Mobile search access gets faster; iGoogle gets easier to use
Thursday, June 12, 2008 | 3:02 PM
We at Google are obsessed with making your mobile search experience as fast as possible. With that in mind, we've just updated our mobile homepage to allow for a quicker load time, providing you with even faster access to the information you need while on the go.
How do we do this? When you navigate to google.com in your browser, we cache the homepage on your phone. If you bookmark this homepage, then returning to Google using the bookmark is almost instantaneous. Whether you come to Google by browser or through our new search plug-in, starting your search is now quicker and simpler than ever before.
Also launching today is an improved mobile iGoogle interface that provides you with access to your mobile-compatible gadgets anytime, anywhere. We've linked your iGoogle gadgets directly from the new mobile home page and made it easier for you to set up your mobile iGoogle page from the desktop. By going to your iGoogle settings page on a computer, you can choose and rearrange your favorite gadgets for your phone. For example, if weather and news are the most important items to you when on the go, you can drag and drop these gadgets to the top of your page. In addition, you can now read article summaries by clicking on the "More" option on any RSS gadget.
Watch the video below as Steve Cheng and I demo the new search and iGoogle for mobile from opposite sides of the continent. Or just go to iGoogle to sign in and get started. And once your page is set up, remember to bookmark iGoogle on your phone for fast access to all your content. Note that these improvements are available on all non-iPhone devices, as iPhone users have alternative Google search and iGoogle offerings. Happy searching!
Labels: google search, igoogle, Mobile Blog
11 comments:
jwfrancis said...
June 13, 2008 at 2:57 AM
Steve Rubel said...
What about the iPhone version of iGoogle? I didn't see a way to configure.
June 13, 2008 at 3:36 AM
demowayne said...
This looks great!
I just gave it a go and it doesnt seem to work. On my M95 it still looks as it always had done, not as 'clean' as the images from the blog and vid. I've also tried to edit it from my PC and the 'mobile view' window looks all jumbled. I'm in the UK and hope this isn't the reason its not working.
Any advice welcome.
June 15, 2008 at 2:14 PM
demowayne said...
Me again,
I've just changed my location to US and now it works. Guys, why do you only offer half the services overseas that you do to the US? Its a bit narrow minded dont you think?
(sent from a mobile ;-))
June 15, 2008 at 2:35 PM
Jeffrey W. Cox said...
I loved the old Google Mobile on my Palm Treo - it looked and fit perfectly in the browser; it was very handy. The other day, I fire it up, and all the new iGoogle stuff is there. It no longer looks good or fits well; you have to scroll to get to anything -- and I really miss the Default Location settings. I hear what you are saying about faster, but in this case I think you lost the "usable."
June 19, 2008 at 7:53 AM
ValkRaider said...
It also does not display the search results in a mobile friendly fashion.
What was wrong with the old Google mobile? It was fast and simple, and worked.
I actually used it on my iPhone because it was SO much more lightweight than the iPhone version which forces me to load all my email and Reader stuff to do a simple search.
And now, with the new version, ijn order to get to Reader I have to click, load another page, then click again. Before it was just one click in a drop down menu.
This new version is not all that good. Now I am stuck with the slow bloated iPhone version, or this new version which is not very mobile friendly in the long term, or the standard normal web version.
Please bring back the old Google mobile... Or at least make the search results display in a more mobile friendly fashion.
June 20, 2008 at 2:42 PM
jwfrancis said...
It does seem to be the case that the newer iPhone specific sites take an age to load. I find myself bookmarking the simple one function versions of Calendar, Mail, Reader, Search etc. because they load so much quicker. It's quite difficult sometimes to get back to those pages as with every chance they get Google seems determined to redirect you to the 'optimized experience' websites.
June 20, 2008 at 3:27 PM
X-Istence said...
Hi, for some odd reason my browser Safari 4.0 Developer Preview is now being recognised as a mobile device, and I get redirected from google.com/ig to google.com/m/ig which is definitely not something I want.
How do I stop this? Why has google chose to use browser sniffing to implement this change? I don't own a mobile device that does web, thus I have no need for this, no matter what Google may think because of a damn browser User Agent.
January 15, 2009 at 7:28 AM
Andy McGann said...
ME TOO! I have an Apple iPod Touch, and google.com/ig/i was GREAT. Now I've LOST pretty much the only FUNCTIONALITY that I cared about with this forced switch to google.com/m/ig
Terrible. I just want to go back to google.com/ig
My biggest problem is that now I can't check my favorite Google Gadget - the Cornell eBird Rare Bird gadget - which is a problem because I'm an addicted bird watcher/chaser. Oh yeah, and other gadgets too, like just a simple US weather radar image.
January 16, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Unknown said...
Please bring back the old format. The new format can't display most of my gadgets such as To-do. You are forcing me to stop using iGoogle. That can't be your intention!
January 18, 2009 at 1:50 PM
Unknown said...
I am completely baffled as to the enforcement of the mobile view for igoogle - it used to be my main source for all my info and now it is practically unusable - just please let us decide ourselves if we want mobile view or not... opera browser / nokia e51
January 20, 2009 at 12:29 AM
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