Google recently unveiled tweaks to its core search product. Amongst the tweaks is the ability to search by voice or image. Searching based on image has been around for quite a while now, but Google intends to popularize the alternative search method by supporting it right from within the main Google Images search engine. Users can initiate searches using images hosted on the Web, or they cn upload the images from a PC to start a search. Searches that are initiated by a photo will return both text and image-based results.

The other feature announced recently may have slightly less utility among the majority of its users, voice search for Google’s desktop site. The service works similar to Google Mobile’s voice based search engine but it is integrated with the company’s desktop search engine. We aren’t sure what benefit voice-based desktop searches provide for the typical user but the feature is live and ready in the newest version of Google’s Chrome browser. You can check out videos highlighting Google’s new voice and image-based searches below:

Voice Search

Image Search

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