Google adds more flexibility to the Currency Converter in its search results

Google has updated the Currency Converter that shows up directly above its search results when you put in a query. The conversions, which are provided by Citibank, now include a lot more information: 1000 CAD to USD.

Previously, the above search would simply give me back “1000 Canadian dollars = 1009.5900 US dollars.” Now it returns that text, as well as a chart that compares how the two currencies have been trading.

There’s also an option to change the monetary amounts you inputted into Google to refine your query (of course you can do this in the search box, but now there’s an additional way). If you click the “View more conversions” link, you can also change the currencies via drop-down menus.

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I find the extra link very surprising. It’s not very minimalistic, which Google is known for, and adds a second click for absolutely no reason (why not just default to the second view and remove the link altogether?). Still, it’s much better than the boring currency converter over on Google Finance.

The Google Currency update closely follows a recent one made in late July 2012. The Google Calculator got a big revamp, getting all scientific in the search results, 34 buttons and all. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a look: Calculator.

Remember that you can also do other types of calculations (also updated some two months ago): Unit Conversion. This makes me want to ask: what has Google not updated in its search results in a while that deserves to get a facelift? Let me know in the comments.

The big picture here is that Google is refining every single detail of its core search experience (thankfully, it’s not always about Google+). I have contacted Google about this update for more information. I will update you if and when I hear back.

I’d like to thank my colleague Martin Bryant for spotting this currency change and bringing it to my attention.

Image credit: stock.xchng