Google has reportedly flipped the switch on a new Google Now card that alerts users of discounts online based on products they’ve searched for in the past.
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Google+ has long had an interesting feature called “Stories” that creates a fun timeline out of your uploaded photos, but now users are reporting that these are now showing up in Google Now. The card that’s appearing in some users’ feeds shows a photo preview of the story, an associated date, the number of moments—and tapping this card takes you to the Google+ app to view it in its full form or share it with your followers.
There are a lot of things you need to make sure are in order before you might see one of these cards, but it’s not all too complicated. The hardest part for most tech enthusiasts would probably be going out and taking enough photos for Google+ Stories to have something to work with. If you’ve never used Google+ Stories before, this is how you get started (according to Google’s support page):
Make a story
Stories are automatically created and you’ll be notified when one is made for you. Stories will work best if you:
- Turn on Google Location History for Android or iOS
- If you store photos on Google Drive, show your Drive photos & videos in your photo library
- Use Auto Backup on your mobile device or computer
- Make sure Auto Awesome is on
- Add your home & work addresses in Google Maps
- Take a lot of pictures
After you’ve done all of these things, it probably won’t be long before you see the above card in your Google Now feed. On the other hand, if you are receiving this card and you don’t want to or you simply have no interest in Google+ stories at all, Google says you can turn the feature off completely by disabling Auto Awesome.
(via Thomas Tenkely)
As reported on by The Next Web, Google at South by Southwest this weekend gave an interesting look at its plans for Google Now. Aparna Chennapragada, Google Now’s Director of Product Management, discussed Google’s personalized predictive data service and revealed some details regarding the future of the product. Chennapragada revealed that the company soon plans to launch an open API for Google Now that will allow third-party services to integrate it into their apps.
Microsoft is planning on making the next generation of its voice-recognition system, Cortana, available on Android and iOS devices sometime after the fall, reports Reuters. The focus, says the company, will be on an intelligent assistant that predicts the help you need, rather than simply responding to user requests.
Cortana could tell a mobile phone user when to leave for the airport, days after it read an email and realized the user was planning a flight. It would automatically check flight status, determine where the phone is located using GPS, and checking traffic conditions.
Google has of course long majored on this kind of proactive approach through its Google Now service, which aims to work out what you will want to know when, but Microsoft believes that integrating everything into the digital assistant is the future …
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Google shared today that its Flight Search feature is now available to users in Switzerland. This means an optimized version of the travel search function with local currency and language is available from primary Google search both online and through Google’s apps in Switzerland. Previously, users had to rely on google.com/flights which isn’t fine-tuned for users outside of the United States.
Whether you’re traveling from Geneva to Barcelona, Zurich to Sydney, or you’re not sure where to go, Flight Search can offer inspiration and help you find the best flights available. Starting today, you can use Google to quickly and easily compare and book flights — from your mobile device, desktop or tablet.
Users in Switzerland can now access the localized Google Flights Search feature through www.google.ch/flights in addition to seeing support through the Google mobile apps with Google Now cards supported. Google adds that Now cards will display airfare changes for searched flights for users in Switzerland. Previously, Google Flights Search expanded into Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in mid-2014,
Google announced today that it’s adding new cards to Google Now, those context-aware notifications that pop up in the Google app for Android, using information sourced from other Android apps. That means rather than opening various apps to check out the latest updates in each, you’ll be able to view updates directly in the Google Now feed.
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The Google app on Android has received an update today, as part of the company’s Update Wednesday regimen. The update bumps the app to version 4.1.21.1657903 and includes a handful of notable new features, including new Google Now card settings and “Ok Google” setting tweaks.
Google Search is a powerful tool that you’ll find on almost any Android device. Its ability to start listening to your voice after you say the hotwords “OK Google” makes it convenient to use and fun to show off. Most people assume the hotword detection only works when you’re in the Google Search app or if you’re using the Google Now Launcher, but when using a device that’s on Android 4.3 or higher, you can set up Google Now to listen for the hotwords from any screen–even when the display is off on some devices…
It was only a matter of time following Google’s acquisition of home automation company Nest earlier this year that users would begin receiving the best of both worlds. One of the first marriages of each company’s products and services is Google Now integration with Nest, allowing for users to control the smart thermostat using voice commands.
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkOCeAtKHIc]
Amazon today announced a new hardware product called Echo. It’s essentially a speaker unit dedicated to being a voice-control system. It kind of sounds like Google Now but in a speaker for a single room instead of in your Android smartphone, tablet, or watch.
You can set alarms, control music, ask about the weather, search the web, ask questions, and access local news. It streams content via Bluetooth and WiFi, and connects to the Fire Phone (if you have one), iOS via the browser, Android, and desktop computers via the web. Instead of “Okay Google,” you say “Alexa” to start speaking the device. You’ll need a Fire OS/Android device to take full advantage.
The whole concept is very futuristic, and it’s unclear how beneficial this will be to people with voice-controlled phones. But, hey, this comes from the developers of a faux-3D phone, so this is not completely out of left field. The Echo is $99 for Amazon Prime users, $199 for everyone else, and (for some reason) you need an invitation to receive the honor to buy one of these things.
Google Now can remind you to pay your bills and now it appears that Mountain View’s intelligent personal assistant software can help keep you safe. A group of Reddit users have received police alert cards from their local law enforcement branches advising them of nearby criminal activity. So be sure to read these cards carefully if you happen to see one on your phone.
Google Now, Siri and Cortana all have their respective followings, but which application is the best at answering real world questions? Recently, the folks at Stone Temple Consulting pit the three platforms each other in a 3,086 query challenge packed with questions that required direct answers.
A few months back, Google quietly introduced bill pay reminders cards to Google Now and it appears that the company is adding to this feature. If you can’t remember your outstanding balance on a specific bill, just tap the mic on the Google app and say “show me my bills” or “my bills due this week.” This will bring up a list of your upcoming bills that need to be paid.
Google Now, according to several users and first noticed by Droid-Life, has today started to remind Pennsylvania residents to register to vote. The voter registration card appears to be showing up for anyone in Pennsylvania, and does not depend on whether you’ve recently searched for political news or information about the state.
Today, Google announced an update for its search app for Android that adds airfare price drop alerts to your list of Now cards. Currently, only available in the US, this new feature likely monitors flights that you’ve been searching for and notifies you when a price drop has occurred.
Google just announced the XE21.0 update for Google Glass and with it introduce faster Google now notifications for flights and sports and the integration of Waze data for navigation:
When looking up routes to your destination, Waze accident indicators help you avoid potential traffic.
Google announced its acquisition of mapping company Waze last year and has quickly integrated real-time traffic alerts and other features from the app into its own Maps and navigation features across platforms.
Earlier this month Google began selling its $1500 Google Glass Explorer Edition through the US Google Play Store alongside a number of accessories.
A new report from The Information claims Google and HP have discussed the possibility of bringing a Google Now-like Android assistant to the workplace. Google’s Android unit has also reportedly been in talks with others about the functionality:
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If you frequently travel, then you know that airports can be a mess. You arrive a couple hours before your flight to make it through an airline’s grueling check-in process, only to find out your flight has been delayed. Now playing the waiting game, you sit around wondering if it’ll be minutes or hours before you board your flight. Apparently Google is aware of this type of situation and the company has updated its Google Now platform with new features for globetrotters.
Update: Google says Now Launcher is available for all Android 4.1+ devices:
[tweet https://twitter.com/Android/status/495293118036447233]
It looks like the Google Now Launcher might soon be available on a long list of new devices as a small update to the app brings reports of expanded compatibility for a number of notable Android phones. 
AndroidCentral points us to users seeing compatibility with devices including the LG G3, Verizon’s Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8, One E8, One Mini 2, Desire 816, and the Huawei Ascend P7.
The expanded compatibility isn’t officially included in the release notes nor has Google officially made an announcement, but we expect to hear more shortly. The Google Now launcher, which was previously only available for Nexus and Google Play Edition devices, adds Google Now to the home screen for a more integrated experience with the OS.
The Google Now Launcher is available on Google Play here.
While those buying high-end handsets often get the option of Google Play editions that are free from manufacturer overlays, the same isn’t generally true of low-end ones, where manufacturer overlays rule. ZTE’s new Blade Vec 4G handset, though, is being supplied with the Google Now Launcher as the default interface, reports the WSJ.
“Some consumers may prefer Google Now Launcher,” said Zeng Xuezhong, ZTE’s head of mobile device business, in an interview Thursday. “We are trying to give users more options.”
The Chinese manufacturer says that it expects to sell around 20M smartphones in its home market this year, with a similar number in the US.
ZTE says that it plans to launch further Google edition handsets in future, but that it will continue to use the MiFlavor overlay on others. Its high-end Nubia Z7 was announced earlier this month, but it’s not yet clear whether it will make it to the USA.
Setting Google Now reminders by voice is all very well when you’re walking down the street, but you can feel just a little self-conscious doing it in an open-plan office or coffee-shop. Google now allows you to add reminders by typing them directly into the searchbar on your laptop, reveals the Google Blog.
You don’t have to use the mobile Google Search app to add reminders. Just search Google for add reminder or create reminder, enter a name, a date or a place. You can also enter specific queries like: add reminder to buy milk tomorrow or create reminder to buy sandwich when I am in Chicago. Just click “remind me on Google Now” …
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could tell your watch to change the temperature, turn on/off lights, or perform various tasks on your computer? Well, thanks to Android Wear and some third party services, you can transform existing smart devices around your house into fully automated tasks using a device like the Samsung Gear Live, Moto 360, or LG G Watch.
The process will slightly vary between different Android devices and “smart” devices in your house, but we’ve put together the groundwork necessary so that you can build on these ideas in your own home. The setup procedure is a bit more than some people would like to go through, but in the end saying simple commands from a smartwatch to control things in your house is absolutely worth it.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWJaGrv5zy4]
Google appears to be testing new voice command controls for media playback. Available to some, this new feature adds commands like “Ok Google, next song” when listening to music. Based on the company’s big push for wearables, Android in the car and on your TV, this hands-free approach seems like a natural progression.
If you’ve ever been using any form of Google voice recognition and gotten frustrated that the friendly female on the other side just can’t understand you, you may be happy to know that a quick command can now fix misheard words. Previously, you would have to start the query over completely, but the Google Search app can now fix its blunders on the fly using a natural corrective voice command.
