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Google Now

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Re: Google Now

#151

Post by fudged »

bookwormAT wrote: post #82
jamesgeck0 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a part of Android 4.1, so the WHEN, WHERE and HOW depend a lot on what phone you have.

"It's a part of Android 4.1" Is it? I think Google Now is part of the "Google Apps for Android" suite. These apps are not part of Android itself, they are licensed by manufacturers to complement their Android-based operating system. And these Apps are usually updated by Google and independently from the OS. So unless "Google Now" uses a specific API that is only available in 4.1, I would expect older devices receive…

It's not an app... it's like the notification tray. You can't simply 'take' the notification tray from one OS to another. Same with this. It comes with Jelly Bean.

Re: Google Now

#152

Post by brown9-2 »

Florin_Andrei wrote: post #149
brown9-2 wrote: post #57

Confusing that nothing on the page (besides the video) mentions the word "Android" or how you can get Now.

Folks, when you do something like this, always think from the perspective of the person reading your page for the first time. Otherwise what you get is this informational stonewall. It's supposed to tell you something new, but instead it's abstruse and nerdy like hell.

I don't think there is any worse sin as a copywriter than assuming that the reader already knows all about the topic at hand. Not telling me how to get the cool new product you are showing off, what devices it is for, when I can get it, etc., are all leaving out huge details.

Re: Google Now

#153

Post by ken »

bretthopper wrote: post #9

Google has definitely stepped up their UI design with Jellybean. Oddly enough, at Google I/O they showed the Sports card with real MLB teams, and on this page, it's fake teams (likely due to licensing rules). But even worse, is that they didn't notice the line scores are out of alignment: http://www.google.com/landing/now/images/card-sports.png (Top row of Clovers is shifted over).

I think this is just a symptom of a bigger issue. With these Google demo videos, like with most webpage commercials I see, the screenshots and videos don't look like actual screenshots, but just mock-up animations.

I'm sure the baseball scores are aligned properly in the actual app. But it serves as a not-so-subtle reminder that this isn't what the actual app looks like, or how it behaves. In my mind, they're associating themselves with other companies who show completely fake visuals in commercials, like fast food.

Re: Google Now

#154

Post by bhaile »

mike-cardwell wrote: post #85
brown9-2 wrote: post #57

Confusing that nothing on the page (besides the video) mentions the word "Android" or how you can get Now.

Yes. I just wasted my time looking on the Android market place for something called Google Now, and not finding it.

Same here. I thought it was an app initially after reading about it. They should highlight that it comes with Jelly Bean and not as a separate add-on. Or state that an app is coming soon for devices on Android 2.x and 4.0x.

Re: Google Now

#155

Post by Scene_Cast2 »

gouranga wrote: post #103
DanielBMarkham wrote: post #59

"...Cards appear throughout the day..." Yay, just what I wanted: yet another software service to interrupt me thoughout the day. Snarkiness aside, I'm sure the information is relevant and good. But if I forget that my favorite team is playing while I'm working on a design, do I really need to be reminded? People are not machines. I do not subscribe to and process an information feed in the same way that an email clie…

Spot on. A great illustration of this here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror_(TV_series)#2._.22...

Just watched this. That's... well... wow. My question: how do we prevent this from happening? Free market + choice?

Re: Google Now

#156

Post by notatoad »

degenerate wrote: post #48

How come whenever Google launches something, I only know the who/what, but am never told the when/where/how? Telling me WHEN (if ever) this will be available on my device, WHERE to download it when that happens, and HOW it will integrate into my device/profile would be really nice to read about :(

Because they don't want to make any false promises. If they were to say it works on android they have to qualify that with something like "if all the stars align and your carrier, your handset manufacturer, and any other middlemen can't find a way to stop us".

Like with so much other stuff google makes, this isn't really something google needs to market to consumers. This is the bait they are giving to handset manufacturers to incentivize them to push out an update to the latest version of android.

Re: Google Now

#157

Post by olalonde »

tomp wrote: post #34

It's sad that all these generic names that Google is coming up with (Play, Now, Plus, Glass), can probably be copyrighted and everybody else would then be prevented from using them... What a wicked capitalistic world, what a sad day for freedom.

At least they didn't call themselves Apple ;)

Re: Google Now

#158

Post by papercrane »

detst wrote: post #138
papercrane wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm positive you're right. Blaze is at home, so they are at bat in the first half of the inning, indicated by their row being shifted forward slightly. I think its a pretty clever design. Edit: Not so sure about it now. Its too bad it wasn't misaligned in the correct direction.

No, home teams bat second and are always listed on the bottom. This is simply misaligned. They're in the top of the 9th so that dash under the 8th inning for the Clovers should be shifted to the right.

Oops, that's what I get for not watching baseball. Its too bad they weren't misaligned in the other direction. I think it would be a great way to display the information.

Re: Google Now

#159

Post by ryanhuff »

fudged wrote: post #151
bookwormAT wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It's a part of Android 4.1" Is it? I think Google Now is part of the "Google Apps for Android" suite. These apps are not part of Android itself, they are licensed by manufacturers to complement their Android-based operating system. And these Apps are usually updated by Google and independently from the OS. So unless "Google Now" uses a specific API that is only available in 4.1, I would expect older devices receive…

It's not an app... it's like the notification tray. You can't simply 'take' the notification tray from one OS to another. Same with this. It comes with Jelly Bean.

So my one year old phone will never see it. I am so tired of the one year obsolescence cycle of Android phones.

Re: Google Now

#160

Post by ryanhuff »

thisisblurry wrote: post #32
josteink wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't. You have to opt in. I'm running it on my phone now and the first thing it did was ask "Hey. Is it OK if I do all these things?". It wont run without your permission. Unlike Apple, Google is pretty good at asking these things. Edit: Maybe Apple has gotten better. I just remember iTunes wiping my iPhone, iPod and all ID3 tags from my music collection numerous times when I was just supposed to copy/add some f…

You're confusing Apple with developers of iOS applications. Apple may not have stopped it in the past, but the developers never asked either.

The first time you run an app that wants your location, the iPhone will ask you to grant permission.
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