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Google Squared get its Lab Debut

Wow, so many smart things happening right now, what with Bing in Beta and now Google Squared getting launched in Google Labs.

So what is Google Squared?

Looking for ever more useful and meaningful ways of presenting search results, Google have created an application that returns results in squares. This takes some explaining.

I initially imagined some really clever presentation layer that looked a bit like the Speed Dial thing in Opera, (which is one of the coolest ways of displaying bookmarked or favourite sites in the universe).

Instead, what I got when I finally picked something it could show me, was a pretty old fashioned spreadsheet style thing with relevant resources listed, I'm sorry Google but you have taught me to expect so much I am initialy a little disappointed...

I'm still not too sure where the 'squared' bit is? they are more like rectangles?

Don't give up, it does work. Honest...

So after my initial disappointment, and knowing Google are the kings of the Uber Presentation Understatement, I persevered. Now what can I search for?

I chose helicopters.

This gave me a rather uninspiring spreadsheet of helicopters with various columns of data and pictures. Ok, now I'm seeing its usefulness...

Now here is the REALLY clever bit. And I mean impressively smart.

When you search for something, provided Google gets some relevant stuff back [my earlier failures to launch were down to my ignorance], what it does is match content and references from many search results and compiles them into 'squares' for you.

Now I see where the squares come in...

And Google Squared will be really good for?

It'll be really good for searching and saving your searches and researching (that's researching not re searching, although it obviously does that too) and comparing and, well all kinds of really good things.

It'll appeal to small children as a sort've on-line Top Trumps as well as consumers comparing similar products.

If you have a Google account, you can save your squares too.

What will be in the future for Google Squared

I don't really know to be honest. There are probably a few bits of Goolge's own stable of products that could use some Squares?

I'll need a little time to absorb its capabilities but in the meantime, if you want to know more, you can read this Google blog post or just jump straight in and tryi it for yourself at Google Squared.

Posted on 04/06/2009 by Ed Nice

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