Google boasts bigger index

Search engine giant, Google, announced on Tuesday that it now boasts an index of more than 6 billion items. This "bigger and better" boast is likely to spark another sparring match in the search engine wars. Those vying for the title include Google, Yahoo and MSN.

According to Google, it has the most comprehensive searchable index available in the world. Its 6 billion item index consists of 4.28 billion Web pages, 880 million images, 845 million Usenet messages, and a "growing collection" of book-related information pages that are available through GooglePrint. Non-HTML pages such as PDF, Microsoft Office, and Corel documents are counted as pages within its Web search index.

"People worldwide can find more information with Google than with any other search engine," says Larry Page, co-founder and president of products at Google.

Google's index of items can be searched through Google Web search, Google image search, Google groups and Google print. Google Print is a service being tested that provides searchers with book-related information, including first chapters, reviews, and bibliographic information.

"Google image search has been significantly updated," says Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder and president of technology. "We've doubled the index to more than 880 million images, enhanced search quality, and improved the user interface."