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Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

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Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#11

Post by freehunter »

JulianWasTaken wrote: post #8

It's cute. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks on a Nexus 4. My opinion on it currently is that it looks promising but it's quite useless until there are finer controls on when and how cards appear (the controls there are now are really simplistic), and more importantly the ability to create my own cards, which would give me a reason to get back into SL4A. As an example, the commute card that shows your d…

It would also be nice to be able to tell it "I'm going to my girlfriends house after work". In that situation, telling me there's a traffic jam on my route home isn't useful information at all.

I also would love the ability (if it exists, I haven't seen it) to have it use geocoded reminders, like "remind me to get milk when I'm near the grocery store".

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#12

Post by TillE »

cryptoz wrote: post #7
RyanZAG wrote: post #6

Google Now has a lot of promise, but I've been using it a bit since it was first released, and it's never actually provided me with any really useful information. The promise behind Google Now is amazing, but it simply doesn't work well enough yet to be any kind of consideration. Here's hoping they manage to get the actual software in-line with the promise eventually!

The user experience with Google Now varies heavily depending on your usage habits and the type of phone you have. The only thing Google Now showed me for months were outdated, inaccurate weather 'forecasts' that made absolutely no sense (and opening it took more than 30 seconds on my old Nexus S). Boy, was I disappointed. But if you set your Settings to the right items, you enable all your Search History, and everyth…

> enable all your Search History

This is something I just can't bring myself to do. I disabled it years ago, along with all the other personalization options.

I don't mind giving them my location. I don't even mind them analyzing my mail. But I search for all kinds of crap, and I really really don't want anyone building a profile on me based on that.

The manual customization options in Google Now are sadly lacking. I've been able to add a few sports teams, but that's about it.

I suppose I could switch all my default searches to DuckDuckGo, then only use Google judiciously to deliberately train it. Hm, I think I will.

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#13

Post by weazl »

JulianWasTaken wrote: post #8

It's cute. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks on a Nexus 4. My opinion on it currently is that it looks promising but it's quite useless until there are finer controls on when and how cards appear (the controls there are now are really simplistic), and more importantly the ability to create my own cards, which would give me a reason to get back into SL4A. As an example, the commute card that shows your d…

The commute card would actually be useful if only it would show public transit departures I can make, as it is now whenever I see the card it mostly shows subway trains that have already departed or a few that I can not possibly make it to in time.

Clicking the card only takes me to Google Maps where I get tons of irrelevant suggestions. Not helpful.

I do love the idea though. I'm hoping it will improve!

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#14

Post by jordonwii »

freehunter wrote: post #11
JulianWasTaken wrote: post #8

It's cute. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks on a Nexus 4. My opinion on it currently is that it looks promising but it's quite useless until there are finer controls on when and how cards appear (the controls there are now are really simplistic), and more importantly the ability to create my own cards, which would give me a reason to get back into SL4A. As an example, the commute card that shows your d…

It would also be nice to be able to tell it "I'm going to my girlfriends house after work". In that situation, telling me there's a traffic jam on my route home isn't useful information at all. I also would love the ability (if it exists, I haven't seen it) to have it use geocoded reminders, like "remind me to get milk when I'm near the grocery store".

I'm actually surprised that location-based reminders aren't already part of Google Now. It seems like a really natural feature given everything else it already does.

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#15

Post by hospadam »

freehunter wrote: post #11
JulianWasTaken wrote: post #8

It's cute. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks on a Nexus 4. My opinion on it currently is that it looks promising but it's quite useless until there are finer controls on when and how cards appear (the controls there are now are really simplistic), and more importantly the ability to create my own cards, which would give me a reason to get back into SL4A. As an example, the commute card that shows your d…

It would also be nice to be able to tell it "I'm going to my girlfriends house after work". In that situation, telling me there's a traffic jam on my route home isn't useful information at all. I also would love the ability (if it exists, I haven't seen it) to have it use geocoded reminders, like "remind me to get milk when I'm near the grocery store".

This is kind of hacky but...

If you're willing to schedule a Google Calendar event for wherever you want to go - and give it a location... Now will actually figure that out for you. It will tell you when to leave to get to that event (and forgo telling you the commute time to home).

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#16

Post by micv »

freehunter wrote: post #11
JulianWasTaken wrote: post #8

It's cute. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks on a Nexus 4. My opinion on it currently is that it looks promising but it's quite useless until there are finer controls on when and how cards appear (the controls there are now are really simplistic), and more importantly the ability to create my own cards, which would give me a reason to get back into SL4A. As an example, the commute card that shows your d…

It would also be nice to be able to tell it "I'm going to my girlfriends house after work". In that situation, telling me there's a traffic jam on my route home isn't useful information at all. I also would love the ability (if it exists, I haven't seen it) to have it use geocoded reminders, like "remind me to get milk when I'm near the grocery store".

You should be able to get the first by setting an appointment in your google calendar. It certainly gives me a heads up for traffic when I set things in there for destinations it recognises.

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#17

Post by _neil »

RyanZAG wrote: post #6

Google Now has a lot of promise, but I've been using it a bit since it was first released, and it's never actually provided me with any really useful information. The promise behind Google Now is amazing, but it simply doesn't work well enough yet to be any kind of consideration. Here's hoping they manage to get the actual software in-line with the promise eventually!

I've had the Nexus 4 for about two weeks and it's surprised me a handful of times. You really have to use Google services to get full use out of it though. Like adding locations to events in Google Calendar (and, you know, using Google Calendar in the first place) to get the "you should probably get on the road now" messages.

Also things like birthday reminders seem to only work with your friends on Google+. None of my friends use Google+ and I only use it for specific groups. And I've yet to see a package tracking card, but it will be cool if they make improvements and stuff like that starts actually working. Things like that are small but on the day-to-day level would be pretty helpful.

Aside from that, the Nexus 4 is a nice device and refreshing change from iOS.

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#18

Post by fidotron »

Between Google Now, the anti fragmentation stuff in the SDK agreement and learning about the way Google share names/addresses with app developers I'm really thinking that Google are actually becoming Android's largest liability.

The problem is the GMail and Maps apps (as distinct from purely the webapps) are used as gateway drugs to casual information leakage, and Maps in particular becomes almost unusable unless you agree to let them slurp extra info from your vicinity.

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#19

Post by ericd »

TillE wrote: post #12
cryptoz wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The user experience with Google Now varies heavily depending on your usage habits and the type of phone you have. The only thing Google Now showed me for months were outdated, inaccurate weather 'forecasts' that made absolutely no sense (and opening it took more than 30 seconds on my old Nexus S). Boy, was I disappointed. But if you set your Settings to the right items, you enable all your Search History, and everyth…

> enable all your Search History This is something I just can't bring myself to do. I disabled it years ago, along with all the other personalization options. I don't mind giving them my location. I don't even mind them analyzing my mail. But I search for all kinds of crap, and I really really don't want anyone building a profile on me based on that. The manual customization options in Google Now are sadly lacking. I…

Its not just training, though... It will update you based on searches you make on an ongoing basis, often in very unexpected but nice ways. To make that work out, I think you really just need to be using Google search day to day.

Re: Google Now's smartphone is the real deal

#20

Post by csulok »

freehunter wrote: post #11
JulianWasTaken wrote: post #8

It's cute. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks on a Nexus 4. My opinion on it currently is that it looks promising but it's quite useless until there are finer controls on when and how cards appear (the controls there are now are really simplistic), and more importantly the ability to create my own cards, which would give me a reason to get back into SL4A. As an example, the commute card that shows your d…

It would also be nice to be able to tell it "I'm going to my girlfriends house after work". In that situation, telling me there's a traffic jam on my route home isn't useful information at all. I also would love the ability (if it exists, I haven't seen it) to have it use geocoded reminders, like "remind me to get milk when I'm near the grocery store".

Have you tried onx?

https://www.onx.ms

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