Following the updates made to the Google Web search results interface, Google has also updated the mobile search results pages.
As of now, the updated service is available only in the U.S.A. on the iPhone and on Android devices.
When a user views the results of a search query, tapping on a button to the left of the search box on the search results page will reveal the new search options menu. When the user selects one of the items in the menu, the search results get refined, just as is done on regular search.
The expanded search options menu will make the paid and organic search results slide to the right side of the screen. The user can still interact with the results by panning right.
New options, such as News and Products, have also been added to the menu.
Google has promised to roll out the updated interface on other devices and in other locations as soon as possible. They will also offer more options soon.
While speaking at the Web 2.0 Expo, Google’s Steve Lee hinted that a new version of Latitude would be available shortly. The updated version will allow users to access information and data about where they have been. Access to this information will be restricted to the user only.
Contrary to initial reports, the geo-location service is doing pretty well, TechCrunch reports. Latitude has 3 million active users. This is especially significant when compared to competitors, Foursquare and My Town, which have 1 million and 2 million users respectively.
In fact, 8 million people that have signed up for Latitude since its inception. It is believed that this year, Latitude grew 30% each month. The current growth of Android and Blackberry is no doubt helping fuel this growth.
Google hopes to have several third party mobile applications working through the Latitude API in the near future.
