Items tagged with googlenow
Who would have thought that the standard bearer of the Internet of Things (IoT) wave would be a company that makes smart, connected thermostats and alarms? Yet indeed, Nest announced the Nest Developer Program with numerous partners that should lead to a rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) innovations and related products. Call it the Google bump if you will. Nest’s acquisition by the search giant brought with it a nearly unlimited amount of money, and now Nest is no longer just a cool-looking connected thermostat or a fancy smoke alarm; it’s becoming the center of an IoT ecosystem. The “Works With Nest” program allows other companies to integrate their products...
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Get ready to see a lot of people talking to their computers. Google has officially rolled out a new feature in Chrome that lets you conduct a voice search on a desktop or notebook using just your voice. From a Google page, you can simply say, “OK Google” and say whatever you want to hunt for. This was a feature that Google had in beta back in late February, but now it’s here. It’s not clear if some of the other functions that Google teased in a blog post are available yet. These include telling Google to, for example, set a timer for 30 minutes or create a Google Now reminder for yourself. The above is surely coming, and although the environment for using the new voice...
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Google Now really wants to be helpful for you. In addition to the various ways Google Now can predict your needs before you know you have them, the little buddy in your Android smartphone will remind you when your bills are due. The Android Police found code in an APK that points to just such an ability, however basic. By integrating with your Gmail account, Google Now identifies emails about bills and will present you a card with the biller’s name, the amount due, and the date due. Mockup (Credit: Android Police) You can click to see the email in question, and you can click a “Pay Now” button to take care of the bill right then and there, as long as that particular biller offers...
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Google Now keeps getting smarter, and with Google’s latest update, its new trick is the ability to find your parked car. Or, put another way, it “remembers” where you parked, even if your aged, decrepit, or sleepy brain doesn’t. (We’d include “or otherwise impaired” on that list, but you wouldn’t need to find your car if you were inebriated, right? Right.) Google Now uses cards to show you the approximate location of your car so you can find it again, but it also works if you were traveling in any moving vehicle and got out, as the technology works by using your device’s sensors to determine when you leave the moving vehicle. Thus, the parking...
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It’s no secret that Microsoft has a competitor brewing for Apple’s Siri, and to a lesser extent Google Now, but Cortana is inching ever closer to becoming something you can actually use on your Windows Phone. According to “sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans”, The Verge outed some sneak peek pics of what Cortana will look like as well as some of her (“its”?) functionality. First, the digital assistant will appear as a circular animated icon, not as a tech version of a manic pixie dream girl (which is probably for the best), and Cortana will address users by name. Much of the information pertinent to the user experience will be saved in a “notebook”...
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Everybody has expected Google to develop a device of its own to compete in the burgeoning smartwatch market, and the writing was all but on the wall when the company recently acquired smartwatch developer WIMM Labs and at least one of its employees. However, the speed at which Google may come to market with such a device is somewhat startling; according to the Wall Street Journal, a Google smartwatch is imminent. Wimm One smartwatch Sources indicate that the device is in late-stage development and that Google is contacting Asian suppliers about going into mass production within months. Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch The smartwatch will reportedly run Android and will have Google Now integrated...
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After a leaked screenshot of a Nokia Lumia 920 running Windows Phone 8.1 showed, among other things, an app called “zCortana”, many speculated that Microsoft was developing a personal digital assistant in the vein of Siri. Nothing has happened since then to change that perception, and in fact whispers, rumors, and photos indicate that it’s coming along quite nicely and may be more than just Siri wannabe. Tom Warren posted a screenshot showing Cortana’s involvement with weather alerts, calendar synchronization, and an ability to pin others to your Start screen. Mary Jo Foley of ZDNET cited sources that say Cortana, though she will “interact” with users via voice...
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Apple has made its bed, and now it’s lying it in. The bed in this case is the decision to compete in the marketplace through litigation, particularly as it pertains to patent violations. Since heading down that path, Apple has certainly won some major victories, but it has also spent a huge amount of resources in the courts instead of, for example, on R&D. According to FOSS Patents, Apple has amended one of its lawsuits to add the Samsung Galaxy S4; essentially, Apple views the S4 as more of the same in terms of Samsung devices that infringe on five of its patents, including those related to Siri. The key wording is as follows: "[...] Apple determined that the Galaxy S4 product practices...
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It’s undeniable that in the nearly 15 years since Google became a Real Thing and unleashed search engine greatness on the world, search has evolved. Google has done a solid job of “understanding” search queries these days, to the point where we no longer have to fuss with things like correct spelling or Boolean variables. Further, voice search has improved dramatically in recent years; it no longer seems incredible that you can ask your phone a question and hear it spit out an answer in a small robotic voice imbued with hints of human inflection. And of course, the amount of data that Google has gleaned over the years helps predict what we’re looking for. However, search...
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Google Now is getting even smarter. Widely viewed as, in many cases, superior to Siri, Google's own intelligent assistant has taken Jelly Bean owners by storm, offering them news and suggestions without them even needing to ask for it. Now, the product is seeing its first major update, and travelers are going to love it. Before you even leave your house, Google Now will tell you what the weather will be like at your destination, and at the airport, your boarding pass is automatically pulled up. For now, only United Airlines is supported, but Google promises that more are on the way. And once you've arrived at your destination, Google Now can help you uncover some great activities, by showing...
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