Google Tweaks Mobile Search, Adds Olympics Onebox, Yahoo Offers Dedicated Mobile Olympics Site

Google has made some subtle changes to its mobile homepage and searchbox. As the Google Mobile Blog explains:

The Google logo has been moved up to the top of the search results page, allowing us to increase the width and height of the search box. You can now more easily touch the larger box to enter a new search, the new big bold font makes it easier to see what you have entered, and the wider box helps you see more characters at once . . .

We have also given our homepage some love. While this got the bigger search box last month, we have created a new search button beside the search box rather than below, so when search suggestions appear, they no longer hide the button.

These relatively minor changes make Google mobile search more user-friendly and somewhat more visually appealing.  Here’s a comparison of the old and new versions side by side:

Separately Google is planning an Olympics onebox to enable people to quickly get information and updates on the Vancouver Olympics. Bing and Yahoo will likely be doing a version of this too.

No sooner did I write that line than I received an email from Yahoo regarding its mobile Olympics coverage. There’s now a dedicated mobile site with extensive coverage and features that will include:

• Live Results, Schedules, Medal Counts
• News, Photos, Blogs and Expert Commentary
• Search by Athlete and Olympic Sport

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