Google Now in XXL

By Azadeh Ensha
Productivity

If you use Google for your Web searching and are noticing that the text now appears a tad larger than usual, you’re not seeing things.

The search giant recently supersized its search box to make finding that latest viral video even easier. Both the search box itself and the accompanying text and search suggestions located below the box have received the treatment. Needless to say, for those of us who glare at monitors for the majority of the day (not to mention those of us getting up there in age), the additional pixels are a most-welcome addition.

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k September 10, 2009 · 4:25 pm

If you use Mozilla Foxfire, you can resize the web browser screen magnification by pressing Ctrl+ or Ctrl-.

michael September 10, 2009 · 5:02 pm

wow. i was tapping away on my computer — not on the keys but on the laptop handrests, like drums — when i noticed a sudden change in the google homepage (in firefox). i thought i hit a mysterious combination of ctls, alts, and arrows and set about reversing what i’d done. i checked forums. i reset zoom. i set style to none, then set it back. i checked IE for the same effect (not there, or at least not as obvious, maybe due to smoothing). i shut down. i restarted. i tried private, then non-private (seemed to be related for a minute). i googled away, which was doubly painful because of the new, gigantic, commodore 64 fonts and billboard-sized search suggestions. i started the quest again today (thank god i stopped short of reinstalling XP — obssessive? procrastinator? freak? apparently). Then i googled again today (peeking through one eye at the hideous rendering of the button text) and found what apparently all else knew — that google did this ON PURPOSE. Two words: New Coke. bleh. i want google classic!

ThePro September 10, 2009 · 5:26 pm

I don’t really like it, make it go away :(

Sasha Friedman September 10, 2009 · 8:04 pm

Not a good change… user accessibility features come on computers for those who need them. Those of us that don’t need them, or work on smaller-than-ideal screens, don’t need larger text. Like “k” said, ctrl+ and ctrl- work just fine.

Sarah September 10, 2009 · 8:54 pm

I hate it – I am pretty much obsessive about display sizes. I’m seriously considering switching to another search provider at work (where I don’t have Firefox and thus don’t have CustomizeGoogle.)

SteveO September 10, 2009 · 9:48 pm

Live a little more ThePro, you’ll like it after age 50.

Ujjwol September 10, 2009 · 10:33 pm

I also don’t like that…

Jeffrey B. September 11, 2009 · 4:09 am

Loyal Google® user here … 24/7/365 [One day of Rest every Leap-Year] … and I really didn’t notice; I’m not particularly observant. Google Inquiries so far today [04:06] = 02. I believe I’m going to have a busy day with the “Blue, Red, Green, Yellow” guys. Messrs. Brin and Page … Thank You!

Denise C September 11, 2009 · 11:26 am

I’m over 50 and i DONT like it !
Please change it back and stop nanny-ing us. We can decide for ourselves what we need.

Luke Jones September 11, 2009 · 12:08 pm

I thought I’d accidentally held down ctrl whilst scrolling so hit ctrl-0 to try and resize it to normal, it didn’t do anything so I assumed as much.

Pretty cool.

Fernando September 11, 2009 · 12:19 pm

Good change … easyer accessibility for everyone. Maybe will be better if google includes option for change size in your welcome website….
Thank you !

sonassi September 11, 2009 · 12:44 pm

This little bit of CSS will revert the search box back to its original size:

//www.sonassi.com/blog/2009/09/11/return-google-search-to-smaller-sized-boxes/

Mary in Fort Myers September 11, 2009 · 1:06 pm

GET RID OF IT!!

Sam F. September 11, 2009 · 1:15 pm

I wouldn’t have minded all that much had they used an eye-friendly font. But that boldfaced whatever it is is just ugly. (And w/ CTRL+ or CTRL-, the whole page is resized, not just the search box.)

Make it an option, Google, like Safe Search or themes.

mattc September 11, 2009 · 3:25 pm

Do people really go to Google’s home page to use Google?? Every browser has a tool bar built in. I can’t believe people are complaining about this. Get a life.

Michael September 11, 2009 · 3:52 pm

For those with 20/20, please have some empathy for our old eyes. I wonder if the NYT has a similar intent. BTW, you can keep the fonts small on the ads.

Scott Harvey September 11, 2009 · 5:49 pm

yes – it took me three back pages and forths to understand it wasn’t a glitch. another few times to welcome the change.

Anjali M. September 11, 2009 · 6:35 pm

If you use Firefox or Safari, you should have the google searchbar implanted into the toolbar (top right). You can type in google searches there & not have to look at the huge type…when it returns results, they should all look regular size except for the search terms you entered, which you probably won’t look at, once you have the results.

Jenn September 11, 2009 · 8:56 pm

I’m with Matt c, I NEVER go to the google homepage, I use the box in my tool bar. So I never noticed. I went and looked, it’s not that different as far as I can tell.

Patrick September 12, 2009 · 2:03 am

It’s been bugging me all day… and, yes, some people do use //www.google.com. Personally, I just don’t care for toolbars. My browser doesn’t need more clutter.

This isn’t half as obnoxious as the automatic spelling “correction”, though. I think Google is starting to pass its “sell-by” date.

Roy September 12, 2009 · 9:41 am

It would be nice if it were a feature that one can turn on or off; or select different sizes. More overall customization potential would be appreciated, even if a minority would use it, like the wonderful customization of Google News. (Changing the whole page size of course is already available in most browsers, e.g. to 150 or 200%)

Jeff September 12, 2009 · 1:21 pm

Dumbing down the interface to suit a minority doesn’t make sense, especially considering browsers provide controls for enlarging text size.

One more vote to return to the old text size. While we’re at it, return to the more pleasing favicon.

Joanna (London, UK) September 12, 2009 · 6:23 pm

Definitely a welcome change as far as I’m concerned. Thanks for the explanation Azedah, and to Google, of course.

william sandler September 13, 2009 · 12:04 am

Please oh please Google: Don’t to the way of AOL.! Wm

Sam Redman September 13, 2009 · 12:44 am

I am always surprised (and somewhat annoyed) whenever any mention is made in the NYTImes technology columns about sizing font that someone (like poster number 1) chimes in saying that you can re-size in Mozilla Firefox. Well, you can do that in Internet Explorer as well. In addition, IE has a “+” (plus) symbol in lower right which gives you an instant three step enlargement on any page to 150%. IE has had this feature for the last several versions. The Mozilla crowd just doesn’t realize that IE’s very good now (Mozilla had it’s place to stimulate Microsoft to develop a better browser, but now IE has features that are superior).

I do agree with the sentiment that we can do all the enlargement we need right from our browsers. But, really, it sounds to me that a lot of the folks at Google are probably all crossing forty now and Presbyopia is just setting in… happens to all of us (and it’s a shock when you start to notice it. It makes you start thinking all fonts in your control need to be made bigger.). But, no need to change fonts; that’s why they make reading glasses.