Google pilots 'Suggest' feature

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Google Suggest quietly debuted this week on the company's Labs site, which showcases Google features that "aren't quite ready for prime time," according to a message on the site. When someone starts typing a request into the search box, a drop-down menu appears with suggestions as to what that person could be looking for.

For instance, typing in "Mi" generates a list starting with "Microsoft" and continuing with "miniclip," "Michael Moore" and "miserable failure," among other suggestions.

Google uses "a wide range of information" to predict queries, according to an FAQ, including data about the overall popularity of various searches. The company does not use individual search histories to help generate the prompts, it says.

Google regularly launches new features in its Labs section, using it as a test bed before formally releasing them. The company recently launched a specialised search function that can scan for scholarly literature, and a desktop search feature allows users to scan their PCs using Google technology.

Google's competitors haven't stayed silent. Yahoo said Thursday that it plans to start testing a downloadable desktop search application in early January, and Microsoft has plans to launch a similar feature by the end of the year.

Talkback

hey it found "bumhole"

via Facebook 10 December, 2004 17:13
Reply

Yahoo, MSN and Search.com can kiss their sucess goodbye. Google's new features and original approaches make people very interested in using it. There is absolutely no way that those other search engines will ever catch up to Google.

via Facebook 11 December, 2004 01:14
Reply

On the next step, Google will detect your strong force and kindly type your key words for you. Perfect!

via Facebook 11 December, 2004 22:00
Reply

This is a really neat feature. In addition, someone already hacked together a proof-of-concept extension for firefox to add this functionality into the search bar. Check it out: http://www.loconet.ca/ . It has some issues, but it's not bad for a late night coding session.

via Facebook 18 December, 2004 18:16
Reply

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