Just noticed that when opening google.com, I was automatically redirected to https://encrypted.google.com/. Looks like SSL search will – at some point in the future – become the default.
Here’s the current screenshot:
Google SSL Search
With Google search over SSL, you can have an end-to-end encrypted search solution between your computer and Google. This secured channel helps protect your search terms and your search results pages from being intercepted by a third party. This provides you with a more secure and private search experience.
Certainly a welcome feature to have the added encryption especially on free WiFi hotspots around Hong Kong. I do notice however that the top black bar is empty and lacking the usual Google-branded links such as Gmail, Calendar, Documents, etc. Unsure if this is by design or because it’s a beta launch.
More information over on Google’s SSL Search help page.