Google is serious about mobile, there’s no question. The thing they have to do, is lay the ground work for the mobile landscape they’ve had pictured in their mind for some time, which is simplified mobile search, and simplified mobile applications that work across the board, on any device, and work quickly and efficiently.
Google is currently tapping the best resources available with new development centers in Bangalore, Beijing, Tokyo, Waterloo, Canada, Silicon Valley, and their main base in London. Their focus is web-based and location-based services that hope to take advantage of new phones with full web browsers, great user interfaces, and flat-rate data plans, which Google calls the “winning formula.” iPhone anyone?
Google’s engineering site director, Ann Mai Chang, said; Google prefers to avoid developing apps that require elements to be downloaded to the device, as this makes the user experience slower and less attractive. Instead, the company can focus on innovative web applications such as Google Grand Prix: the mobile software suite that includes search, email and location-based services.
Google’s also been working on the way user’s input information into mobile devices, which has been a hurdle to overcome with mobile apps, and search. Dave Burke, technical lead and manager for mobile engineering at Google, explained how the team has tailored their search application to work more effectively on mobile devices. One of the main aims with the mobile search app was to reduce keystrokes due to the tricky nature of typing on mobile devices, so the app suggests possible search terms as the user types, potentially allowing them to navigate much more quickly. Simple navigation and interaction is vital on mobile devices, and Google has always prided themselves on providing super-fast search. It’s only natural for them to provide the same intuitiveness on mobile devices.
With all the news of Google’s mobile plans, it’ll be interesting to see if everything goes as they’ve planned. Other key players and technologies will have to fall in line, and Google is doing everything they can to make sure that happens.
