Did Google change its look?

My Google page looks different. Bolder letters, bigger search box. Menu options on the left side.

Did Google change recently?

What do you count as recently? I think they made their changes several months ago.

But yeah, they made things a bit bigger and a few other changes. Here is a side-by-side example: new-old-search-next.png (image)

I don’t have menu options on the left, but I do have menu options on top, now (web, images, video, etc.) I could also swear that at some point in the last two weeks (during the Olympics, IIRC) when I went to Google, there was some kind of news ticker with images that appeared either right below or above the search bar.

The menu options on the left appear with the search results.

Before the search, the Google logo appears to the left of the search box.

I think it might be iGoogle?

The menu to left of the results should be displayable or hidable via a “show options” / “hide options” link in the bar above the results, and it retains the state, at least for your current session (I don’t let google save cookies). Perhaps you inadvertently clicked “show options”?

I’ve noticed recently that when I first open Google, it has none of the other options, but then as soon as I move the cursor over the page, the other options* appear with a “fade-in” effect. Is that a universal change or have I got some setting ticked?

  • i.e. Web, Images, Videos, Maps etc in the top left, iGoogle, Search settings, Sign in in the top right, etc etc

I noticed that I would very occasionally, perhaps once every couple weeks, get the menu options on the left thing. I’m not quite sure what’s going on. My cookies are always cleared after each session.

Yeah, the news feed thing I saw might have been iGoogle. That does look familiar.

I see the left-hand menu you’re talking about now. I only get that if I click “show options.”

I don’t see anything that lets me toggle the options.

Are you getting a left handed column that says something like “all results, videos, news, blogs, updates, books, etc…”? If so, above that there should be something that says “Web” and “-Hide options.” Or are we looking at two different things?

Basically yes, but I don’t have the “Web” and “Hide options” part

Google has been testing a redesign with a small number of users that has been spotted by a number of bloggers.

Once such sighting is here: http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/An-Updated-Google-Homepage-Redesign-Spotted-in-the-Wild-Pics-3.png/

Perhaps that’s what you’re seeing?

The search results when I use my Dell show a horizontal blue section between the search box and the search results that says “Web” and “Show Options…”

When I use my Toshiba, it’s not there.