Live Search Instant Answers in IE8 search box

The search box in IE just keeps getting more useful.  First auto suggest, then embedded images, then auto suggest for Firefox, and now, in IE8 in the US  (using Live Search in the search box), Instant Answers! From a blog post on the Live Search blog:

IE8 users can now get Live Search instant answers, including financial information, weather conditions, movie show times, calculations, equations, conversions, and definitions directly in the IE8 search box.

To see the stock quote answer in action, type MSFT in the search box; you’ll get the current stock information, plus the performance graph supplied by Comstock. If you want details, just click on the image and you’ll go to moneycentral.msn.com for more info.

searchbox

Instant stock prices, weather, quick calculations, definitions, and movie time info without giving up precious browser real estate, with instant access to more information by clicking through.  Nice!

Feel free to grouse about the US only availability in the comments, sorry.

Comments

  • http://gregsedwards.spaces.live.com gregsedwards

    True that the IE8 search box is in fact awesome, but can’t we have the option to hide/remove the duplicate search box in the Windows Live Toolbar? If I always use the built-in search box, I don’t need a (frankly) lesser duplicate tool taking up real estate on my WL Toolbar.

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/danz32/default.aspx danz32

    But, it doesn’t “count” as a search for them because its just previewing it….helpfulness +1, market share nothing. Still a great feature

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/tophtucker/default.aspx tophtucker

    Fantastic. I’ve been wanting this for a long time. :D

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/Alber1690/default.aspx Alber1690

    Wow…this is awesome!

    @gregsedwards: I agree. What keeps me from downloading either the MSN Toolbar or Windows Live Toolbar is the doubling of search boxes. If it could only detect Live Search as the default provider in IE8 and remove the one in the toolbar, that would be just what I would need to want to download either toolbar.

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/tekfan/default.aspx tekfan

    I think the search bar in IE8 RC1 is one of the browser’s strongest point, and this new feature is very cool!