Google revamps Android and iPad tablet search functionality

Google continues to tweak its search user interface for tablets, and has unveiled revamped functionality for Android and iOS-based tablet devices.

Key improvements include a simplified page layout with larger text and icons. The search button is located below the search box and provides quick access to specific types of results including images, videos, places and shopping.

Users simply have to touch a search menu to open it and select an option to see results in the category, explained Xiaorui Gan, a software engineer at Google.

"We focused on improvements that enhance the viewing experience such as enlarged image previews, continuous scroll and faster loading of image thumbnails," Gan said on the Google Mobile Blog.

"This improved search experience will be rolled out to iPad and Android 3.1+ tablets across 36 languages, and will be accessible when navigating to www.google.com."

Google is expected to continue bridging the gap between smartphones and tablets when it releases Android Ice Cream Sandwich later this year.

Ice Cream Sandwich is due to ship with a rolling 3D interface and improved videoconferencing functionality.

In keeping with its quick release cycles, Google released the Android 3.2 SDK at the end of last month, weeks after the 3.1 version was made available.

The latest version of Android comes with a compatibility display mode to view apps designed for smartphones on a larger screen, as well as the ability to load files directly from an SD card to an app.