Google offers “Application” search choice:
With Google being such a beast, that hides behind one of the most minimal facades on the planet, it sometimes takes a while for people to realise significant changes have been implemented at the search giant.
New search option arrives without any Fanfair:
For instance the news that “Applications” is now a filter choice next to “Blogs” “News” “Images” “Videos” on the left hand side of your google search results comes as a surprise to me. I can however confirm that this feature is not currently working for google.co.uk search options but does work when I switch to .com and there is indeed an “Application” filter in the google result options on the left.
This feature does make a lot of sense as finding “apps” is often a nightmare, though this move does potentially hit GetJar and such like where it hurts.
I say potentially, as it could be a possibility that the sheer rank weight of a site like GetJar may end up giving favourable results for them, its all gravy in the end for Google really.
I have not fully tested how the algorithm might work, another reviewer seems to suggest that only applications themselves are offered with a screenshot to highlight this, but I see blended results of marketplaces and content such as reviews, and Apple are fairing high in the results which suggest it is hopefully not too biased in nature!
A very interesting addition though that should aid developers and users alike to find that perfect application for their individual needs in the swathes of apps out there!
What do you think? Do you have a certain place you find applications? Word of mouth or simply browsing using your chosen devices marketplace?…That is my main method currently though I may start using this more often now.
Anthony Munns