Google Tweaks Apps for iPhone
software Blog platform interface Google
The move was inspired by the iPhone's touch screen, Wi-Fi capabilities and the Safari browser, Kanfesky wrote.
"I started thinking about how to use AJAX technology to improve Google on the iPhone. I set out to create an application that would preload my favorite Google products and allow me to switch between them instantly. I wanted web results as well as image, local, and news results without having to repeat my search. I wanted to check Gmail and my news feeds in Google Reader without having to load a new page every time. I also wanted Google Suggest to save me time typing queries on the virtual keyboard," Kanefsky wrote.
Users of both the iPhone and the iPod Touch can see the Google mobile team's work and judge for themselves whether the interface is an improvement by going to the Google home page.
The "upgrade" got mixed reviews from commenters as throughout the day iPhone users commented on the blog about glitches in the system and a handful of bugs that in the words of one user "degrades the overall experience of using Google on my iPhone." In spite of the two bugs he found, however, that user wrote: "I do like the new interface and applaud Google's dedication to making its services work well on the iPhone."