by B.J. Tolentino

Created on: September 15, 2010

It seems that everyone's going "gaga" with Google Instant. Google's latest innovation in its search engine has made instant celebrities resulting from simple app developments (YouTube Instant, iTunes instant and "you betcha" there are many more to come). It has made the word "instant" virtually synonymous with Google's newly launched application.  However, the launch of Google Instant Search for mobile (Google's official app for mobile devices) is one of the most useful adaptation of Google Instant.

To get started you simply have to go to Google.com on your phone browser. And that's it! It's basically using Google to search for anything you like but with Google Instant's highly publicized features: Real time search (which actually means 2-5 seconds faster that before) with predictive capability (it shows search results before you even stop typing).

What is also very notable is the continuing development (and emphasis) on geo-location based features - taking advantage of this important marketing avenue in mobile devices.You type in a search keyword of your favorite restaurant, shopping boutique, weather forecast, flight schedule and Google will instantly show you the most relevant result (real time and location based). From there you can make the necessary calls. You can also use it in conjunction with Google maps for mobile to easily get to your location. It is one of those nifty improvements to the whole Google experience.

Google Instant Search for mobile will also give more clout (or rather compete with) to a yet to go popular feature on Android-based mobile phone - Google Voice Search. This comes as a boost to reports that "25% of all mobile searches in the US via Google Android smartphones is done using Google Voice. 

The hype surrounding the launch of Caffeine, then Google Instant and the more than 20 acquisitions that Google made in 2010 alone (which is to a large extent a validation of rumors of Google's social networking project - "Google Me"), has made Google Instant for mobile all the more important. It is in tune to Google's overall business expansion.

Mobile Phones have to have high enough the browser capabilities to support AJAX request and advanced Java Script background that Google is using in order to utilize this up and coming feature. Google wants it to work for all types of phones but it wouldn't be a discrete app. Steve Cheng, product manager - Google Instant for mobile predicts that, "The technology would first appear in browsers, and not the client. If I were a betting man, I would say the browser comes first."        

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