Google has announced a new sidebar feature for its Chrome browser that aims to make searching more efficient without opening a new tab or returning to a previous page.
The search giant"s recent blog post explains how the new feature works: after a user clicks on a search result, they will be taken to the webpage. Then, a Google button with the text "Open search in side panel" will pop up on the address bar. Clicking that will open a sidebar that that will display the search page the user accessed before. From there, the user can click on other results, which will open in the main window of the tab. They can also perform new searches if they prefer.
This feature, which is similar to Microsoft Edge"s sidebar, will be very handy for comparing various search options. As a writer, the feature will be useful when I"m looking for the best explanation of a new term or concept that I"ve encountered — no more endless clicking of the back button to find the result I want.
This isn"t Chrome"s first sidebar feature. Back in March, Google rolled out a similar functionality that lets users quickly access their Reading List and bookmarks.
Aside from this, Google Chrome is also getting a new price tracker capability, which has been available for its Android app for several months now. When a user is signed in to the browser and visits a store page, a "Track price" button will show up. If the user clicks the button, they will be notified via email once the product becomes cheaper. The feature currently doesn"t work in our own testing, however, but it may appear in the next update or two.
Source: Google