谷歌搜索新增語音搜索功能
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????雖然谷歌（Google）的Android和Gmail等產品在業(yè)界造成了轟動，但搜索仍是其安家立命之本。本周二，谷歌發(fā)布了一系列搜索新功能，其中包括圖片搜索和在臺式機上使用語音搜索。 ????谷歌多年來一直占據(jù)著搜索領域的霸主地位，至今無人撼動。它占據(jù)了美國搜索市場65%的份額，遙遙領先于雅虎（Yahoo）和微軟（Microsoft）等競爭對手。但這并不意味著谷歌能夠驕傲自滿。這家位于山景城的公司一直在致力于發(fā)布新的搜索功能，以加快搜索速度、降低搜索結果的檢索難度并提高相關性。畢竟，盡管谷歌開發(fā)了很多新產品，但搜索仍然在其營收中占據(jù)著絕大部分份額。 ????周二早晨，谷歌在舊金山召開的新聞發(fā)布會上公布了新的搜索功能。該公司一位名叫艾米特?辛格爾的員工在會上表示：“如果谷歌能夠迅速呈上用戶所需的信息，他們自然會一而再，再而三地光顧谷歌。這將為我們帶來巨大價值?！?/p> ????谷歌新發(fā)布的圖片搜索功能在其主頁上進行，用戶只需拷貝和粘貼圖片的超鏈接并將其拖放到搜索框中即可；用戶還可直接上傳自己電腦中的圖片。至于桌面語音搜索功能，用戶只需點擊搜索框右側的麥克風按鈕，然后說出搜索內容便可。 ????谷歌還發(fā)布了其它新功能：例如即時頁面，谷歌表示該功能可以“立即”打開搜索結果鏈接；此外，還有針對平板電腦搜索新推出的用戶界面以及改進的移動工具，用戶可利用后者搜索飯店、咖啡店和其它本地商戶。不過絕大部分新功能都只針對Chrome瀏覽器用戶，至少開始時是這樣。盡管最近傳言不斷，但谷歌在這次發(fā)布會上并未宣布任何新的社交搜索功能。 ????對于谷歌及其在搜索領域的對手而言，移動搜索顯得格外有吸引力，這絲毫不足為奇。根據(jù)辛格爾的說法，雖然桌面搜索流量在寒假和暑假期間呈現(xiàn)下滑趨勢，但移動搜索并未遇到此類問題。 ????辛格爾表示：“移動搜索在此期間仍然保持著驚人的增長速度?！?/p> ????辛格爾還表示，相關性、簡潔和速度將力助谷歌在移動領域再獲成功。這些因素對于谷歌在桌面搜索領域的領導地位同樣至關重要，目前看來，谷歌的這一地位在短期內不會被動搖。在新首席執(zhí)行官拉里?佩奇的領導下，谷歌現(xiàn)在進一步堅定了深入理解用戶需求的理念，研究他們的搜索方式、搜索動機、何時搜索、搜索什么內容。 ????在周二的新聞發(fā)布會上，谷歌研究部高級副總裁艾倫?尤斯塔斯表示：“他[佩奇]希望我們進一步了解用戶，而不僅僅滿足于改進產品。從更宏觀的層面來說，佩奇認為谷歌應該更好地了解這個世界。” ????譯者：項航 |
????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." |
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