Google Inc. has launched a new application for Android-powered devices in the United States called "Listen" and optimized its image search for mobile.

Listen aggregates audio information such as podcasts and Web audio that is relevant to the user's search. The user can then stream the audio over-the-air or download it for later listening. Listen users can also subscribe to content from their favorite feeds and searches.

"Listen lets you stay informed even while engaged in other activities," said Bill Schilit and Sam Roweis, research scientists at Google Labs, in their blog post. "Our colleagues use Listen as a personal audio-magazine while exercising, commuting, gardening, cleaning, dressing, cooking and more."

Google's promotion of the application in its blog involved a Jimi Hendrix quote: "knowledge speaks but wisdom listens."

Google claims that the genius of the Listen application lies in the fact that it makes multitasking easier, a benefit many consumers are looking for in today's hectic world.

Consumers interested in the application should go to the Android Market on their Android-powered devices and search "Listen."

Upon installation, users can instantly search for anything they are interested in listening to.

For users who want to play around with the application, but don't have something specific in mind to search, the Listen application has a "Popular Searches" feature on its home screen.

This feature lets users browse through some of the fastest-rising audio searches being made in real-time.

By tapping one of the links provided, users are sent directly to content that they can play, download for later use or subscribe to.

Google also has a variety of new feature offerings on the market, namely enhancements to its Gmail application.

In April, Google first launched its Gmail for mobile application for both the iPhone and Adroid-powered devices, and soon after redesigned the Web application's underlying code, allowing Google to quickly develop and release user-requested features.

"With the Web-browser-based Gmail for mobile we launched in April for iPhone and Android-powered devices, you can compose mail even when you're offline," said Heaven Kim, product marketing manager at Google Mobile, in Google's mobile blog post.

"That means you can write an email when there's no wireless connection, like in a subway or an airplane," he said.

Google adds sight to new sensory search offerings
To add to Google Labs' launch of the Listen audio-search application, the Google Mobile Team is also launching an optimized Image Search offering for iPhone, Android and most feature phones available in 38 languages.

The Google Image Search results are tightly packed, taking advantage of every square pixel available within the screen space of the handsets.

By clicking on the image, the user is led to a details page, which shows a larger thumbnail and lets the user visit the hosting Web page or view the image in full size.

Just like on Google for PCs, the optimized Image Search results have the "previous" and "next" links, designed to make browsing and searching for images via mobile phones an easier process.

"Earlier this year, we launched new Image Search results for iPhone and Android-powered devices," said Varun Sharma and Jignashu Parikh, software engineers at Google Mobile Team in their blog post.

"Since then, we've rolled out the new format to iPhone and Android in 28 countries," they said. "Now, the new Image Search results pages are also available for most other phones in 38 languages."