Google on Wednesday announced some big changes to how search will work in Chrome. The company has started experimenting with adding a search box to the browser’s new tab page as well as keeping queries in the omnibox after a search is performed. These tweaks are available to a small set of users on Chrome’s Dev channel on Windows and Chrome OS today, the only requirement being they need to be using Google as their default search provider. Mac support is “coming soon” and Linux is not mentioned at all. Google won’t be adding just its own search engine to the new tab page: it will include the user’s default search provider. The company says it is making the change for the sake of speed, despite the fact that you can search from Chrome’s omnibox: “the goal is to save people time by helping them search and navigate the Web faster.”
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.