Stefan over at IntoMobile seems to REALLY dislike the new Google search app for a variety of reasons. They seem to stem from Google’s perhaps misleading video depicting a standard Google search in the S60 browser and a new search using Google’s app. The new app by the way, can be downloaded by hitting mobile.google.com from your S60 browser. It adds a “widget” to your Active Standby screen and gives you instant access to a Google search box.

Personally, I like the app a lot. I’m a marcom guy so I could care less about alleged marketing video tomfoolery and whatnot. The bottom line is this app adds a nifty shortcut that makes it easy to perform a Google search quickly and efficiently. I made sure to add the word “efficiently” because Stefan’s post does offer an alternative procedure that is reportedly quicker, but it involves changing your homepage to Google and defining a default AP. That might work well for some people but personally, I don’t want Google as my homepage and I don’t want a default AP in my browser. It’s really just a matter of preference and habit. If you do go for this method though, might I suggest a slightly alternative method:

• With your Google bookmark highlighted in S60 Browser bookmarks, go to Options -> Bookmark Manager -> Edit.
• Set the Default AP for your Google bookmark here, that way the rest of your bookmarks are unaffected.

• Now simply use SkyeQuiKey to launch the bookmark whenever you want. (Clear your SkyeQuiKey history before launching the Google bookmark. With future launches, all you’ll need to do is press “4″ then “Ok”.)

Yes, this assumes you have SkyeQuiKey – but why wouldn’t you? If for some reason you don’t (I can’t imagine) there are plenty of other apps that give quick access to bookmarks.

Anyway, I still like the new Google Search app and recommend it above either alternative. It’s simple, out of the way and efficient. There is a problem however: What about devices without a pencil key? You still want the same fast access to the search, and you definitely don’t want that ugly Google icon on your Active Standby screen, so what do you do? Unfortunately the solution is not as simple as I’d like it to be, but this method will actually solve a bunch of problems you might be facing with other apps as well. It will give you a pencil key!

Wha wha what? Developer Yurij Bakunin (aka JBAK) has created two apps that can be used in tandem to give you pencil key functionality. Check it…

• Download this archive. It contains two apps (KeyCode by JBAK and ThePencil by JBAK) and one file (ThePencil.ini).
• KeyCode is self-signed but ThePencil is unsigned. Sign it.
• Install and launch KeyCode. When running, this app will give you code data as you press each key. Press the key that you would like to replace as the pencil key and note the ScanCode.

• Now open ThePencil.ini in Notepad on your PC. Simply change xxx to the scan code that you determined with KeyCode, then save and close.
• Install your signed copy of ThePencil.
• Place your edited copy of ThePencil.ini in the following directory on your handset: C:\System\Data (overwrite the existing file). Note that you’ll need to copy it to an accessible directory on your handset’s C: or E: drive, then copy it over with a file manager.
• Reboot

Now the key you chose will always be replaced by a pencil key in terms of functionality. You can also powerboot ThePencil if it doesn’t already autostart. Note that if you want the old functionality of the key back, kill ThePencil with any decent task manager (I use the process section of ActiveFile). To stop it permanently, uninstall ThePencil. I’m thinking that this post will become a lot more relevant to people in a few months once the E71 comes around… Maybe I should have waited.

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