Google Mobile app gets revved

An updated Google Mobile app just hit the App Store with a bunch of new features.

Announced on the Google Mobile Blog, the updated app features a redesigned search results page that shows more results at once and opens Web page results directly within the app. You still have the option to open the pages in Mobile Safari.

Google also uncovered a previously hidden settings screen called Bells and Whistles. With it you can change the app's theme color, sounds and even turn on the live waveform setting which enables a moving waveform when you search by voice on faster devices like the iPhone 3GS. A final setting allows you to turn on screen rotation which disables motion sensing for voice search.

The updated Google Mobile App is available in the App Store or via the Updates button if you already have it installed on your device.

The voice recognition in apps like Google Mobile and Dragon Dictation reminds me about how much I like the Droid's implementation of voice (almost) everywhere. Apple needs to enable system-wide voice recognition so that iPhone users can use it to search, tweet and write email. Its Voice Control on the iPhone 3GS is a nice start (although I almost never use it) but it needs to go system-wide for the iPhone to remain competitive with Android.