Do What You Love

Google just released a much welcomed update for their iOS app and a new moniker: Google Search for iPhone. It has a much crisper interface, and is a bit easier to use. I might actually use it now rather than searching within Safari.app. When you first open the app, you see a big Google, and underneath you see a break in the page with nothing below it. I thought this was unsightly and useless. It’s to temporarily show the results of whatever you’ve recently searched in the search bar, even though after you’ve submitted the search the big Google recedes and the whole screen becomes the desired search results. There’s also an option of swiping to the right to reveal specific categories in order to narrow down your search: Everything, Places, Images, News, Shopping, Videos, Updates, Blogs, and Discussions. I thought this was a neat feature. At the bottom of the screen there’s an “Apps” button where you can access more of Google’s apps, continuing its attempt to be a one-stop-shop (e.g., Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Talk, Buzz, etc.).

I only found two bugs, which is expected I suppose. Of those restrictive search categories I mentioned, all of them allow the user to swipe back to that category column on the left while viewing the full-screen containing the search results except for Images and News. Once in the Images-only category, attempting to swipe back to the other categories doesn’t work and actually doesn’t budge. The reason, I suppose, is so that the user can wipe to the left to reveal other pages of images, and then be able to swipe back again; yet it makes no sense why they wouldn’t enable the user to swipe back to the other options from the first page (so maybe not a bug as much as a missing feature). The same goes for the News-only selection, but only in the first page of the search results. Unlike in Images, the News-only mode actually moves with your finger as if it’s going to let you get back to the other options (even partially revealing them) but then quickly bounces back; and it doesn’t allow for swiping to the left to reveal the following pages as does Images…which would be a great feature. For both, the user must swipe down to reveal the hidden big Google and then swipe again to the right on that upper-half of the screen.

Yet, I can handle all of that. What I can’t understand is why Google Finance continues to be neglected. To me, this omission is the most frustrating. I use it more than any other service except Gmail. If you’re into stocks, it’s immensely valuable. Come on Google! You included orkut and not Finance?! The U.S. only amounts to 2.2% of its user base! Oh well, you win Brazil with your 48%. Hopefully us “few” will be given our in-app Finance app one day. Hopefully.