Google launches real-time news, social media offering

Recently, Google launched a new service for users that can follow multiple news and social media feeds in real time. The offering allows users to sift through news sites as well as stay updated on conversations taking place on Facebook or Twitter.

This features looks to keep Google up to speed with rival Bing, which also offers its users an up-to-the-minute news and conversation feed. Microsoft announced a similar initiative this past October, making public its partnerships with Twitter and Facebook for real-time search results.

Many experts see these offerings as beneficial to companies, as they are able to track comments and trends to gauge real-time public opinion and then adjust accordingly. For instance, movie studios can have real-time access to comments about films after movie premieres.

"It's a great way to find out what people are saying about something ... right now", Google product manager Dylan Casey said. "Real-time search is a core feature of Google search".

Regarding the social media side, Dylan further commented "we organise the tweets from oldest to newest and indent so you quickly see how the conversation developed".

In addition to this new feature, Google also released a new voice-over-internet-protocol feature for its Gmail users, allowing those based in the U.S. and Canada to make free domestic calls through the end of the year.