Google Suggests Search DestinationsGoogle Suggests Search Destinations

Google on Thursday quietly spun out a new feature of its search engine that takes a stab at what you're after, then puts suggestions in the query field.

Similar to the "type-ahead" feature that's long been available in browser address bars, Google's new Suggest offers recommendations in a drop-down menu as the user types out a search string.

Type "techw," for instance, and the list shows "techwood," "techweb," "techworks," and so on and so on. Using the arrow keys, users can scroll up or down the list of suggestions, pick on, and Google initiates the search.

Unlike browsers' type-ahead, however, Google Suggest doesn't rely on the user's own personal search history. Instead, Google claimed in an accompanying online FAQ that its "algorithms use a wide range of information to predict the queries users are most likely to want to see."

Its mission, as Google sees it, is to "make your searches more convenient and efficient by keeping you from having to reformulate your query."

Suggest rolled out from Google Labs, the R&D arm of the search giant, and the site where new features are touted and tested before joining the engine's standard set of tools.

Google Suggest can be tried out here.