Google Tests “What’s Hot” & “What’s Nearby” As Android Search Options

Recently, Artem Russakovskii found a couple of cool Google search options tests for Android.  Google has inserted a “What’s Hot” and a “Nearby” option in the pull-down search menu.  Here’s what the options look like:

Greg Sterling asked for more information on these new options, and Google responded by saying that “were’re always experiment with the look and feel of our products but have nothing to announce.”

Like many of Google’s tests, we don’t know if this will be a broad rollout test, or if the test will turn into a permanent feature that is accessible to everyone.  This test is likely in response to the growth of “nearby” or “near me” queries.

These types of searches, according to Google, have doubled in the last year, and about 80 percent of those searches came from smartphones.

Source –  Greg Sterling