Google Now is slowly getting cleverer and cleverer as the days go by as Google learns more about our life. It wasn’t that long ago when the only uses were a few voice commands and even then you were really lucky if you got what you wanted.
Since then Google Now has moved on leaps and bounds and I find my self using it day in day out now. Now for those of you who have dabbled and not got any further you won’t be getting the benefit yet. You need to give it something to work with, search a few times, put in your home and work address so it can help you.. Once you’ve done this it really does get quite clever.
Here’s what I use it for day to day and what I could get more from Google now when out and about.
First things first, I wake up.. Weather… before I jump onto my bike in the morning. Do I need my waterproofs or not, it’s the first item usually on Google Now, plus it shows the home and work weather so no finding it’s raining once I get closer to work.
Next I need to know the traffic for work. Do I take my normal route or do I try a different way. Google Now keeps me updated on what the traffic is like. I’m hoping soon Google might add a feature to choose a select route to work or even learn my route. Currently it shows me a direct route but sadly my learner bike isn’t allowed on motorways so is a little useless. Fingers crossed for an add on.
Now at this point of the day I’m very lucky as I park my bike in front of my place of work. But if I was using various car parks or if I was out shopping the next feature is really useful. As long as you have Google location services activated Google Now has the ability to track the point when it thinks you stopped travelling (wherever you park). It saves that place as a note in Google Now of where you parked your car (or bike in my case). This I think is an amazing little feature. It takes away the need for an extra app and even with an extra app if you forget to activate it when your parking it won’t help. Google Now does it all for you. I’ll always be able to find my bike in what ever backstreet I park it.
Well in my usual life I’m now at work.. So what have i got on… Google Now is perfect at letting me know what I have coming up in my calendar. Although on this occasion I had beat it to work. I was an hour early. But still if I have any appointments that day in my calendar then google now is clever enough to alert me to them, advise on commuting time if a location is provided from my current location and reminders. The items are also removed once the event has started.
Now how many of us like to grab a quick drink before we go into work. It usually helps us build up the courage to walk through that door knowing we won’t be out for a good 8 or 9 hours. So Google Now.. Where can I go to get a drink? It’s already suggesting to me some local places near to my location. I’ll check out the distance, directions and reviews before attending. On this occasion (Well every day for me) Costa Coffee is just accross the road and has 4 out of 5 stars, I’d be a fool not to go here… Right… But by some magic Google Now tells me that Starbucks is the Top Coffee Shop in Solihull. I’m trusting you google.
Sitting here with my Hot Chocolate (Yes I know it’s unusual for the morning, I like the sugar) I can see what news Google Now has recommended for me to read. It has slowly been learning what I like to read and what I search for on the net and can return some very useful and hopefully interesting articles. This it does and even helps to keep me updated on topics I look at for CoolSmartPhone now.
You have got to admit this is all rather exciting stuff. Google Now pretty much knows what I want to see depending on when and where I am. It’s pretty amazing I think and you can see where this will be going in the coming months.. Gone are the days of us using our phones to search for things, hopefully they will know what we want and when. There are a few other things I’ve noticed over the last few weeks crop up too. Bus Timings depending on where you are, train times, from home I can now see what time the next bus will arrive at the stop outside my house. Take a look at Ian’s Post about Google Now even telling you when to get off your public transport!
If I go to a local shopping centre I can see a list of stores located inside it, and if I’m near to a local cinema such as the one in Touchwood, Solihull I can see the latest film times. If only Google Now could help me get a few hours off work…..
And Finally here’s the latest addition to it all, Google now looks like its going to want to keep me updated with the World Cup Scores… Who needs another app…
So all in all if you’re one of the guys out there who hasn’t tried google now yet, then you must. I find it to really be the most useful app on my phone and the more I use it the more I love it. Yeah some people will say its a little scary how it knows so much about me etc, but in the end it’s just using whatever I put in and giving me the information I want, when I want it.
If you want to know any more, need advice or help then drop a comment below or E-Mail and ill try and help you get the most out of Google Now. Once you get into it you’ll never want to let it go..
If you want to check out even more that Google Now has to offer check out there site here