Google Now and you:
Concept of Google Now is not new. Since inception, Google’s endeavor is to make searches, intelligent, effortless and natural. In a major step in this direction, Google recently added hands-free voice based search in Google Chrome. Most of the time, irrespective of your accent, it works perfectly. Unlike Siri, voice interaction in Google Chrome does limited functions, but whatever it does, it tends to be very accurate.
You must have used Google Now in your Android Smartphone and must have been frequently amazed by the appearance of smart cards, as if, it pre-empts your search and information needs. This is intelligent search. It enables you to be pro-active rather than reactive. Just recently, I visited outstation and went to a place far away from my hotel. While coming back, I lost the way and wanted to take the help of turn by turn instruction from Google Map. To my pleasant surprise, I noticed that this has already magically appeared in Google Now card. It was just the matter of pushing the navigation, but to find my way back!
You can now taste Google Now in your Desktop. I said taste because it is still an experimental feature and it is being tested before it comes permanently on your desktop. Your normal Chrome browser cannot have Google Now at present. You need to download an experimental Chrome version called Chrome Canary from here: (Chrome Canary). It is the test sandbox that Google uses for new builds, features and functions in forthcoming versions of its browser.
After you have downloaded and install this Chrome version, you will be invited to sign into Chrome. This is essential because it is the starting point of Google Now magic.
Once you sign in, you have to visit this link (visit this page) on the new Chrome browser. This page will have many experimental features which you can enable or disable. The link will highlight Google Now feature. Click the radio button for the Now experiment to “Enabled.” Once you have done that, a menu item will pop up at the bottom to relaunch your browser.)
It seemed, Google Now for desktop interacts your Smartphone (Android/ IOS) to get certain information like location. In my case, it was inaccurate and showing my location at Pune, India whereas I am located somewhere else. Worry Not, this
You can now see notifications from your notification bar in Windows or the top tool bar on Mac OS X. A little grayed out bell is for Chrome and Google Now notifications.
Google statement in this regard:
If you use Google Now on your mobile device, you can see certain Now cards on your desktop computer if you’re signed into Chrome, including weather, sports scores, commute traffic, and event reminder cards. Some of these cards may be based on the location of your mobile device.
Google Now is an important step for Google to provide users with relevant and intelligent information which should be much more contextual and personal for the users. The information gathered in this process may help Google as well in designing accurate advertisement content. There are provisions for you to further customize the cards/ notifications by selecting your personal preferences on various facets of life. The scope and applicability of these selections will grow as Google Now grows in the future.
It is worth mentioning that the experimental version of Chrome will stay as another browsing program on your computer. There are scopes of massive experiments in this new version and many times experiment bites. So, even if, you have messed up the total new Google Chrome version, you have the option to use your stable and original Google Chrome version. So, fear not, go ahead and experiment to your heart’s content.
Author: Technology Blog
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