’ll continue to expand immediate to all views, languages and domains over the next few months.

Google Search app for iPhone

The redesigned Google Search app for iPhone, previously known as Google Mobile App, improves the Google search experience on iOS mobile devices, giving you instinctive gesture controls. First, when browsing through search results or looking at a webpage, you can steal down to see the search bar to type in a new query or change your settings.

There’s also a new toolbar that makes it easier for you to filter your results—for example, if you only desire to see images or shopping results. You can open this toolbar by swiping from left to right.

Plus, now it’s easier to pick up penetrating where you left off. If you leave the app and come back later, you’ll be able to get back to precisely where you were by tapping on the lower part of the page. To use the Google Search app, download or inform it in the iTunes App Store.

Search in Cherokee

With conversion help from the Cherokee Nation staff and community members, we’ve additional Cherokee as an interface language on Google. You can set Cherokee as your defaulting from the Language Tools page (available to the right of the search box). We’ve also included an on-screen Cherokee keyboard—which you can contact by clicking the icon at the right side of the search box—for people who don’t have a physical Cherokee keyboard.

This week in search 2/4/2011

This week it got just a bit faster to discover the right things to buy and the right places to go, with a little help from Google—and your friends. Simply type a few characters and get Google Instant outcome in the “Shopping” view, and find recommendations from your friends with Hotpot in search results.

Instant results in the “Shopping” view

Now you can shop faster than ever and get the speed of Google Instant when comparing prices, looking for nearby stores and knowledge about products you want to buy. For example, if you’re searching for a cast iron skillet, we’ll start showing you applicable pans as you type [cast iro...]. Click “Shopping” in the left-hand panel and try penetrating for [sweater wrap shawl], [android phone] or anything else.

Hotpot recommendations in search results

Earlier this week we additional Hotpot recommendations to regular search results on Google. So now, if you’re looking for restaurants in San Francisco, you can simply look for Google for [restaurants sf]. If a friend has rated a particular place, you might see her estimation right under the listing. We also prolonged Hotpot to 38 new languages so people can share their favorite places around the world.

Whether you’re cooking at home or dining out, we hope this week’s updates help you find what you’re looking for just a little bit faster

Web History Suggestions in Google Instant

There are many missing features in Google Instant. The classic interface suggested searches from the Web History, so you could select previously typed queries.

It seems that this feature will be available again. Google tests a version of Google Instant with Web History suggestions. For some queries, 3 of the 4 suggestions are from the Web History and there's only one general suggestion.

Maybe it would be a better idea to only show one or two personalized suggestions, since they aren't always useful.