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Tag: Google Now

  • Google Now Makes Anonymous Negative Reviews More Visible

    Google made local business pages (and the reviews contained within) a lot more visible this week, with the launch of Google Now for the iPhone and iPad. That includes negative reviews from anonymous, non-accountable “Google Users,” just so you know.

    Are anonymous reviews on Google business pages a problem? Let us know what you think in the comments.

    Google Now was introduced last year as part of the Android Jelly Bean update. It is often referred to as the future of search, or at least the future of Google Search. It pushes information to users when they need it (or when Google thinks they need or want it) without the user having to search for it.

    The majority of Android phones still don’t even have it yet, but as time goes on, that will change. I only recently upgraded my own device to one that has access to the feature, and have only begun to learn first-hand just how powerful Google Now can be. The more it learns about you, the more it has to offer.

    One of the things Google Now has to offer is a flow of suggestions for places that are near you when you spend any considerable amount of time in some location. For local businesses, this can be a great thing.

    Google Now Places

    What’s not so great for a business, is when Google pushes negative reviews in front of any number of users.

    Negative reviews are one thing, but anonymous reviews allow people to say whatever they want without being held accountable. Businesses are already suing people for defamation over some of the things they say in online reviews, when they are saying things they can be held accountable for. Anonymity just lets people say whatever they want. Even if they’re trashing your business. And anonymous reviews are still appearing right in front of Google Now users curious about what place Google is telling them is nearby.

    I noticed this the other day. I took a look at the Google Now “Places” card and saw that the Lock & Key cafe was nearby. Here, you can take a look at their page. The top reviews from real people have “Very Good” and “Excellent” descriptions across the board. Then it gets into the anonymous “A Google user” and the rating is “Poor to fair”. This is followed with another anonymous review, also with a rating “poor to fair”.

    At least Google is showing the positive reviews from users with names at the top, but are they always doing this? Sure, not all anonymous reviews are negative, but many are.

    Google has actually moved away from anonymous reviews in policy. When they made the move from Google Places to Google+ Local as the format for local business pages, users were supposed to be required to sign in with their Google account to leave reviews (they’ve adopted a similar policy for Google Play). When I have tried to leave a review while not logged into mine, I’ve been prompted to sign in. But as we’ve seen in recent months, this isn’t always working for some reason.

    Old anonymous reviews from before the change are staying on business pages. That’s nothing new, but a few months back, we looked at an example where even new reviews were coming in from anonymous users. One user complained about this in a Google help thread. The Google representative acknowledged the problem, and indicated they were looking into it.

    I checked back on the page in question today, and those anonymous reviews are still there. It’s unclear whether they’re still accepting new anonymous reviews. I’ve seen no indication from Google that they have corrected the problem.

    When I looked at that Lock & Key page that Google pushed to my attention, it dawned on me that Google is likely pushing a whole lot of anonymous negative reviews to a lot of Google Now users. Then this week, they greatly expanded the user base for Google Now by launching it for iPhones and iPads.

    For those concerned about Google Now pushing negative reviews in front of users, there is a silver lining. Well, for one, it also pushed positive reviews, which hopefully far outweigh the negative ones anyway. But also, iOS simply isn’t able to take advantage of Google Now the way Android is. It doesn’t use the iOS notifications system, so basically users have to specifically open the Google Search app, log in (if they’re not already logged in), and find the cards at the bottom. Not quite as much of a game changer as the Android version. In fact, Fast Company says, “The future of Google Search is leaving iPhone users behind.”

    But still, Google Now is (apparently) the future of Google Search. It’s expected to come to the Chrome browser, which will put it in front of significantly more people. It might even come to the Google homepage, which would obviously be huge.

    It will be interesting to see if Google does anything with the anonymous reviews. Even as the old ones (which apparently Google has no intention of getting rid of) continue to show up, local businesses would do well to encourage new customers to write reviews, and hopefully bury any old unfavorable, anonymous reviews. Of course, it would also help if Google keeps from letting new ones flow in.

    Have anonymous reviews been a problem for your business? Let us know in the comments.

  • Google Now Hits iPhone And iPad With Fewer Features

    Google has made Google Now available on iOS in a new update to the Search app for iPhones and iPads.

    Here’s the description for what’s new in version 3.0.0:

    Get just the right information at just the right time with Google Now.

    • weather and traffic conditions before you start your day

    • updates on your favorite sports teams and breaking news stories as they happen

    Find out more about all other ways Google Now can help at http://www.google.com/now

    Google Now on iOS doesn’t support as many features as its Android counterpart. According to The Verge, Google will support the iOS background location feature, but it won’t use the iOS notification system to push Google Now alerts like on Android.

    It also only has 22 of the 29 card types available on Android, leaving out boarding passes, local events, and Fandango, to name a few. Of course, Apple’s own Passbook offers similar features.

    The app is available in the App Store.

    Google Now is expected to come to Google’s Chrome browser, and possibly even the Google homepage in the future.

    Update: Google has now posted about the offering on the official blog, adding:

    In addition to the handy cards in Google Now, the Google Search app still gives you instant answers to all your questions. Try tapping the microphone and speak to your phone—you’ll get quick answers spoken back to you. For example, ask Google, “Do I need an umbrella this weekend?” and you’ll get the forecast. Or ask “Who’s in the cast of ‘Oblivion’?” to decide if you want to see it. Voice Search is particularly handy on the go—try “Show me nearby pizza places” and you’ll see a map of restaurants around you with directions, phone numbers, ratings and hours.

  • Google Buys Wavii To Improve Natural Language

    Recent reports indicated that Google bought Wavii, a mobile startup, which has received some comparisons to Summly, which Yahoo recently acquired and integrated into its iPhone app.

    Now, Wavii has confirmed the acquisition. CEO Adrian Aoun says in a note posted to Wavii’s homepage (via TechCrunch):

    You probably know us best for our app that takes the deluge of information streaming across the web and condenses it into fast, fun updates. While we won’t continue to offer this particular service, we’ll be using our natural language research at Google in ways that may be useful to millions of people around the world.

    To all of our loyal Wavii users, we owe you a big thanks for all of your feedback and involvement throughout this journey. We look forward to taking our technology to the next level and delighting you with what we come up with next!

    Natural language has long been a big interest of Google’s, and we’ve already seen the company do a great deal with it. The better its technology gets, the better the overall experience should be for Google and Android users,perhaps with Google Now and Glass (though we don’t know exactly how Google intends to use Wavii’s technology specifically).

    Here, you can watch an interview we did with Aoun last year for a better idea of Wavii’s background.

  • Google Now Coming To The Google Homepage?

    It appears that Google has big plans for Google Now beyond the Android operating system.

    The feature, which serves users relevant information when they are most likely to need it, without them having to search for it on their own, was introduced last year as part of the Jelly Bean version of Android. Since then, evidence pointing to a Chrome-based version, and even an iOS version has been spotted.

    Now, it appears Google is even going so far as to test Google Now right on the Google homepage. After being tipped by someone named Florian, Alex Chitu at Google Operating System points to a Google test page with source code suggesting the feature could make its way to the homepage.From Chitu’s post:

    “Get started with Google Now. Just the right information at just the right time.” That’s how Google introduces the new feature. “Google Now uses your Home location to show relevant information like weather, traffic conditions, and nearby places,” explains Google. You can edit the home location, work location and the current location. Another feature lets you track your favorite stocks.

    Google, of course, tests features all the time, and few every become actual features. That said, Google Now appears to be a big part of Google’s overall strategy. The company has talked about making search faster by pushing info to users when they don’t even realize they need it for years, and with Google Now, we’ve begun to see this strategy implemented. It only make sense that Google wants to get the feature in front of as many users as possible. I can’t think of a better way to do that than by making it part of the immensely popular Google homepage.

    But we’ll see.

  • What’s Going on with Google Now for iOS?

    So, what the hell is happening with Google Now for iOS? According to conflicting reports from people on each end, it’s stuck in some sort of non-existent approval limbo.

    Speaking at the Big Tent Summit in India earlier, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt made a sort of off-handed remark about Google Now and whether we’ll be seeing it pop up for iOS in the near future.

    “You’ll need to discuss that with Apple,” Schmidt said. “Apple has a policy of approving or disapproving apps that are submitted into its store, and some of them they approve and some of them they don’t.”

    Not exactly crystal in its clarity, but it suggests that Google Now for iOS’ fate currently rests in the hands of Apple.

    Now, Apple is denying this. According to CNET, Apple told them that Google Now has not even been submitted to the App Store for approval. Apparently, Schmidt is misinformed, at best.

    Nearly a year ago, Google Now launched at an Android-exclusive product. It may be coming to Chrome pretty soon, but it looks like its fate on iOS, if it exists, is up in the air.

    Last week, a video “leaked” (or surfaced, depending on whether not not you feel it’s legitimate) showing Google Now for iOS. It looks official enough, and it led many to believe that Google Now would be heading to iPhone and iPad sooner than later.

  • Google Now May Be On Its Way To iOS [Rumor]

    For almost a year, Google Now has remained an exclusive feature of Android. The service may very well be coming to Chrome in the near future, but an iOS version seemed unlikely. Well, it’s not unlikely anymore if a leaked video is to be believed.

    Engadget reports that a video announcing Google Now for iOS popped up on YouTube, and then quickly disappeared. The authentic-looking video shows that Google Now would be integrated into the Google Search app for iOS. In the app, users would just swipe up to access Google Now and all the info cards contained therein.

    If the video is legitimate, we might be seeing an announcement of Google Now for iOS in the near future. I highly doubt that the video would leak this far ahead of Google I/O so a pre-I/O announcement seems the most likely. Still, the video could always be an elaborate fake that just so happened to hire an actress that sounds exactly like the narrator from the original Google Now announcement video.

    While the video does indeed look legitimate, we’ve reached out to Google for comment. We’ll update if we hear back.

  • Google Now Gets Better At Movies And Real Estate

    Google announced on Wednesday that it has added some new features to Google Now with a new update.

    For Movie cards, Google Now will now include ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, and let you purchase tickets through Fandango (a feature that was recently added to Apple’s Siri). Google Now will also remind users when they need to leave for the theater, and pull up the tickets once they arrive.

    Google Now Movies

    Google has also partnered with Zillow to provide nearby real estate listings. It will also pull up more info about a particular listing while you’re visiting the property.

    Google Now Real Estate info

    The update also brings a new widget, so users can see their cards on the home or lock screen without having to open the app.

    This is the fourth Google Now update since it launched.

  • More Indication We’ll Soon Be Seeing Google Now In Chrome

    It looks like we’re getting closer to having Google Now functionality in Chrome. Google released Google Now as part of Android last year when it launched the Jelly Bean version of the OS.

    Developer François Beaufort points out rich templated notifications in a recent chromium build, sharing a screenshot. You can see the look of the notifications in the bottom right-hand corner of his image.

    François Beaufort

    François Beaufort4 hours ago

    Rich templated notifications are now available through the new Notification Center in the last Windows chromium build available at download-chromium.appspot.com/dl/Win.

    To see them in action, you need to toggle "Enable Rich Notifications" flag in chrome://flags. 
    Screenshot below shows you how to create a notification within a chrome extension but this also works with regular HTML5 notifications.

    As you probably guessed, this Notification Center will be the perfect hub for Google Now cards.

    Source: https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/11819048

    46    11 Powered by socialditto

    As TheNextWeb (which first pointed to Beaufort’s post) notes, it’s possible that the notifications could look different by the time they actually get to be a Chrome feature. That’s also assuming that this does become a Chrome feature, but it’s very likely that it will.

    Google Now in Chrome would be a major step toward the convergence of Chrome and Android into one operating system – a path that Google co-founder Sergey Brin has implied in the past would likely happen eventually. For now, it seems both brands will live on for the foreseeable future, but the more Google is able to bring features from one to the other, the less reason Google may have, in time, to continue operating them separately.

    We’ve already seen Chrome rapidly evolve into a much more advanced browser than it started as, and even into its own operating system. Chrome recently got speech recognition capabilities, and has gotten better at preserving battery life.

    In what could be another hint of things to come, Google’s HQ has a new statue of a Chrome Android:

    Chrome Android

    This may not be a hint at all, but rather a representation of two important Google products in one homage. However, considering those comments made by Brin in the past, and pending Google Now features in Chrome, it doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch.

    It’s important to remember that Google is essentially on a quest to unify its products into one larger Google product. This is has been happening little by little, especially since the launch of Google+ – the social and identity layer that ties them all together. “Google+ is Google,” as the company likes to say. Well, perhaps Chrome is Google, and Android is Google too.

    As far as Google Now itself goes, Google has been steadily adding more functionalities to that, and they’re only getting started. Adding Google Now to the desktop via Chrome should only serve to incubate new use cases and user demand for more (or perhaps for less for some of the more privacy-concerned users).

    Chrome Android mage via DroidLife (who credits Paul Wilcox)

  • Google Now Just Might Be Coming To Chrome

    Google Now Just Might Be Coming To Chrome

    Google Now may soon be part of the Chrome web browser. A note was discovered on the Chromium (the open source project on which Chrome is based) site, indicating that such an integration is being buit.

    CNET, which points to the note (first spotted by Francois Beaufort), confirmed with Google that it is indeed working on this in an experimental capacity. Successful experiments, of course, go on to become features, and Google Now is surely a product Google wants to be successful.

    The log message in the note says:

    Creating a skeleton for Google Now for Chrome implementation. The CL creates the top-level structure for showing Google Now cards in Chrome via Chrome Notifications. The implementation lives behind -enable-google-now-integration flag.

    This appears to be the latest sign that Google is indeed working hard to bring its robust roster of products closer together into a more unified experience. The most obvious example of this is Google’s integration into its Google+ social network into its other products.

    Last week, Google SVP, engineering, Vic Gundotra said, “Google+ is the next version of Google, so, if you love YouTube, or Chrome, or Search, or Android, or Gmail, or Maps, we’re bringing it all together.”

    “Bringing it all together,” just might start to be more apparent from Chrome to Android too. Google has even hinted in the past that Android and Chrome OS could one day converge.

    Google appears to be blurring the lines among its products more and more as time goes on.

    Google pushed out some new cards for Google Now last week, in an update to its Search App. New cards include Events Nearby, Suggestions to help with research, Boarding Passes from Gmail (United only, but more to come), Search by camera when at museums or shops, Weather at upcoming travel destinations, and the approximate monthly summary of walking and biking activity.

  • Google Adds Google Now Cards, More Voice Actions On Android

    Google has launched an update for its search app, with some new Google Now cards for: Events Nearby, Suggestions to help with research, Boarding Passes from Gmail (United only, but more to come), Search by camera when at museums or shops, Weather at upcoming travel destinations, and the approximate monthly summary of walking and biking activity.

    “As you head off this holiday season, the latest update to Google Now makes it even more useful for traveling,” says product management director Baris Gultekin. “Before you even leave your house, Google Now will tell you what the weather will be like at your destination (just in time to make sure you remember to pack those mittens). At the airport, your boarding pass is automatically pulled up, helping you breeze through to the gate (launching shortly for United Airlines, with more to come). And once you’ve arrived at your destination, Google Now can help you uncover some great activities, by showing you events happening around you, suggesting websites for you to explore as you research things to do, or allowing you to learn more about specific pieces while you’re at a museum (using Google Goggles).”

    “All of this builds on top of some of the other cards designed for travel, like the currency conversion, translation, and flight status cards — hopefully taking a little bit of the stress out of holiday travel so you can focus on family and fun,” he adds.

    There are also some new voice actions for posting to Google+, the ability to say “What’s this song?” and find the song you hear, and the ability to say, “Scan a barcode” and find product info.

    Meanwhile, Google is trying to figure out more things you’re seeking answers to, but aren’t turning to Google for.

  • Google Is Trying To Figure Out What You’re Not Already Searching For

    Google is pinging people at random times, and asking them what they want to know at that moment, in an effort to uncover new types of information that it can potentially provide to users. This is a research strategy that Google is conducting, as it looks to shape the future of how people consume information.

    The project is described by Tom Simonite at MIT Technology Review. He claims to be a participant in a group of about 150 people Google has chosen to help it conduct its research. According to Simonite, Google “buzzed” at eight randomly chosen times a day for three days last month, and asked “What did you want to know recently?” He says Google is looking for the types of information that people are looking somewhere other than Google for, or perhaps things that the user wanted to know, but simply didn’t attempt to search Google for.

    What Google finds from its research could be crucial to how it approaches future features of Google Now and Google Glass, or perhaps something even beyond these. The research effort is being called the Daily Information Needs Study, according to Simonite, who has spoken with Google Search lead user experience designer Jon Wiley about the project:

    If Google is to achieve its stated mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible,” says Wiley, it must find out about those hidden needs and learn how to serve them. And he says experience sampling—bugging people to share what they want to know right now, whether they took action on it or not—is the best way to do it. “Doing that on a mobile device is a relatively new technology, and it’s getting us better information that we really haven’t had in the past,” he says.

    If we’re being honest about Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible, Google is far from accomplishing it. As many strides as Google has made over the years, and as better as it gets in some areas, we’ve also been exposed to major obstacles in this goal – increased resistance from other keepers of information. How can Google really accomplish this goal, for example, without access to our Facebook accounts? How can it accomplish this without providing tweets in real time as news breaks on Twitter in the moment?

    That said, as such an ambitious goal may not be possible to achieve completely, Google can still find ways to make our lives easier, and maintain an edge over its various competitors. If people have information needs that aren’t being met, it’s in Google’s best interest to meet them, and this particular “study” may be a surprisingly simple way of sparking some ideas for innovation in information consumption.

    Google Now, while in its infancy, already shows tremendous potential in this area. If Google Glass manages to become even close to what Google presented in its initial concept video, things are going to get very interesting very fast. If the device is useful enough, could that outweigh the vanity factor? In other words, if you can do amazing things with Glass, would you wear the device all the time, regardless of how ridiculous you might look? Of course, there’s a very real possibility that this could evolve past the Glass stage and directly into the contact lens stage. Then, all of a sudden, vanity is no longer even an issue.

    Related: This Is How Google Plans To See Through Your Eyes (Literally)

  • Google Now Gets Some New Cards In Android 4.2

    Google revealed its new line of Nexus devices today, and along with that it revealed Android 4.2, which is deemed “a new flavor of Jelly Bean”. Part of the new Jelly Bean is an improved version of Google Now, which was launched earlier this year as part of the “old” Jelly Bean.

    “We designed Google Now to make life simpler by giving you the right information at just the right time in easy to read cards, before you even ask,” says Google SVP, Mobile and Digital Content, Andy Rubin. “And the feedback has been awesome. So today we’re adding more cards that we hope you’ll find useful. Flight information, restaurant reservations, hotel confirmations and shipping details—how often have you found yourself wading through your email to get this information at the last moment? So next time you book a table for dinner, you’ll get a reminder with all the details without ever having to lift a finger. You’ll also get cards for nearby attractions, interesting photo spots, movies times at nearby theaters or concerts by your favorite artists.”

    If you look at this Google Now landing page, the following cards are listed as new: Flights, Hotels, Restaurant Reservations, Events, Packages, Movies, Concerts, Stocks, Developing Story & Breaking News, Nearby Attractions, and Nearby Photo Spots.

    Flights gives you real-time flight status and traffic info to the airport. Hotels gives you one-touch navigation to your hotel when you arrive in a new city. Restaurant Reservations reminds you to leave for a restaurant based on live traffic info. Events gives you reminders about events you have purchased a ticket for. Packages shows you when your online orders ship. Each of these requires you to have Gmail Cards enabled. For Flights, it will also work if you have web history enabled. Restaurant Reservations also requires location services to be enabled.

    Flights

    Hotels

    Restaurant Reservations

    Google Now Events

    Google Now Packages

    Movies will show you showtimes and ratings for what’s playing in nearby theaters, and will notify you when a movie you’re interested in arrives at theaters. Concerts shows you when your favorite artists have concerts at nearby venues. These are shown based on your Google data like Web History, and if location services are enabled.

    Google Now - Movies

    Google Now Concerts

    Stocks shows you real-time info about stocks you track, with data shown based on web history and your Google Finance portfolio.

    Google Now stocks

    Developing Story & Breaking News shows you breaking news and developing stories you may be interested in based on your web history.

    Google Now Developing Stories

    Nearby attractions is pretty self-explanatory. It will only be shown if location services are enabled. Likewise for Nearby Photo Spots.

    Google Nearby Attractions

    Google Now nearby photo spots

    Clearly Google isn’t stopping its progress of using data from its various services in its other services, regardless of privacy concerns expressed in Europe. Perhaps it will help Google’s argument if the company can clearly demonstrate the ways in which the policy is enabling it to make its products better for users.

    The Flights card seems like an extension of the Flights feature that accompanies the Gmail in web search results feature Google recently launched in field trial (particularly since it requires Gmail cards to be enabled [or web history]).

    The Developing Story & Breaking News card is particularly interesting in terms of news consumption. Is it possible that as more people get access to this feature, and Google improves upon it, Google can change how people consume news yet again? It certainly can’t hurt Google as it loses publishers in Google News and gives people more reason to turn to Twitter for their news.

    Here’s a look at all that’s new in the latest version of Android.

  • Google Launches Field Trip App For Android

    Google’s Niantic Labs has launched a new Android app called Field Trip. The company is describing it as “your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you.”

    The app runs in the background on your phone, and when you get close to something “interesting,” it pops up a card with details about the location. It kind of sounds like an extension of Google Now, though apparently it’s separate. One reviewer in Google Play also made the connection, saying, “Seems like if/when Google Now gets an API this app should interface with it.

    In the description, it says, “Field Trip can help you learn about everything from local history to the latest and best places to shop, eat, and have fun. You select the local feeds you like and the information pops up on your phone automatically, as you walk next to those places.”

    “The hyperlocal history experts of Arcadia will unveil local lore in places you never expected,” it continues. “Trend-setting publications like Thrillist, Food Network, Zagat, and Eater will point out the best places to eat and drink. Experts at Sunset, Cool Hunting, WeHeart, Inhabitat, and Remodelista will guide you to the latest unique stores and products. Atlas Obscura and Daily Secret help you uncover hidden gems no matter where you are. Songkick and Flavorpill guide you to local music.”

    With Zagat, it’s certainly another way for Google to get its products in front of you.

    Here’s the promo video:

    Google says you can discover thousnads of places and experiences under the following categories: Architecture, Historic Places & Events, Lifestyle, Offers & Deals, Food Drinks & Fun, Movie Locations, Outdoor Art and Obscure Places of Interest. If you’re driving, it can even talk to you about places while you’re on the move. According to reports, the Offers & Deals section will provide offers from Google Offers and Vayable.

    Field Trip

    Of course, there are social sharing options with Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

  • Google Launches Some New Google Now Features

    Google has released an update to the Google Search App for Android, which began rolling out last night. There are some new Jelly Bean-specific features, which cater to Google Now, which was unveiled at Google I/O a couple months ago.

    In case you haven’t been following, Google Now is a feature of the operating system, which pushes info to you as you need it, rather than waiting for you to search for it. It works with “cards” that display information related to things like traffic, public transit, appointments, flights, sports, places, weather, translation, currency, time, etc.

    Here’s Google’s promo for the feature:

    The aforementioned subject areas are the cards Google Now started with, though the company promised there would be more to come. With this latest update, we’re starting to see more.

    As Google highlights from its Android Google+ account, it has added Movies, which allows users to see showtimes:

    Google Now Showtimes

    They’ve added public alerts, so you can get emergency messages, such as storm warnings, earthquake alerts, etc.:

    Google flood alert

    Google has also added the ability to add your favorite sports teams from over 140 soccer, football, hockey and baseball teams. Users can follow them in real time with Google Now.

    Google Now sports teams
    .

    The app also added support for Korea.

  • What Google Now Can Teach You About Reaching Your Customers

    What Google Now Can Teach You About Reaching Your Customers

    At Google I/O last month, Google revealed what could be the beginning of the future of how you use Google . Google Now was revealed as one of several prongs in a shift in mobile search strategy that Google has started with its latest version of its Android operating system – Jellybean. One of the most interesting things about it is that it really speeds up search by eliminating the need for it.

    Of course, not everyone likes the idea of Google tracking their data to deliver information it thinks they want based on that data. Is this something you’re concerned about? Comment here.

    It’s going to be a long time before you no longer need a search engine at all, but Google’s goal with Google Now is to get you the information you need before you even have to search for it. It does this through personalization, requiring you to allow it access to certain personal information (things like location, search history, etc.). While Google Now only has a handful of “cards” – the types of information it will push to you in this fashion – the company has made it clear that it intends to greatly expand the number of situations where Google Now will become your personal assistant. This looks to be a major part of where search, or information consumption, is headed. As Google and competitors progress in their mission, the rest of us will no doubt learn a lot of things along the way. If you’re a marketer or a business owner, perhaps there’s already a great deal to learn from Google Now.

    Mobile marketing company Globys, who works with carriers on leveraging customer data for personalized marketing has already seen plenty of lessons to take away from the product. We had a conversation with Lara Albert, Vice President, Global Marketing at Globys about it.

    “Google Now is innovative in that it will be pro-active in delivering context-relevant information,” Albert tells WebProNews. “One of the most important things that Google Now brings to light is the ability to understand and anticipate user needs as well as the ability to act intelligently based on that understanding.”

    “Brands have a lot of information about their customers, but in many cases they don’t have the tools to harness the data in a way that enables immediate insight and action,” she adds. “It’s time for brands to leverage what they know about their customers to engage them in more meaningful and valuable ways. And mobile is a powerful channel for doing so in that the device allows for such a personal and highly relevant means of engagement relevant to other marketing channels.”

    Must brands build their own mobile apps to tap into the Google Now-like experience of delivering what customers want as they want it, or can they take advantage of existing apps that consumers are already using?

    Albert thinks whether to build an app or use third-party apps is not the first question brands should be asking.

    “The first question to ask is ‘what is my goal?’” she says. “By defining your objectives, you can then ask how mobile fits into the overall marketing picture.”

    “Every marketer is interested in influencing customer behaviors in ways that align with a financial objective, whether that’s to increase revenue, for example, or build customer loyalty,” Albert adds. “Think of a department store focused on getting loyal customers to buy more when they are at their stores. An app can deliver an alert notifying of a sale on a customer’s most frequently purchased brands and the location of the item when they’re in the actual store. The alert may also recommend an item that similar customers have purchased in the past.”

    “Or consider an airline focused on a life cycle management strategy to build brand loyalty, they can engage customers throughout the purchase cycle and beyond,” she continues. “What about an e-commerce company trying to motivate fans to create and share viral promotions? For each of these examples, brands should be using a data-driven approach to make their marketing more relevant – and let’s face it – more effective in driving a desired action.”

    “Brands can leverage Google Now or other apps for awareness or attracting new customers, but for engaging existing customers – a branded app that collects, analyzes and delivers thoughtful, relevant, context-driven information will be more effective,” she says.

    We asked Albert how she thinks brands be able to take advantage of Google Now itself.

    “I would compare ads integrated with Google Now or another a third-party app as more akin to traditional online marketing – more like banner ads meant to increase brand awareness or to acquire customers,” Albert suggests. “Where mobile can really shine is in engagement with existing customers.”

    “A branded app is a great opportunity to make the most of mobile’s strengths,” she says. “Think of the difference between getting a blast SMS from a local car dealership about a test-drive event vs. getting a notice about a promotion on a specific car model via your Volvo app which has been sending regular notifications and discounts for oil changes, tire rotations, etc. (and which has informed Volvo that your car is four years old and you have a pattern of purchasing a car every five years). Which offer are you going to be more receptive to versus considering it as spam?”

    “Mobile apps allow brands to do more because they can collect data and integrate that information with other data such as a customer’s purchase history, loyalty program profile, etc.,” Albert concludes. “The real power of mobile engagement lies in the intelligent analysis of data from different sources and the ability to act on that data in real-time with contextually relevant communication.”

    Perhaps the biggest obstacle for brands to overcome with this kind of marketing is getting customers to actually allow the kinds of settings required to gain certain data (location, for example). There are plenty of mobile device users who aren’t all that comfortable enabling this kind of information retrieval, but a lot of big tech and social brands making use of such settings is likely deteriorating the resistance to some extent. Google would be at the forefront of such brands, and with Google Now, the company may just be able to rip a giant chunk out of the barrier, especially once it is expanded on to a greater number of devices.

    Google Now is only in its earliest of stages. Just wait until Google gets Glass involved.

    As a business, do you see opportunities to learn from what Google is doing? As a consumer, do you want to see more businesses engaging with you in this way? Let us know what you think in the comments.

  • This Is How Google Plans To See Through Your Eyes (Literally)

    Google has captured many imaginations with Project Glass, and the device will not even be available to consumers until next year at the earliest. Wearing a Google Glass in front of your eye may be your ticket to a futuristic world you never thought you’d live to see, and it could do some really amazing things. Or it could be a huge disappointment, and bring back feelings you experienced when Nintendo’s Virtual Boy came out years ago.

    Either way, one thing seems clear. To users of Google Glass, Google is going to be more up close and personal than ever before. That not only means Google pushing things in front of your eye, but potentially also users sending things back to Google.

    What do you think about Google Glass? Do you want Google seeing what you see? Let us know in the comments.

    Google co-founder Sergey Brin reportedly posted a limited Google+ update to those who ordered the special “Explorer Edition” of Glass, which developers were able to do at Google I/O last month. He included the above image, and said:

    I wanted to share this photo with you that I took on a drive in Montana. I was testing a new mode of Glass which automatically takes a picture every 10 seconds without any distraction or disruption. Afterwards, I checked Instant Upload to see how the images had turned out and this one really caught my eye – I love the composition of the landscape mixed with sunlight and the beauty of the sky. I never would have captured this moment without Glass.

    Think about that for a second. You’re wearing Google Glass, and Google is able to take pictures rapidly (who’s to say that can’t get it down to even less time than 10 seconds), and they’re instantly uploaded to Google’s servers. This is effectively Google storing the world as seen through your eyes.

    Presumably, users would have to enable this functionality, just as they do with instant upload for Google+ on their mobile devices, but this could creep out some of those more worried about privacy. On the other hand, I’m not sure how many, who are that worried about privacy, will be willing to put Google on their faces to begin with.

    The feature could have some pretty powerful ramifications though. Consider the possibilities that Google could come up with. For example, imagine if Google combined the technology with its search by image technology, and/or Knowledge Graph. You could be walking down the street getting all kinds of information in near realtime about the area you’re in, based on the photos that have been uploaded in the background from your field of vision, and Google’s search index matching the imagery with relevant information, places, maps, etc.

    Google wants to get to know your every day routines with Google Now. I can’t imagine what kind of patterns Google would be able to piece together by simply seeing the world through your eyes. That could lead to the kind of personalization that we’ve never seen before.

    Just in case you haven’t paid attention to Google Glass, you might want to start with these two videos. The first is just the initial promo concept video. The second one is real.

    Check out our extensive Project Glass coverage here.

    Do you like the idea of instantly uploading the things you see? Tell us what you think in the comments.

  • Google Now: Do You Want Google Using Your Information In This Way?

    Google is looking to change the future of search by making it less relevant. It’s a pretty bold move, considering that search is Google’s bread and butter. With Google Now, Google wants to give you the information you need before you even have to search for it. Some find the new feature, announced last week at Google I/O, fascinating, and potentially very helpful, while others are a little creeped out by it, and have concerns about the privacy implications. Others simply aren’t keen on the idea of Google making their decisions for them in this manner.

    Do you want Google to use your data to personalize your Google experience even further that it already is? Tell us what you think about Google Now.

    “Google Now gets you just the right information at just the right time,” Google says, explaining the new feature of Android, included as part of the operating system’s latest version, Jellybean. “It tells you today’s weather before you start your day, how much traffic to expect before you leave for work, when the next train will arrive as you’re standing on the platform, or your favorite team’s score while they’re playing. And the best part? All of this happens automatically. Cards appear throughout the day at the moment you need them.”

    That pretty much sums it up, but it seems clear that this is really just the beginning of something very big. It may only be offered for this one version of Android right now (though, apparently there are some work-arounds for that). That leaves out a whole lot of Google users, but there’s no way Google will not expand this. We can only speculate at this time, but I can see Google expanding this to the Web, Google TV, and even iOS devices via an app, should Apple allow it. It seems like too big a deal for Google not to get it in front of as many users as possible. Perhaps we’ll see it make its way to older versions of Android, but eventually more and more users will catch up to Jellybean, and future versions of Android anyway. It just may take a little while for that to happen.

    If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s Google promo for Google Now:

    Promo videos from Google aren’t always necessarily indicative of the actual product, as we’ve seen from Project Glass (granted, Google was clear about that not being a finished product). The Google Now vid looks to be a pretty accurate reflection of how it works though. Steve Kovach at Business Insider says Google Now puts Apple’s Siri to shame, citing some real life examples of where Google Now is living up to its promises.

    “I was in San Francisco last week to cover Google I/O and meet with some other companies in the area,” he writes, for one. “I had a meeting in Mountain View on Friday morning. Google Now sent me a notification about 45 minutes before my meeting that said I should leave if I wanted to make it on time. It even took traffic into account. Incredible.”

    “I’m a Mets fan (unfortunately), so a lot of my sports-related Google searches are for the score of the latest game,” he says. “Google knows this, so Google Now automatically sends me notifications with the latest score. I don’t even have to ask anymore.”

    “I took the red eye back to New York Friday night, and spent the hours before my flight drinking with some PR friends in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood. Based on my search history, Google Now already knew my flight number and kept me updated with gate information and potential delays,” he adds.

    Here’s a side by side look at Android’s new voice search capabilities vs. Apple’s Siri.

    SlashGear shares a hands-on with Google Now:

    The company has been talking about this concept of getting users the info they need before they even know it, for years. That’s truly speeding up the search process, another concept Google has been pushing for years (and one in which Google has accomplished quite a bit with its Chrome browser).

    Google Now has 10 “cards” at launch, but Google says there will be more to come. My guess is that there will be many, many more.

    Here are the cards it’s starting with (along with the data they access):

    1. Traffic (Shown based on current location, location history and Web History)

    2. Public Transit (Only shown if location services enabled)

    3. Next Appointment (Shown based on synced calendars and current location)

    4. Flights (Only shown if location services and Web History enabled)

    5. Sports (Shown based on Web History)

    6. Places (Only shown if location services enabled)

    7. Weather (Only shown if location services enabled)

    8. Translation (Only shown if location services enabled)

    9. Currency (Only shown if location services enabled)

    10. Time At Home (Only shown if location services enabled)

    These cards (and any others that might come later) will mean users don’t have to search for quite as many things. If this works like it is supposed to, users will simply become less dependent on search (and perhaps more dependent on notifications). That appears to be fine with Google, as long as Google is still in the driver’s seat.

    The fact is that this decreased dependence on search is happening anyway – with or without Google’s help. People are finding more ways to consume information that are sometimes more convenient, or simply more fun, particularly through mobile apps. Google is finding ways to combat this too. One example would be another new Android feature, which lets users find out what songs are playing, using a sound search app, rather than having to enter a text query into Google search (or, of course, use the popular app Shazam).

    Here’s that in action:

    About Those Privacy Concerns

    As you can see from the list above, Google Now card features deliver info based on your current location, location history, web history, and calendar. You may recall earlier this year, when Google consolidated its privacy policies, and essentially made it so the company could easily pass user data from one Google product to the next, as if each product is merely a feature of the one large Google product. That is, by the way, the way Google seems to be approaching things in general (Google+, for example, isn’t just a standalone product, but the “social spine” of the larger Google, according to the company).

    That privacy policy redux enables Google to tap into any Google products you might be using, and use what you’ve done there to change how you interact with other Google products. It also, as we can see from Google Now, enables the company to create all new products to make your overall Google experience much more personalized (and possibly better).

    But, as you might imagine, this all gives some people an icky feeling.

    “Google’s all-knowing Siri-esque personal assistant has confirmed some suspicions, veering from cool feature into creepy stalker territory,” writes Rebecca Greenfield for The Atlantic, for example.

    Greenfield pulls another quote from The New York Times’ Jenna Wortham, who says, “It gets weird when Google starts to extend its reach into that territory, because Google already knows so much about us — things like who we e-mail and talk to the most, along with what we search for. When those smaller bits of data begin to get linked together in a more meaningful way, that knowledge can take on a larger, different context.”

    Well, I’m going to have to pull a page from the whole early 2012 discussion about the privacy policy. You’re already letting Google have this data. Why not let Google use it in more meaningful ways that can make your life easier?

    It’s very likely that Google Now will expand greatly in the coming months and years, and that may not only mean more “cards,” but potentially use of more data from more Google products you use. Do you have a problem with this? Let us know in the comments.

  • Here Are The Cards Google Now Is Starting With

    Google Now, Google’s new Android feature, now has a landing page with information about it. This includes the diagram above.

    The page begins with the promo video we looked at previously:

    “Google Now gets you just the right information at just the right time,” Google says on the page. “It tells you today’s weather before you start your day, how much traffic to expect before you leave for work, when the next train will arrive as you’re standing on the platform, or your favorite team’s score while they’re playing. And the best part? All of this happens automatically. Cards appear throughout the day at the moment you need them.”

    Luckily, Google provides a small look at those cards on the landing page. Perhaps more interestingly, Google tells us what data it uses for each one. Google Now is kicking off with 10 cards. These are for:

    1. Traffic (Shown based on current location, location history and Web History)

    2. Public Transit (Only shown if location services enabled)

    3. Next Appointment (Shown based on synced calendars and current location)

    4. Flights (Only shown if location services and Web History enabled)

    5. Sports (Shown based on Web History)

    6. Places (Only shown if location services enabled)

    7. Weather (Only shown if location services enabled)

    8. Translation (Only shown if location services enabled)

    9. Currency (Only shown if location services enabled)

    10. Time At Home (Only shown if location services enabled)

    With the traffic card, Google Now will let users see traffic conditions and alternate routes before you go to work. It also shows traffic to your next “likely destination”. The Public Transit card, shows when you’re near a bus stop or subway station, and what buses and trains are next. The Next Appointment card checks traffic so you know how long it will take to get there, and gives you notifications for when you should leave. The Flights card keeps you up to date on flight status, like when there are delays (and presumably cancelations), and gives you traffic conditions to the airport, for flights you’ve recently searched for.

    The Sports card updates you on what Google thinks are your favorite sports times, based on search history, and gives you live scores and upcoming games. You can also buy tickets from the card.

    The Places card suggests nearby restaurants, bars, and other places of interest. Users can jump to Google Maps for more info, get reviews, and make reservations.

    The Weather card is pretty self-explanatory, but it shows weather for your current location, as well as work.

    The Translation card translates words, the Currency card lets you quickly check local conversion rates, and the Time At Home card simply lets you know what time it is at home when you’re traveling.

    Google Now, so far, appears to be largely about making travel more convenient, but Google says it will be adding more cards. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

    What cards would you like to see?

  • Google Now: Can Google Win Search For Good By Making It Less Important?

    Google made a lot of announcements at Google I/O, some grander than others, but some of them were directly related to search.

    Google’s new version of Android, Jellybean, comes with improved Knowledge Graph visualization, a Siri competitor, and something called Google Now, which may be how Google is looking at search from here on out.

    “We’ve redesigned search from the ground up in Jelly Bean, with a new user interface and faster, more natural Voice Search,” says Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile and Digital Content at Google. “You can type your query or simply ask Google a question. Google can speak back to you, delivering a precise answer, powered by the Knowledge Graph, if it knows one, in addition to a list of search results.”

    “Today’s smart devices still rely on you to do pretty much everything—that is, until now,” adds Rubin. “Google Now is a new feature that gets you just the right information at just the right time. It tells you today’s weather before you start your day, how much traffic to expect before you leave for work, or your favorite team’s score as they’re playing. There’s no digging required: cards appear at the moment you need them most.”

    Google has been talking about this concept for years: pushing information to you before you even have to search. Google has long been all about speeding up the search process. What’s faster than giving it to you before you even know you needed it? That appears to be the strategy with Google Now. It will be interesting to see if the execution matches the concept.

    Google Now uses your search history, your location history, and your calendar to decide what information you need to know. Remember that big privacy policy consolidation Google announced earlier this year? That allowed Google to use your data between services more easily, and this seems to be a big feature that will benefit from that.

    Google Now, as the company explained in a keynote speech, figures out when you commute from home to work, and back, and will tell you how long your route is. It will give you a faster route if there is a lot of traffic. Let’s hop you don’t get in an accident looking at your screen. For public transit, Google Now tells you when the next bus or train will arrive.

    Google says Google Now will help you get to appointments on time. It will tell you when to leave, based on bus times, and how long it will take to get to the bus stop, how long the bus ride will take, etc. It will tell you if you have an upcoming flight you’ve searched for, and Google will keep you up to date on the status of the flight (delays, cancelations, etc.).

    Google Now also hows you bars and restaurants around you as you walk down the street, and will recommend things to order at them when you actually go to one. That Zagat acquisition is looking even smarter now.

    Google’s greatest threat is decreased dependence on search. A source from the company has indicated in the past that he agreed. It seems interesting, then, that Google itself is launching a product, which could actually decrease the user’s dependence on search.

    Google knows people will use other apps and services for very specific things in instances where they may have once used search. If Google can get you the things you need in front of you before you even have a chance to seek them out using other apps, I’d call that a win.

    Again, however, it will be in the execution.

    Out of all of the things Google announced today, this could very well be one of the most significant in the long term.