Google celebrates 15th birthday with interactive doodle, overhauls search engine

Google turns 15 today and is celebrating its birthday with a doodle - an interactive Mexican pinata that releases virtual sweets when whacked.

Google has also created  "Google in 1998,"  where surfers can get to see the 'classic' look for the search results page - the way the page looked when it was launched.

The company took journalists on a tour of where it all started -- Susan Wojcicki's garage in Menlo Park, California, where Larry Page and Sergey Brin began working on Google in 1998. Ms Wojcicki is currently a Google vice president.

A Google+ page meanwhile included a photo album of the original home search page, and collected dozens of birthday wishes.

But Google, which has grown into one of the world's biggest companies, was not content to just look at the past. It announced an upgrade to its main search engine, with new ways to integrate its use across different devices.

The overhauled search algorithm, the foundation of the Internet's dominant search engine, the  company says will cope better with the longer, more complex queries it has been getting from Web users.

Amit Singhal, senior vice president of search, told reporters on Thursday that the company introduced its latest "Hummingbird" algorithm about a month ago and that it currently affects 90 percent of worldwide searches via Google.

Mr Singhal said the change includes "a simpler, more unified design on mobile devices."

"You'll also notice a new look and feel for Google Search and ads on your phones and tablets. It's cleaner and simpler, optimized for touch, with results clustered on cards so you can focus on the answers you're looking for," he added.