Google Inc unveiled new features and technology to speed up Web searches and to make it easier for people to use its flagship search engine as they increasingly access the Internet from handheld mobile devices.

At a briefing in San Francisco on Tuesday, Google demonstrated a new feature called Instant Pages which allows certain Web pages to pop-up in a user's Web browser nearly instantaneously, as well as a variety of improvements to the company's search engine that take advantage of voice recognition and image recognition.

The company also introduced a revamped version of its Web site for mobile devices, which the company hopes will make it easier for people to find local restaurants and attractions.

Google, the world's No.1 Internet search engine, said that traffic coming from mobile devices such as smartphones have increased by a factor of five during the past two years.

Maintaining its role as the main gateway to information on the Internet is key for Google, which generated roughly $29 billion in revenue last year -- primarily from search ads.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

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