Google Now for the web: Google testing a much more data-heavy home page | Hacker News Reader

Google Now for the web: Google testing a much more data-heavy home page

venturebeat.com

32 pointsdbin7816 comments

> It has also conveniently been scheduled for “retirement.” In an announcement dated April 8, just a couple of weeks ago, Google said it will retire iGoogle on November 1, 2013. The reason? A Google Now-like experience on mobile.

Take off your conspiracy hat. The iGoogle shutdown wasn't announced "just a couple of weeks ago"; it was announced last July:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/spring-cleaning-in-su...

(Obligatory "as a former Google fan" header)

When Google isn't making my skin crawl / fists clench in fury lately, they are making me scratch my head.

Why on earth isn't Google Now, easily one of the most amazing things they've done recently and hugely competitive give how much big-data crunching and user profiling it requires, available as a widget on Android? Why is there no Now api that other apps can push cards to?

Why is there no Google Now launcher?

Now still feels like some interesting parallel world on Android (while Google+ feels like some uninteresting parallel world everywhere else).

I think making Now API-interactable would just beg for spammy popups. Mobile is already a maelstrom of apps trying to promote themselves, or getting paid to promote others.

That's a bad argument against an API, spammy apps are going to spam no matter what.

A Google Now API would be awesome.

Isn't handling of spam a major product hurdle for any public data interface?

Requires addressing in angles regarding security, UX, and performance at the very least.

Google already has a system in place for managing apps and services' access to your account[1]. Not to mention if you install crappy apps you are already going to have issues[2]. People need to be careful of what they install and give access to their account, I can't see how a Google Now API would make this problem worse.

[1]http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&a...

[2]http://www.androidguys.com/2012/02/28/airpush-ad-network-con...

Can you elaborate? There is a Google Now widget on Android, I have it on my home screen right now. Do you mean something else? What do you mean by Google Now "launcher"? Something besides swiping up from the bottom of the screen?

Isn't this article about Google bringing Now to other platforms?

I have both a Google Now widget AND Google Now launcher. The big blue "Google" button in your drawer?

Why does google now tell me how long it will take to get home when I'm on my way to work? Is it just messing with me?

It's basically saying today is a write off and you should just go home.

One thing I've noticed is a massive disconnect between travel times Google Now provides in push notifications. For example, this morning it said "leave by 7:47 to get to work". Then it said "Travel time to work: 3 minutes". I start work at 8am, and it takes me a little less than 30 minutes to get to work, not 13 or 3(!). Even discounting the effect rush hour has on my commute (I live in the midwest, not LA), it's just not possible in 13 minutes.

Google knows how far away I am, it knows how long it will take, and it could know how long it usually takes me. If I actually bring up Google Now, it will tell me right now that it should take 24 minutes to get home. There's no traffic on the roads since it's 2pm, and it still takes more than 13 or 3 minutes.

Google Now is great. The push notifications for "time to leave" are useless. Even moreso when you need to walk somewhere or find a place to park after you've driven to your destination.

I find it hilarious. Apparently I'm supposed to go home from work at 11am!

Timezones Google.

I never would have guessed this was a problem for some people, it has not gotten my wrong yet.

Meanwhile I can't see it at all on my Android 2.3 device, even though I have had voice search on there for years, all the clever stuff seems to be taking place server-side, and I already get push notifications for calendar etc..

Wow, I expected to see Google Now integrated within Chrome somehow, but betting for the homepage is even bigger.

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