Google is testing a feature that displays live-updating search results as you type your search query, no keystroke on "Enter" or "Return" required.

When you start typing, the search box is relocated to the top of the site. Results are changed to match what you type as you go, kind of like a Firefox page search, Spotlight on the Mac, or Windows 7's "Search programs and files" field in the start menu.

These live search results are not available to the public at large. Google regularly tests new features with very small selections of users. Some of those features never see a public launch, but some do. Google releases new search features to the public all the time; just last week it launched Google Apps Search, which searches Google's Gmail, Docs and Sites web apps.

Google makes its money by displaying contextual ads based on your searches. You'd think this would make that more challenging, but as far as we can tell from the video, those ads are updated live along with your search results.

Blogger Rob Ousbey discovered the feature (others have confirmed it) and wrote about it. He also recorded a video of the feature in action; we've embedded that below.







[via Google Operating System]