Filed under: Misc, Apple, Google

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Google Now is getting some I/O love, too. Several updates, called cards, are already available in the Google Play Store. Firstly, you'll be able to set for nagging pop-ups ("buy milk" is the obvious example). Now will also show you cards for upcoming books, albums and TV shows based on what Google thinks you'll like -- which could either be quite helpful or borderline insulting depending on how well it knows you. Finally, real-time public transportation updates will be available in select cities, and Japan will even get a "last train home" alert. Nab these features by visiting the source link below. No word on when the new functionality will hit the iOS Google Search app.

We got a look at the new features in action via an onstage demo. Voice queries like, "Okay, Google, show me things to do in Santa Cruz" will bring up relevant results, and subsequent questions like, "How far is the boardwalk from here?" take into account that you're in Santa Cruz -- and then give you up-to-date traffic info and route recommendations. When it comes to reminders, you can tell Google to nudge you about "calling Katie next Wednesday," for instance, and a card will pop up on your device at the specified time. This all looks pretty sweet, but we'll have to give Now a spin ourselves before reaching a final verdict.

Filed under: Software, Google

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Source: Google Search (Google Play)

A few months back Chromium whiz François Beaufort spotted a piece of code in the open source web browser that hinted at Google Now possibly coming to Chrome. Today, the programmer has uncovered an issue log pointing out notification center enhancements for OS X. An entry, listed as "[Mac][MC] Implement notification updates and relayouts" could possibly indicate Google Now having a future on Apple's desktop platform. With Google's I/O a little over a week away, hopefully we won't have to wait too long to find out. In the meantime, we'll reach out to the company for a comment on Beaufort's findings and see what turns up.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

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Via: The Next Web

Source: François Beaufort (Google+)

In the early days of the internet economy, the saying went that webpages were created on Macs, served on Unix and viewed on Windows. In the iOS app economy, it's often the case that apps run on devices by Apple, but connect to services by Google. With the exception of many games, at this point, apps increasingly strive to be internet services.

Google has been investing in more of these services for a longer time and in a way more directly tied to apps than Apple has. Google Maps has been the best example, but others include Google Drive (with its editing features), Google Voice and Google+. In contrast, Apple's biggest consumer online service success (other than the iTunes store) has been iCloud, which is less app-like and more of a silent shuttle for documents and files among iOS devices.

Filed under: Software, Apple, Google

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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Google Now is, perhaps, one of the more compelling reasons to opt for an Android device over iOS. But, Mountain View is smart enough to realize that its big push to deliver information pre-emptively would be severely hampered if it was isolated to one platform. So, here we are, almost a year after Now debuted with the launch of Jelly Bean, and the (mis)labeled Siri competitor has finally landed on Apple's mobile OS. Obviously, to truly come to grips with a product like this, you'd need days or weeks to truly judge it, but we're familiar enough with the Android version to feel comfortable passing along our initial impressions. So head on after the break to see whether or not Google was able to replicate its virtual assistant magic on iOS.

Gallery: Google Now for iOS hands-on

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple, Google

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When it comes to major news, we didn't expect to hear much from Google in the run-up to I/O, but clearly, the company just couldn't wait that long. Google Now, a service that Android users have enjoyed for a year, just became available on iOS devices in the form of an update to the Google Search app, confirming those leaked videos we saw a few weeks ago. It won't have integration with notifications or alerts at launch -- it may come in a future update, but the company wasn't willing to divulge its future plans -- so you'll need to enter the app and swipe up to refresh your list of cards. The iOS version won't have every type of card that you'll find on Android, either: boarding passes, activity summary, events, concerts, Fandango and Zillow aren't included this go-round. Improvements and additional features will likely trickle in over time, but it's certainly better than nothing for iOS fans who've looked at Jelly Bean users with a slightly jealous eye. We've included Google's blog post in its entirety below, and you can jump to the source to download the app.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple, Google

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Source: The Official Google Blog, iTunes

Word that Google has snapped up natural language processing startup Wavii first came from TechCrunch, and now the Wall Street Journal is chiming in with its own sources claiming the deal has in fact been struck, and that an announcement is imminent. In its current form, Wavii parses a personalized news feed and distills text into a summary for the top stories, similar to Yahoo's recently-purchased Summly. TechCrunch reports that Apple and Google were locked in a bidding war for the outfit, but the web titan ultimately won with a bid in the neighborhood of $30 million. According to the WSJ, the fledgling firm's talent will join Page and Co.'s web search team, which means the language detection technology may bolster its Knowledge Graph, giving users better results (and direct answers) for their queries. As language recognition permeates Page and Co.'s projects, Google Now and Google Glass could potentially benefit from the acquisition as well. Mountain View has yet to acknowledge the reported purchase, but if the tea leaves are being read correctly, expect that to happen soon.

Filed under: Google

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Source: TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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While everyone else speculates about new Nexii and what sweet treat the next version of Android will be named after, we're anticipating some exciting news about Now at Google I/O. Specifically, that it might be coming to both iOS and the desktop. We've already seen quite a bit of evidence that the virtual assistant app will eventually land on Apple's mobile platform and maybe even Chrome. Newly discovered code in a Google page hints that it might just become part of the standard web search interface -- provided you opt to turn it on, of course. Source code for the page in testing encourages you to, "get started with Google Now," because it provides, "just the right information at just the right time." It also offers you the opportunity to change you home and work locations because, as the explanation goes, "Google Now uses your Home location to show relevant information like weather, traffic conditions, and nearby places." As you dig through you'll also find plenty of references to "now_card."

If Now becomes a standard part of the Mountain View lineup, regardless of platform, it could be huge for a company which already dominates the search market. Not to mention, it might satiate those seven people out there still mourning the loss of iGoogle. We won't know anything for sure until the wraps are taken off and have reached out to the company for comment, but we anticipate the response will be predictably non-committal.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google Operating System, Google

Have an Android smartphone running Jelly Bean? You might have come across Google Now, the search giant's information hub that aggregates personalized content from your inbox, calendar and GPS. Now, an updated version of Google's Android app, which hit Play today, adds a few more features to the mix. The latest revision brings real-time package tracking from certain carriers, assuming a tracking number arrived in your inbox, a new info option that provides a basic settings readout, and faster Google search results. You should be able to snag these additions right now -- simply update your Google Search app to take advantage.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google

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Via: Droid Life

Source: Google Play

Japan's NTT DoCoMo isn't content waiting for Google Now to become commonplace before it gives customers a taste of predictive search. The carrier is near launching a trial for Tap-de-Concier, an Android-based service that will pop up maps, media, games and more depending on both the user's own habits, as well as usage and trends from DoCoMo's other portals. The result is a service that theoretically knows what you want, when you want it: Tap-de-Concier can tell that you're looking for train schedules before work on a Monday morning, and restaurants on Friday night. We imagine that some will like the alternative just because it won't be confined to Jelly Bean -- any DoCoMo-offered phone or tablet with at least Android 2.3 can run the service, including Raku-Raku phones. Locals will have between March 26th and September 30th to decide whether or not Tap-de-Concier is more helpful than its Google parallel.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Via: The Next Web

Source: NTT DoCoMo

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Sometimes, it's what you don't say that matters. When asked at Google's Big Tent Summit about when Google Now might show on the iPhone, the company's Eric Schmidt told a questioner that he'll "need to discuss that with Apple," and that there was no certainty Apple would approve what Google sent. Conspicuously non-committal? You bet -- but the statement also suggests that a Google Now release is just a question of whether or not Apple gives the thumbs up, not whether the iOS port exists at all. We'd add that the remarks sound eerily familiar. Schmidt was saying similar things about Apple's responsibility when he downplayed the odds of a stand-alone Google Maps release for iOS, and we all know how that turned out. Skip forward to about 17:50 in the video at the source link for Schmidt's own words.

Update: And the plot thickens. CNET is reporting that Apple hasn't received a Google Now iOS app submission as of yet. C'mon guys -- the queue can't be that long.

Update 2: Google is also chiming in with confirmation that it hasn't submitted Google Now to the App Store. Whether or not the app is real, it's not in a state that would reach customers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Apple, Google

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: NDTV, CNET

iOS fans jealous of Jelly Bean's creepy Google Now might finally have something to get excited about. An October update to the Google Search app finally delivered an updated voice recognition experience to Apple's platform, but sadly alerts and contextual cards of data were nowhere to be seen. Of course, Mountain View has never been one to keep its wares to a single platform, and many expect that it's only a matter of time before Now makes its proper debut on iOS. Those that like to dip their toes in both ponds might be interested in a video brought to our attention by a tipster earlier today.

The clip, embedded after the break, is allegedly a low resolution version of a promotional video for Google Now on iPhone and iPad. The video has since been pulled from YouTube and appears to feature the same voice actress as the original Now announcement (which you'll also find after the break for comparison). Supposedly, Now will be accessible in an upcoming iOS app update simply by swiping up from the main screen. Of course, there's always the chance that is an impressive fake or even a canceled project that's only being leaked now. We've reached out to Google for comment, but even if the search giant remains silent, we're confident the truth will be known soon enough.

[Thanks, Jason]

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple, Google

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Google Now seems another step closer to arriving to the Chrome browser on Windows and Chrome platforms, thanks to yet another code spot by Chromium savant François Beaufort. He previously noticed hints that such a feature might arrive, and this time he espied it in a full-fledged Chrome beta release -- sadly, sans the server address necessary to run it. Despite that omission, it looks ready to eerily track your life anew on non-Android devices, so if you're in the mood to look at (but not touch) the new add-in, grab it at the more coverage link after the break.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

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Via: The Verge

Source: Chromium Code Reviews

Google Now holds a place for artwork, but it hasn't had much visual variety outside of major cities -- there's only so many times you can see a generic mountain landscape before boredom sets in. To our (admittedly mild) relief, Google has quietly spiced up the area for certain users. At least some of us running Jelly Bean now see an optimized version of the latest Google Doodle while we're busy dictating a search. Not everyone who's technically capable is seeing the Doodle at this stage, so don't be disheartened if there's still a generic backdrop. If the daily image becomes more ubiquitous, though, we'll have an extra reason to come back to Google Now for more than just weather or sports scores.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Source: Android Central

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Google already tipped its hand on this one, but those looking for some widgets with their Google Now can get their fix today with the latest update to the Google Search app for Android. In addition to letting you add a Now widget to either your home screen or lock screen, the update also adds ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and movie passes from Fandango (including a reminder for when you need to leave for the movie), as well as real estate listings from Zillow.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Google Play, Official Android Blog

Mountain View has silently been updating Google Now for a while -- throwing in a pedometer, some travel tools and even limited desktop support. A premature update to the feature's support page has revealed what's next: widgets. The proposed tool promises to give your Now cards a suitable abode on your device's home or lock screens, presenting a summary of your card selection at a glance. A single tap will dive directly into the full Google Now experience, offering you a better look at the corresponding deets. We aren't sure when or even how this feature will land, but it's sure to be a welcome addition when it does. After all, it's all about getting the right information at the right time.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Via: Android Central

Source: Google

This year's Grammy Awards weren't as packed with gadget advertising -- gadvertising* -- as the Super Bowl, but Microsoft and Google still coughed up to hawk their wares. The former wanted to demonstrate the productivity chops of the Surface Pro with a commercial that implies the device will cause your employees to breakdance involuntarily. Google, on the other hand, wanted to show off the powers of the Nexus 4 and Google Now to help you distinguish between fish and vegetables, in case the smell isn't enough. Curious to know more? We've stashed the clips after the break.

* A term we just invented. Hollywood, call us.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Microsoft, Google

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Google's web browser might be creeping even closer to its mobile OS, with François Beaufort noting that the latest build of open-source Chromium for Windows has folded in some new "rich notifications". These are easily enabled by dabbling with the chrome://flags component, and you'll even get a look at the decidedly Chrome-ish pop-up box, seen above. The code elaborates on how devs can work their own notifications into the service, with the Clear All button presumably signposting that several notes can be stacked. We're still dealing with the test iteration at the moment, but after those Google Now cards made their appearance, it makes sense to see more functions permeate Chrome -- especially if you own one of their Books.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

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Via: TNW

Source: Francois Beaufort (Google+)

Filed under: Misc, Apple, HTC, Google

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We took a look at Mozilla's mobile OS at the final pre-proper CES event yesterday, and little did we know the official release of its Firefox 18 browser was dropping today. The update adds the new Javascript compiler IonMonkey, which is said to make wep apps "perform up to 25 percent faster." Mac users who will settle for nothing less than high-res browsing will be happy to know Retina display support has been implemented, as long as you're on OS X 10.7 or above. Preliminary support for WebRTC has also been added. The upgrade is available now, but if you're reading this on FF, you've probably got it already.

The Android version of the Firefox browser has received a little TLC alongside its computer-based counterpart. The IonMonkey compiler is also new to this version, the Google Now search widget has been integrated, and Mozilla suggests mobile browsing has never been safer. Head to the source link for the release notes for both versions.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile

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Source: Mozilla (1), (2)

It's not quite Google Now in your browser, but the latest search experiment from the internet giant certainly blurs the line between its mobile personal assistant and its desktop search product. The company has been testing showing Gmail-based results in your search sidebar for months, but now it's actually parsing those snippets for relevant information. If you opt in to the trial, simply searching for "my orders" will spit out a history of your recent purchases along with tracking info. You'll get similar cards (yep, cards, just like in Now) if you search for "my events," "my flights," "my hotel reservations," or "my restaurant reservations." Slowly but surely Google is becoming not just a way to search the web, but an indispensable way to track all of the disparate chunks of information that make up your daily life. To sign up for the field trial hit up the source link.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google (Google+), Google Search Experiments