Hasta La Gadget!

Google has launched its new search page layout, which features the various navigational tools spread out horizontally beneath the search field. Previously, these tools were located on the left-side of the screen. This was a move on Google’s part to make search more consistent across the smorgasbord of gadgets and displays available.

According to the announcement, this change started last year with tablets, and was rolled out to smartphones a few weeks back. Now its being applied to the desktop search, providing “more breathing room, and more focus on the answers you’re looking for, whether from web results or from a feature like the Knowledge Graph.”

The navigational tools work the same way they did before, only arguably in an easier-to-utilize fashion. Clicking the “More” listing pulls down the drop-down menu with other Google offerings, such as Recipes, Books, and Places. You can also pull up search refining tools by clicking “Search tools,” allowing you to sift through searches by reading level, to see personal items related to the search term, such as Gmail messages, as well as related searches and other options.

The new layout is currently only available for users in the United States. According to the announcement over on Google’s Inside Search blog, the company plans to bring it to users in other languages and regions “as soon as we can.” Google is encouraging user opinions and feedback on the change over at it’s Google+ page.

[via Google]

Google launches updated search page layout is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In an effort to raise awareness of missing children and assist in their safe return, Google has partnered up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to bring AMBER Alerts to Google Search and Google Maps on both mobile and desktop devices. It will also provide data about new cases through Google’s Public Alerts platform.

AMBER Alert notifications will be shown for your local area based off of relevant web search content, and they will constantly be updated as new information becomes available. These alerts will include details such as a description of the missing child and information about the vehicle of the abductor if known.

Google’s Phil Coakley says in a blog post that “by increasing the availability of these alerts through [Google’s] services, [they] hope that more people will assist in the search for children featured in AMBER Alerts and that the rates of safe recovery will rise.” The service will use Google’s Public Alerts service, which currently shows emergency updates concerning weather, public safety, and earthquakes from the National Weather Service and the US Geological Survey. AMBER Alerts will be added to that list.

The service is only available in the US, but Google is working with Missing Children Europe and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to hopefully bring similar services to more countries around the world. Google says that they’ll “keep exploring different ways to improve child protection through innovative technologies,” so this could only be the beginning for Google as far as AMBER Alerts are concerned, and we could see more features from them about the service.

Google adds AMBER Alerts to Search and Maps is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Election Day is quickly approaching, and if you’re still undecided on who to vote for, or if you’re not sure where to vote, Google will help you out. The search giant has launched what they call the Voter Information Tool. It will show you how to register to vote, where to vote, and what candidates are on your ballot.

Within Google’s Voter Information Tool you can find social media links for all the candidates on the ballot, as well as helping you locate your polling place or early voting location if your city offers it. You can also instantly access YouTube’s 2012 Election page, where you can watch videos on anything and everything related to the election.

The tool also makes it easier to research all kinds of information about the candidates including spending and fundraising plans, as well as their various views on the economy and how each candidate plans to run the country. Essentially, Google is aiming to make the tool a one-stop shop to find information about the election.

In an effort to reach as many people as possible, Google has partnered up with companies such as Foursquare and AT&T in order to spread the word about the tool. Election Day is a chaotic day — not only for poll workers and the candidates, but for regular voters as well. Google aims to make it easier for everyone come November 6.

Google’s Voter Information Tool makes it easier to choose and vote come Election Day is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you own a Roku set-top box for streaming your favorite TV shows from various services, a new feature has been added that will make it much easier to find what you want watch. In the past if you were looking for a specific show, the only thing you could do was browse through your favorite channels to find what you want to watch. Roku has now added a new search feature that will do all of that browsing for you.

Using the new Roku Search tool you can find movies, TV shows, actors, and directors across Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, VUDU, and HBO Go. The search results show you where the content you’re looking for is available on the Roku service. After finding the content you’re looking for, selecting the channel in the results will take you directly to the movie or show you want to watch.

Roku says that the new search tool will grow in importance as it adds new streaming partners to its service. Right now, the search can guide users through nearly 130,000 movies and TV episodes and almost 100,000 actors and directors. Roku Search is available on the Roku 2, Roku LT, and Roku HD players.

The search tool is also available on the Roku Streaming Stick. Users can search for the keyboard and the Remote tab of the Roku iOS and Android mobile applications. The updated has the new search tool and will be rolling out over the next week at no cost. Users not wanting to wait for the update be applied automatically can run a manual update to bring their device up to software version 4.8 352X.

Roku video search tool lands in the US is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Windows 8 is here at last and, for the most part, we think it’s pretty great. However, as with all new Windows installs, Internet Explorer and Bing are both present. Most people would rather leave those two behind and use different browsers and search engines instead, and today we’re seeing Google capitalize on that. Google has launched a new “campaign” of sorts to get new Windows 8 owners using both its search engine and Chrome as quickly as possible.

It’s called “Get Your Google Back,” and the big G has even launched a new website with the sole purpose of getting its products on your Windows 8 machine. The process seems painlessly simple – once you’ve got Windows 8 installed on your computer, open up Internet Explorer and direct it to getyourgoogleback.com. Once you’re there, you’ll be prompted to install the Google search app for Windows 8.

The website also has a button to make Google Chrome your default browser, and clicking that button will begin the install of Google’s much-loved Chrome. The whole process is laid out in the handy little video posted below. Google gets bonus points for setting the video to a strikingly good cover of Jackson 5′s I Want You Back.

And there you have it – just a few simple steps and you can have Google search and Chrome tiles right there on your Start screen. Are you a new Windows 8 user who will be following Google’s advice, or are you going for a different search/browser combo? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out our story timeline for more on Windows 8!

Google shows Windows 8 users how to easily ditch Bing and IE is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.