I am all about software that makes things easier. If you can find a way to increase my productivity without sacrificing any of the options I’ve grown accustomed to, then your app will always have a place on my phone. When I first stumbled upon Snappy Seeker by iambic software, my first reaction was “Now this is a brilliant idea!“ Read on to find out if I was right.
I am a huge fan of Google’s search engine as are billions of other people, but to be honest the experience leaves a bit to be desired on mobile devices. Whether it’s because of a lack of resources on the device itself or the connection speed of your network, it never feels like the desktop version. Snappy Seeker attempts to simplify your search process by giving you various filters that weed out the junk before your search even begins. Here’s the old way I searched – Open my browser or use the Google search widget. I type in my search query. Wait for the page to load. If I want an image I’d have to remember to type in “image” or “picture” as part of my query, but if I forgot I would then have to hit the “images” tab on Google to pull up the image browser. This is lame.
Here’s how Snappy Seeker reduces the process. I type in what I’m searching for. Hit the appropriate category, and I wait for the results. That’s it. For example, if I want a picture of Beyonce, I type in her name and hit the “images” button. If I want the latest news on Michael Jackson I hit the “news button”. If I want the current stock quote of a company all I have to do is hit the “stocks” button, and I’m taken to finance.google.com. Brilliant!
As of right now the categories you have to choose from are Mobile, Images, Stocks, Shop, News, Groups, Maps, Gmail, Wiki, Software, Books, and eBay. The eBay option is okay, but it only gives you access to the mobile site.  I do like that they included an option to search the web if none of the categories fit what you were looking for.
One option I would love to see in future versions is the ability to create custom tabs, or at least the option to change where the existing links search for their information. What if I hate Amazon.com? I don’t, but what if I did? At any rate, I’m sure you will find this application useful. It takes up little to no system resources, and I haven’t had one “force close” or “wait” yet.
The only quirks I found were that the G1’s back button doesn’t allow you to exit the app. Instead you have to press the Home key to escape. There’s also an “SMS” tab that doesn’t seem to do anything at the moment, but if I were to take a guess it’s probably an option to search your text messages for information. These minor quibbles aside, Snappy Seeker has found a permanent spot on my desktop, and if you give it a try I’m sure you will find it quite useful as well.
You can pick up a copy of Snappy Seeker for $4.95 from the AndroidGuys store. If you order in July, we’ll take 15% off! Use code SS15 and save!
