"Google Now" vs "Voice Search" - any difference?

[trale]

I'm a little confused by the inclusion of both of the following in my app tray:

Google Now
Voice Search

I've been comfortable using the "Voice Search" app so far - just bring it up, and say something.

With Google Now, it seems after I boot it up, I have to say "Google..." first, and then it brings me to the exact interface as the standalone Voice Search app.

The voice search ability in both of these appear exactly the same, as far as I can determine. It seems that the Google Now app contains the Voice Search app, but also displays additional widgets. Is that it? Am I missing anything?

If I don't particularly care for any of the extra stuff in Google Now, can I just ignore it and continue using Voice Search as I've done in the past?

 

[Rxpert83]

I'm a little confused by the inclusion of both of the following in my app tray:

Google Now
Voice Search

I've been comfortable using the "Voice Search" app so far - just bring it up, and say something.

With Google Now, it seems after I boot it up, I have to say "Google..." first, and then it brings me to the exact interface as the standalone Voice Search app.

The voice search ability in both of these appear exactly the same, as far as I can determine. It seems that the Google Now app contains the Voice Search app, but also displays additional widgets. Is that it? Am I missing anything?

If I don't particularly care for any of the extra stuff in Google Now, can I just ignore it and continue using Voice Search as I've done in the past?

Voice search is just that-- the ability to search google by saying whatever you want to search for.


Google now is totally different. Its a location based service that can keep track of your meetings, and remind you when its time to leave, how long it will take to get there, and what the best route to take.

It knows when im standing next to a bus stop every morning, and alerts me to when the next bus will be arriving and where it is going

It can alert you to popular bars/restraunts/events nearby, how your favorite sports teams are doing, when your flights get delayed, even how your stocks are doing.

Theres tons more, but that'll give you the general idea. Think of it as Siri on steriods. I hate using Siri to describe google now because GNOW is so much better, but people are very familiar with the concept of Siri already

 

[trale]

Thanks Rxpert83 for that clarification.

All those sound neat, but of limited use to me. The only thing that seems useful is the "select best route" feature - something that doesn't currently exist in Google Navigation.

It also sounds like a bit of a battery hog.

I'll do a bit more research on it, and for now keep it on my homescreen for experimentation. I'll make a judgement later on whether to relegate it to one of my other screens.

 

[Rxpert83]

Thanks Rxpert83 for that clarification.

All those sound neat, but of limited use to me. The only thing that seems useful is the "select best route" feature - something that doesn't currently exist in Google Navigation.

It also sounds like a bit of a battery hog.

I'll do a bit more research on it, and for now keep it on my homescreen for experimentation. I'll make a judgement later on whether to relegate it to one of my other screens.

It can be a battery hog, but you can easily turn off the features you don't need in the app settings . You'll also see all the features I didn't mention in settings

 

[javamann]

Thanks Rxpert83 for that clarification.

All those sound neat, but of limited use to me. The only thing that seems useful is the "select best route" feature - something that doesn't currently exist in Google Navigation.

It also sounds like a bit of a battery hog.

I'll do a bit more research on it, and for now keep it on my homescreen for experimentation. I'll make a judgement later on whether to relegate it to one of my other screens.

It is a battery hog! But I found the perfect solution: lots of chargers; in my car, different rooms in the house, to my computer. Use them when available and you'll never run out of juice!

JM