Beijing, April. 5 (PTI): Google, the world's top search engine, yesterday launched its Chinese input method editor (IME), offering writers an alternative to writing Chinese characters.

Within hours of its release some Chinese websites began providing free download service of the software.

Input method editors allow writers to write in Chinese characters using the alphabet keyboard. There are numerous, very well established IMEs available to writers.

Google Chinese IME differs from others because of its precision and versatility, according to a press release from Google China.

Google says its vast database of keywords, accumulated from its search services, enables its IME to have greater accuracy in selecting character combinations.

Many other IMEs also allow users to create libraries of frequently used combinations of characters, such as people's names.

IMEs have become so powerful and users so skilled they can input Chinese text as fast as people can write in English.

Google Chinese IME may be linked to its Gmail account, enabling users to customise a Chinese IME and have a personal dictionary that can follow users even when they log on from other computers, the press release added.