Typing “App” yields a surprise.

When letters do not find an instant match, the main screen appears.

The Apple search is a hit, in this case, but you can always try the “Search the Web” button and get ordinary search results.

Yahoo’s beta version of Instant Search appears to recognize Steve Jobs but not Bill Gates.

Entering the name of a public figure will uncover the latest related news stories. The first Instant Searches found General Electric (Ge) and Geo Storm (Geo).

The Instant Search on a sports team will give you the latest scores, news and ticket information. First results from “Boston Red Sox” were NIC Bolivia (Bo), Logan Airport Weather (Bos), and Boston.com (Boston).