谷歌搜索新增语音搜索功能
|
虽然谷歌（Google）的Android和Gmail等产品在业界造成了轰动，但搜索仍是其安家立命之本。本周二，谷歌发布了一系列搜索新功能，其中包括图片搜索和在台式机上使用语音搜索。 谷歌多年来一直占据着搜索领域的霸主地位，至今无人撼动。它占据了美国搜索市场65%的份额，遥遥领先于雅虎（Yahoo）和微软（Microsoft）等竞争对手。但这并不意味着谷歌能够骄傲自满。这家位于山景城的公司一直在致力于发布新的搜索功能，以加快搜索速度、降低搜索结果的检索难度并提高相关性。毕竟，尽管谷歌开发了很多新产品，但搜索仍然在其营收中占据着绝大部分份额。 周二早晨，谷歌在旧金山召开的新闻发布会上公布了新的搜索功能。该公司一位名叫艾米特•辛格尔的员工在会上表示：“如果谷歌能够迅速呈上用户所需的信息，他们自然会一而再，再而三地光顾谷歌。这将为我们带来巨大价值。” 谷歌新发布的图片搜索功能在其主页上进行，用户只需拷贝和粘贴图片的超链接并将其拖放到搜索框中即可；用户还可直接上传自己电脑中的图片。至于桌面语音搜索功能，用户只需点击搜索框右侧的麦克风按钮，然后说出搜索内容便可。 谷歌还发布了其它新功能：例如即时页面，谷歌表示该功能可以“立即”打开搜索结果链接；此外，还有针对平板电脑搜索新推出的用户界面以及改进的移动工具，用户可利用后者搜索饭店、咖啡店和其它本地商户。不过绝大部分新功能都只针对Chrome浏览器用户，至少开始时是这样。尽管最近传言不断，但谷歌在这次发布会上并未宣布任何新的社交搜索功能。 对于谷歌及其在搜索领域的对手而言，移动搜索显得格外有吸引力，这丝毫不足为奇。根据辛格尔的说法，虽然桌面搜索流量在寒假和暑假期间呈现下滑趋势，但移动搜索并未遇到此类问题。 辛格尔表示：“移动搜索在此期间仍然保持着惊人的增长速度。” 辛格尔还表示，相关性、简洁和速度将力助谷歌在移动领域再获成功。这些因素对于谷歌在桌面搜索领域的领导地位同样至关重要，目前看来，谷歌的这一地位在短期内不会被动摇。在新首席执行官拉里•佩奇的领导下，谷歌现在进一步坚定了深入理解用户需求的理念，研究他们的搜索方式、搜索动机、何时搜索、搜索什么内容。 在周二的新闻发布会上，谷歌研究部高级副总裁艾伦•尤斯塔斯表示：“他[佩奇]希望我们进一步了解用户，而不仅仅满足于改进产品。从更宏观的层面来说，佩奇认为谷歌应该更好地了解这个世界。” 译者：项航 |
Google (GOOG) makes a lot of waves with products like Android and Gmail, but its bread and butter is still search. On Tuesday, the company unveiled a slew of new search features, including the ability to search by images and input queries by voice on desktop computers. Google is still the undisputed top dog in search, and has been for years. It commands about 65% of the U.S. search market, well ahead of competitors like Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT). But that doesn't mean it can afford to grow complacent. The Mountain View-based company consistently releases new search features in an effort to make its results faster, easier to look up and more relevant to users. After all, despite new products, search still accounts for an overwhelming percentage of Google's revenues. "If you give them [users] the information they want right away that's why they would come back again and again to Google, which generates tremendous value," Amit Singhal, Google fellow, said at a press conference the company held Tuesday morning in San Francisco to announce its new features. Google's new search by images function lets users copy and paste an image URL and drop it into the search box on the company's homepage, or upload a picture directly from their computer. To search by voice on desktops, users will click on a microphone icon to the right of their search box, then speak their query out loud. Other new features include Instant Pages, which Google says will open search results nearly instantly, a new user interface for tablet searches and a revamped mobile tool that lets users search by restaurants, coffeeshops or other local categories. But most of these new features will only be available to Chrome browser users, at least initially. And, despite recent speculation, Google didn't announce any new social search features at its press event. It's no surprise that mobile in particular is the most attractive opportunity for Google and its search competitors. According to Google fellow Singhal, while desktop search traffic tends to dip during the winter holidays and summer vacation, mobile doesn't experience a similar slump. "It just keeps growing at an amazing pace," said Singhal. Singhal also said that relevance, simplicity and speed are fueling Google's success in mobile. Those are the same key ingredients for the company's lead in desktop search, which doesn't seem to be diminishing anytime soon. Under new CEO Larry Page, Google is even more determined to better understand how, why, when and what users search. "He [Page] wants us to know more rather than just find better," Alan Eustace, Google's senior VP of knowledge, said at the company's press conference on Tuesday. "More broadly his view is that Google should be much better at understanding the world." |
