Google has rolled out “instant search” capabilities for mobile devices. Instant Search works pretty much the same way on iOS and Android as it does in a desktop browser. You just visit the Google search page, start entering your query, and Google will start to show your results before you’ve even finished typing. As you refine your query, the page will change.
Honestly, the whole thing seems a bit silly on a mobile device, because as you can see from the screenshot above, the keyboard and Google suggestion box cover most of the screen. At best, you’ll see one search result while you’re typing. The whole idea of Google Instant is that it can save you time by showing your results before you finish typing, or by letting you adjust your search when you realize the results aren’t what you’re looking for. But if you can’t actually see the instant page while you’re typing, it doens’t really save that much time. I guess you don’t have to wait for Google to load a whole new page of results.
There’s room for a little more information on my Google Nexus One — but not much more. Android users will probably see different results depending on the screen resolution of their phones.
Google Instant is available for devices running iOS 4.0 and up, or Google Android 2.2 and up. If you don’t notice the option to turn on Google Instant the next time you load Google in your mobile browser, try refreshing the page.
You can check out a demo video after the break, as well as a few more screenshots.
