Google Labs on Monday launched a duo of new services in its quest to improve the user experience. Google believes Similar Images and News Timeline add compelling new features and functions to the Google platform.
Like other Google Labs innovations, analysts said these tools might prove valuable for users looking for faster ways to find specific types of information.
“At Google, we are constantly researching, designing and brainstorming about the next big idea, and when we think we’ve found something compelling, we often use our ’20 percent time’ to build a working version,” said Michael Cohen of Google Labs. “Back in 2002, we created Google Labs to give these budding experiments a home where users could try them and share their thoughts with us. Some of our most popular products began this way, including Google Maps, iGoogle and Google News.”
Searching for Similar Images
Many Google users are familiar with Image Search, a tool that will offer up just about any type of image on the Internet. However, Google admits that sometimes it’s difficult to find the right image if you don’t have the right words to describe it.
Similar Images aims to help image searchers overcome that obstacle. Searchers can find images that look like an existing result by clicking on a link. For example, if you search for “jaguar,” you can use the “Similar Images” link to narrow your search to just cars or just animals.
“You might try exploring the pyramids of Egypt or discovering the Forbidden City. Or you might go shopping for an elegant evening gown or that perfect pair of shoes,” explained Chuck Rosenberg, Google’s computer vision researcher. “So if you see an image you like, but you’re stumped on how to describe it, just click the ‘Similar Images’ link to see more like it.”
Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling…