YouTube relaunches Mobile Service and unveils Leanback (See all news)

Google has just pushed live a new mobile version for its YouTube site. New features include a more touch-friendly UI, further incorporation of the main site's elements such as search query suggestions, favorites and ratings, and a speedier existence.

Here’s a short video showing the updated YouTube Mobile Service:

Meanwhile, the company has also launched its new 'Leanback' service for dedicated viewers that want the best way of watching the well known online video service on their TVs, an idea that YouTube engineers have been digesting for some time.

The user interface works via keyboard arrow keys with no option to use the mouse, letting you scroll through your feeds, recommendations, categories, playback options, and search bar.

The objective was to provide the best user interface for watching television or the"10-foot experience", as the company calls it. Leanback uses no mouse control but very basic keystrokes to let you navigate the service on your TV.

Kuan Yong, product manager for YouTube Leanback claims that the new service is a "breakthrough" in this type of user interface. Leanback will also play the best quality, highest definition streams by default.

Google is also fond of moving into the living room, having unveiled its Google TV service earlier this spring. "Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained," adds Kuan Yong.