Google Instant search comes to Android

Google announced yesterday that their popular Instant search is now available on Android and iPhone. Instant search was introduced several months ago and provided a way for desktop users to see Google search results instantly while typing, without waiting for results after pressing Enter.

During the presentation, Google said that Instant would be coming to mobile browsers soon. And now it finally has. To use it, you need to be running Android 2.2, Froyo. Head over to google.com from your phone's browser and look for the new link to turn Instant search on. Once it's on, simply start typing your search query and watch as results begin to come in as you type. As with the desktop version, Instant results are tailored to your location, search history, etc.



As Google points out, the speed at which Instant results appear depends on the speed of your connection. They say it works best over WiFi and 3G/4G connections, and obviously, the faster your connection, the faster your results will appear.

I really like this. I played with it today and was surprised by how quickly results came in, even over 3G. I used to rely on the browser's suggestions, which appeared quickly, but not instantly. This will save me a lot of time typing, which on a phone, is always appreciated.

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I appreciate that they've made this service available for the mobile browser. Google is very good at making sure none of their many branches gets left behind when they come out with something new, and I like that.

For me personally, this isn't really a big deal. I like Instant on the desktop, but I don't really find it that mind blowing. And I very rarely search Google from the browser on my phone. If I do a search, it's almost always from the search widget on my desktop. I bet a lot of people will really like this, though, especially if it's fast.