Google has added a new feature to their mobile search, namely the instant previews, that were added to their web service not too long ago, as part of their bigger shift to instant search interaction and results. Adding instant features to the mobile search process has been another important push for Google as they are very early in the space and the concept of instant search is a decision-aid that re-formats the search experience at a fundamental level.

Getting more specific, users of Google Chrome can now search directions and routes via the Mini Google Maps without opening new websites. Last week as well, Google released the Chrome 10 beta version with improved JavaScript speed and new password sync options.

The collaboration with Route 66 proved to be successful at the MWC 2011 event, during which they presented two apps, Route 66 Maps + Navigation and the Route 66 Drive & Walk, both with the “Follow Me” augmented reality feature, transposing real time view of the road ahead through the device’s built-in camera. 3D mappage and optional extras like Real Time traffic updates and speed camera alerts enrich the driving experience.

Probably the most popular improvements from Google Maps were announced at the beginning of February. The first is an update on Street Views named the Art Project, a collaboration between Google and 17 of the most famous museums in the world, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA in New York, The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Tate Britain & The National Gallery in London, Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Via Google Maps’ Street View, users can enter the galleries and explore museum information, floor plans, Street View imagery and more than 1000 high-resolution pieces photographed in extraordinary detail using super high resolution or “gigapixel” photo-capturing technology, offering a 1000 times enhanced image than average digital cameras.

As we’ve seen, location is central to search engines and Bing is no exception. Addressing both PC and Android and iOS mobile users, Microsoft has added Bing Deals to its services, offering over 200,000 unique offers in over 14,000 cities and towns across the U.S. covering offers from Groupon, Living Social and Restaurant.com among others. Bing is also set to launch the Price Predictor tool, an Autosuggest Flight Prices feature that displays  cheap airline fares from the ITA database.

Microsoft could not stand aside and let Google’s “instant” efforts outshine Bing.  They’re working on a similar feature that reduces the time of the search process itself. The feature’s launch ‘accidentally’ coincides with the release of Internet Explorer 9, another reply to Google’s versions of Chrome and Apple’s Safari browser. Bing will feature the instant search, along with smoother animations, better interaction with search history, pop-over windows to make in-site navigation easier, and moving photos and slideshows for certain types of search query results.