To shave time off Internet searches, Yahoo is debuting Yahoo Search Assist.

"The new rich Yahoo Search Assist beta displays answers or directs links to them instantly as you type, and really pays attention to you as a user." Ethan Batraski, group product manager for Yahoo search, said in a blog post. "It will give you an instant answer for many of your searches, or a helpful set of the top-clicked results for your topic, all within the Search Assist window."

When a user types in a search term, Yahoo Search Assist will list all the predictions of what it thinks the user is looking for. Yahoo said that these results are limited to information about sports players and teams, news, TV shows, and trending topics for now. Currently, it's only available to select users. For those who get to test the tool, there is an option to turn it off in the top right-hand corner of the search window.

Yahoo Search Assistant is similar to Google Instant, a predictive results tool that was launched earlier this fall. Google Instant went mobile at the beginning of the month, and it's now supported on iPhones and Android-based devices.

Google Instant spurred a number of spin-offs created by third-parties, such as YouTube's instant search component.

Now Yahoo has released its own version.

"This new search innovation will change the way you consume information, making it an easy, enjoyable, and fast experience," Batraski said.

Yahoo last revamped its search engine in October to focus on results that are more relevant and entertainment-centered.