Android 1.6 Quick Search Box (QSB) Good News for Developers & Users

It took Apple two full years and three releases to add a system-wide seach to the iPhone. Google took less than one year. But, hey, aren’t they a search company? Why wasn’t this in version 1?

Introducing Quick Search Box for Android

The QSB (Quick Search Box) seems a lot like the search iPhone useres finally got with the iPhone OS 3.0 release this summer: It suggests content on your device as you type, like apps, contacts, browser history, and music. It also offers results from the web search suggestions, local business listings, and other info from Google, such as stock quotes, weather, and flight status. All of this is available right from the home screen, by tapping on Quick Search Box (QSB).

It appears to be really good news for Android developers since the code examples given seems like it is pretty easy for 3rd party app developers to hook into the QSB and have search related to their app included in system-wide search results. And, of course, all this should provide a much better end-user experience as more developers include their apps in QSB results.

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