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Google Now Discussion

T

Travisimo

Android Enthusiast
Hopefully, this is the appropriate forum to post a discussion on Google Now, Android's Jellybean application that uses your search history to provide personalized cards on your Android phone. I have personally been using Google Now on both my Galaxy Nexus and now the VZW Galaxy S3 running CM10. I really like it, but I'd really like to discuss some of the details for those who are interested.

So, I'll start the discussion with a question I have regarding the commute cards that pop up in Google Now

I have already entered in my Home and Work address for Google Now to use. So now I get cards that pop up telling me how long the commute will be to both home and work. I like this a lot. I also like how it will pop up with a card for a location that I recently searched for.

However, it also gives me cards for a few locations that I often commute to. For example, I travel to a family member's house fairly frequently. So Google Now will give me a card showing the address. However, I was wondering if there's a way to link the address that Google Now has learned with a Contact on my phone? For example, I would like Google Now to understand that the address that it has given a card for is actually already on my phone in one of my contact's addresses. It does not seem to be able to link them, but I thought I'd ask if there's a way to do it?
 
Where Google Now goes wrong...

1) Sports teams. I am a fan of the New England Patriots and not the San Francisco 49ers. Yet no matter how many times I search for Patroits news (and NOT 49ers news) I still get updates about the 49ers. Only reason I can think of for this?...I live near San Francisco.

2) I sent a news article to a friend about medical marijuana. So, I immediately got a directions card to the nearest medical marijuana location near my home. Something I have NO interest in and I am glad my daughter did not see that card.

3) I am a frequent customer of starbucks by my home. I never check in there, but I go to the Starbucks website occasionally and have the Starbucks app on my phone. However, I never get a card for Starbucks, but always one for Peets across the street from it.
 
Yeah, it's definitely a beta product, but it has huge potential. Some of the problems stem from inaccurate GPS location data, but there's not a whole lot they can do about that if they want to preserve battery life on your phone. I mean, they can't have active GPS at all times from the satellites and network, or battery life would take a HUGE hit.

There needs to be a way to interact more with it so that we can customize it to our liking. The voice search and results are a HUGE step up from the previous versions, and in many respects outdoes Apple's Siri (both have strengths and weaknesses).

And of course, one of the biggest issues is that it's part of Jellybean instead of an app that can be downloaded. And so only the Nexus devices are officially supported right now, and they are a very small percentage of Android devices. Many devices are just not receiving updates to ICS, let alone Jellybean!
 
gtbarry said:
Where Google Now goes wrong...

1) Sports teams. I am a fan of the New England Patriots and not the San Francisco 49ers. Yet no matter how many times I search for Patroits news (and NOT 49ers news) I still get updates about the 49ers. Only reason I can think of for this?...I live near San Francisco.
Click to expand...

There were a whole host of changes to Google Now recently. Including Public Alerts, etc. Additionally, one change they made was I can now select from dozens or hundreds of sports teams for who I want alerts for.
 
This seems like it needs to be resurected since many more phones are getting the Jellybean upgrade.

Some questions / concerns I have are like:
- Can you turn it off?
- Has anyone experienced any ads popping up?
- It just seems like a whole new way for Google to get into my life so they can offer more directed ads to me.
- Is it possible that the coffee places (for example) which pop up as near you are the ones which have paid some fee to Google?

That's a start...
 
jgreetham said:
- Can you turn it off?
Click to expand...
I don't think so. But you never have to actually use it or look at it.

jgreetham said:
- Has anyone experienced any ads popping up?
Click to expand...
Not at all. Though you can consider the "____ near you" cards as ads.

jgreetham said:
- It just seems like a whole new way for Google to get into my life so they can offer more directed ads to me.
Click to expand...
Advertising is a fact of life. So, wouldn't you prefer them to be more relevant to you? You can just as easily ignore a relevant ad as an irrelevant one.

jgreetham said:
- Is it possible that the coffee places (for example) which pop up as near you are the ones which have paid some fee to Google?
Click to expand...
Probably
 
You can turn google now off:


Turning off Google Now stops the display of cards and returns Google Now settings to their defaults.

Open the Google Now screen.
Touch the Search bar at the top of a Home screen, or swipe up from the lower left corner of your tablet while viewing any screen.

Touch Menu> Settings > Google Now, then slide the switch at the top right to Off.
In the Turn off Now cards dialog, decide whether you also want to turn off Location History. If you do, check Also turn off Location history.
Turning off location history may affect the way other Google products work.

Turning off Google Now and location history doesn
 
I disabled Now months ago because in Scotland, it doesnt recognise any of our top football (soccer) teams. Also in the months i tried it, it never once gave me a news card and i search the news a lot.
Must say i was impressed with how it knew when i was at a bus stop and told me times etc but i hate how companies like Google seem to think the US is the world :(

Might give it another chance to see if its improved :thumbup:

UPDATE still no Scottish teams grr
 
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