A new service has been launched by Google that will allow users to take their search history with them wherever they go. The web giant revealed on its official blog this month that it will be rolling out a cross-platform system that lets people pick up their search results across a range of different gadgets.
The idea is that Google users who tap a search query into their laptop – for example ‘directions to MEC Manchester’ – before leaving their desk will be able to find the information on their handset while they are out and about. This new integrated feature, it is hoped, could make life easier for people who use the search engine as a source of information that goes beyond the world of blogs and amusing pictures of cats in costumes.
“How often are you doing a Google search from your computer to find information about a place before going there?” explained Google Software Engineer Junichi Uekawa. “Now, next time you go to Google.com on your Android phone or iPhone, information about that place will be conveniently available under the new ‘Recent’ icon. Calling, getting directions or seeing details about the places you just searched for is now only one tap away.”
MEC opinion: There have been a lot of things going on with Google recently that could influence the way people look for things on the web, including changes to its overall privacy policies and how results feed into its integrated social platform Google+.
However, bringing together people’s search results in this way seems to have been born of an out and out slice of common sense. Localised search has come on leaps and bounds over the years and it’s rare that any of us will leave the house nowadays without checking details of our destination online, so this seems like a natural next step for Google to make.
Not only might this new option be useful for day-to-day activities, it might also come in handy for people who have been researching what to do while on holiday. Of course, with mobile data roaming charges being what they are, it might be a good idea to check what your operator is going to charge you for when you’re firing up your search history outside of the UK!
