Google announced via its Mobile Blog that the standard image search on Android and iOS tablets is getting a significant update today, not unlike the previous standard search update. There’s some adjusted UI settings to take advantage of the larger form factor, most notably an infinite scroll feature that will continually load images as you flick the web page down. I gave it a try on my Galaxy Tab 8.9, with a subject that no one could object to.
The gallery view has also been updated, with a bug focus on the image itself and a strip of website information below it. Simply swipe left or right to navigate through the “carousel” one at a time. The updated interface looks like it takes full advantage of HTML5 – since it’s running on Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and iOS, it probably doesn’t have any Android-specific properties. Unfortunately, that means you probably won’t be seeing it any time soon on a Gingerbread tablet, hacked or no.
You can see Google’s official video below.
After running through the new layout myself, I can report that it’s admirably smooth and intuitive, even on my less than ideal Internet connection. It’s a definite improvement over the old hunt-and-peck layout. Remember that the website is looking at your browser profile, so if you’ve got Dolphin Browser HD or some other third-arty app set to Desktop Mode, you probably won’t see it. One more for the road:
