Google is making search improvements within the “omnibox” at the top of Chrome. Specifically, Google said Tuesday that Chrome will try harder to guess where you want to go—even if it lacks a bunch of data on your search habits.
Trying to correct for mistyped words is something most web browsers do already, so that correcting “Microssoft” is second nature. But Google is now going out on a limb and making those suggestions pretty much automatically.
So, if you’ve never visited a site before, or simply can’t spell its name correctly, Google is going to infer your intent. What I find more interesting is that Google is going to make an enormous leap and jump to a site that you describe: Google’s example is just “flights,” which could lead to Google’s flights page if you’ve visited it before. (If you haven’t, and you prefer TripAdvisor or Kayak, that might be a bit more annoying.)
Google is even going to allow you to quickly search within bookmark folders, which is especially handy for those people who hate flipping through nested folder after nested folder to find a bookmark—what’s the point of organization if it takes you longer to find something? You’ll just need to incorporate the folder name in your search.
Google’s whole point is to keep you within Google, trapping you within its web of convenience. Of course, after the EU fined Google over €8 billion following investigations into search and advertising, and as another EU investigation (and DOJ lawsuit) examines Google’s advertising business, you could make the argument that’s not always for the best. You can decide for yourself.
Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor
As PCWorld's senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.