Google’s latest experimental additions to its search tools include "Similar Images" and a "Google News Timeline," but it seems there are still a few kinks to work out.

Both Similar Images and Google News Timeline were introduced by the search giant yesterday as part of its growing online Labs project, in which users can take a peek at what Google’s thousands of engineers are working on.

Similar Images refines a Google image search to pictures that look similar (natch) to a user's chosen result, while Google News Timeline arranges search topic results chronologically in a scrollable timeline. Of course, these tools are still in the experimental stage, and the results sometimes bring up skewed searches.

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But it seems "experimental" is exactly the point Google’s trying to make. Industry pundits have claimed in the past that Google has wasted too much time and effort on projects that have little impact, and it seems the Google Labs enhancements will make application and feature prototypes available earlier.

"The idea we are trying to build here with Labs and the culture of innovation is to close the gap at the point of which a new idea is hatched and the time it takes to get into the hands of users for feedback," said Google Director of Product Management R. J. Pittman in a statement.

This means engineers can find out at a much earlier stage which ideas do or do not work in a particular feature or product, allowing them to either reshape it or scrap it altogether much more quickly.

In an economic climate where many organizations are cutting back on investments in new technology and infrastructure, Google said in a statement that continued innovation of this kind is key to future success.

By adding these new features, Google is ahead of the game as it tries to solidify its hold on the American search market, analysts say. Google currently claims nearly 64 percent of the American market, compared with Yahoo, which has just over 20 percent, while Microsoft has only 8.3 percent market share.