This Week in Google: Cleaner Search, Better Shopper
Posted 07/27/2011 at 2:30pm
| by Florence Ion
Google announced new revamps today to two of its services, including UI changes for Google's ubiquitous search engine and better functionality from the Mountain View-based company's Shopping app for iPhone. This includes making it compatible with its new daily deals service, Google Offers.

Google has begun slowly rolling out and testing a new tablet-oriented version of its search page. It's just as simple and clean as ever, but the buttons are bigger and the links more relevant. If you search from Google's homepage today, you might notice bigger buttons and a thinner line around the query form, and that the links on the left-hand column are now red and devoid of tiny little neighbor icons. Some sites are also reporting that the long winded "Goooooooooogle" image footer is gone, but it's still there for us (we like that little guy!). The completely revampled version of its search page is not yet available to all -- it might be awhile before the "ooogle" is gone from your search query.

In iOS news, Google updated its Shopper app for iPhone to help you find nearby deals. Version 1.5 includes two new tabs: Offers and My Offers. The Offers tab displays a list or map view of nearby business that have submitted deals through Google Places, and the My Offers tab displays your purchased offers. Think of it as Google's way to get you to use its daily deals function, rather than those other services. Unfortunately, offers are only currently available in Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York. Other cities to follow soon.