Apple adds Web, Wikipedia to Spotlight search in iPhone OS 4

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
iPhone users will no longer have to load Safari to initiate a search for content on the Web or within Wikipedia, when links to both are added to Spotlight search in iPhone OS 4.0 this summer.



First discovered by Engadget, the feature offers the options "Search Web" and "Search Wikipedia" when typing a query into the iPhone Spotlight search. The report noted that similar capabilities are available in Palm's WebOS, Google's Android, and Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Phone 7 mobile operating systems.



The new capability is one of more than 100 new features added in iPhone OS 4.0, due to arrive this summer. Apple on Thursday highlighted seven major "tentpole" features included in the new operating system: multitasking, folders, improved mail, iBooks for iPhone and iPod touch, new enterprise features, Game Center, and iAd.



Spotlight search first came to the iPhone in version 3.0 of the device's mobile operating system. The feature can be used to quickly find and launch an application or search content, including music files and e-mails. The search function is immediately accessible by flicking the home screen to the left.







It also serves as a quick way to pull up contacts, by searching for a person's name, or even by the company they work for.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    hexorhexor Posts: 57member
    This feature is already available in iBooks on the iPad. When you search for a word in a book you are reading at the bottom are two buttons to Search WikiPedia and Search Google
  • Reply 2 of 16
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,976member
    Kind of funny how the critics point to this as a must have feature, yet, no one seems to care, based on the comment rate.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    oflifeoflife Posts: 120member
    The biggest flaw in iPhone Spotlight is the inability to search notes attached to a contact. This renders is almost useless as that is where many write keywords associated with the contact. It sounds crazy, but it's enough to make me give up the iPhone and move back to Nokia, who have implemented a way better search feature on most of their smart phones for quite a while now. And yes, it searched the web too. Checkboxes in the left column allow you to filter what to search. IE, Contacts, Web, Notes, App files etc etc. Nokia have done a lot right when it comes to smart phones, including multi-tasking. Apple are in the spotlight (no pun intended), because they have make everything so slick. To merge the pros of each company/platform would be fantastic.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    It could potentially hurt all those well made Wikipedia apps for the iPhone. It'd be cool if there was a way in spotlight to search your Wikipedia app instead. Doubtful though.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    asianbobasianbob Posts: 797member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    Kind of funny how the critics point to this as a must have feature, yet, no one seems to care, based on the comment rate.



    Maybe because now that Apple has caught up, there's nothing more to care about?



    About freaking time!



    Is that better?
  • Reply 6 of 16
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,976member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AsianBob View Post


    Maybe because now that Apple has caught up, there's nothing more to care about?



    About freaking time!



    Is that better?



    Well, I meant no one seems to care but the critics.
  • Reply 7 of 16
    asianbobasianbob Posts: 797member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


    Well, I meant no one seems to care but the critics.



    Ahhh. That makes more sense now. Better to have it than not, I guess.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    I?ve never thought about it before but... now I want it on my Mac too!
  • Reply 9 of 16
    b747b747 Posts: 27member
    It's about time, it was a missed opportunity not including it when they released it originally.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    arthur_klokarthur_klok Posts: 60member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    iPhone users will no longer have to load Safari to initiate a search for content on the Web



    Nobody much uses the web for search anymore. Not on mobile devices.



    They use Apps.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member
    well, i have the Wikipedia App for the iPhone but maybe this one will work better? I hope it has a mobile layout as well?
  • Reply 12 of 16
    moo083moo083 Posts: 11member
    I still keep wishing Apple would add an API to Spotlight on the iPhone so that the search would search stuff within your app. People could make a calculator, for example, or a Gmail search function (since search through the Mail app isn't a complete search) or any other idea you could think of.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    jordanielsjordaniels Posts: 8member
    Anybody notice how it only says "Search Web" and not "Search Using Google"?
  • Reply 14 of 16
    g3prog3pro Posts: 669member
    This is one of the features from the Droid commercial.



    It is smart for Apple to add the feature to give the competition less ammo to use against the iPhone.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    macologistmacologist Posts: 264member
    I'd like to be able to Search iPod Application - Track Comments, Lyrics. I can do it on Mac, except for Lyrics Field. What a waste, cause in Lyrics Field I can keep my Notes regarding a Tracks and while holding the Command, the links in Lyrics Field launch or switch to a browser, and open that link! Alas, none of that is available on iPhone!



    Notes on iPhone are searchable, but they can't be attached to other items, like Contacts, or other Notes, which is how Palm Desktop and Entourage work... I heard that some of the PIMs, like Soho Notes, iData, allow that kind of cross-attachment, which gets synced to iPhone, but without iPhone, I can't try that!



    Yesterday, I posted this on another thread. Sorry, it's Off Topic... If you have the answers you can reply on that Thread http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...hreadid=108542 Comment #7, instead of here... Here is what I wrote:



    ---------------------

    Notes Syncing - Finally The Easy Way to Move Memos from Palm to iPhone?

    I'd love to know how that will work. These 2 pages describe my issue exactly:



    Move Memos from a Palm device into the iPhone's Notes app



    http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...00317095036825



    http://bit.ly/dmst0B



    Hopefully, it'll work even better than my Treo 700p and Mac "duet"... Of course for ? PRIVACY ? consideration, I'd prefer not to have a copy of my Notes (a.k.a Memos that I'll be bringing from Treo) stored on Mobile.me. I'd just like to have MM serve as a "Conduit", not "IMAP" for Notes..., simply syncing them between iPhone and my Mac.



    ---------------------



    I hope someone reading this can give me some education! Thanks in advance!
  • Reply 16 of 16
    timgriff84timgriff84 Posts: 912member
    What does it display in? If it then just loads Safari there's not much point you might as well stick with one of the Wikipedia apps.



    Also does anyone actually use Spotlight on there phone? Most of the time I just forget its there.
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