Ubuntu Tips n Tricks: TechSource: How To Make The Most Out Of Google Now

Monday, January 28, 2013

TechSource: How To Make The Most Out Of Google Now

Posted: 27 Jan 2013 07:08 PM PST

Google Now is one of the most incredible features that Google unveiled when they released Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Relying on the world's biggest search engine, Google Now is a smart personal assistant that gives you information when and where you need it. You can also search for information using simply your voice and the smart voice-guided assistant will speak out your results. The service, which is available only on the latest Android devices, is the only big competitor to Apple's Siri.

Google Now relies on a feature called cards. All the information you receive from the service is in the form of these cards. You can swipe cards away if you don't need them. Unless, you disable them they will show up again whenever a relevant event is triggered. Being a fully featured service rather than just an application, Google Now is incredibly powerful and very few users manage to make the most out of it. Here at TechSource, we've listed a few tricks you can use to make sure Google Now becomes your free personal assistant.

1. Asking For Information On The Go

One of the best features of Google Now is its voice-enabled search functionality. Simply swipe up from your home screen to quickly access the feature and speak into your phone. You can then ask Google Now facts, sports scores, movie casts, and more.

Here are a few questions you can ask right now:

Who is the prime minister of Australia?
What is the cast of Entourage?
Convert 99 millimeters into inches
How old is Patrick Stewart?
Show me pictures of beaches
Who wrote Perks of Being A Wallflower

2. Remembering Birthdays

If you aren't a Google Plus user, it's about time you sign up. For Google Plus users, the Google Now integration works really well when it comes to remembering certain events. If you have added all of your friends on Google Plus, their birthdays will show up as cards on your Google Now screen on their birthday.

3. Setting Reminders

Google Now can also let you set reminders for certain tasks. You can simply speak into the phone the following "Remind me to do the dishes at 9 o'clock" and Google Now will remind you to do that task.

4. Calling people from your address book without typing their name

If you hate to lookup your contacts on your phone by typing then speaking their name might help you further embrace your laziness. Simply swipe up on the home button and open Google Now. Then, speak the caller's name to call him/her. For example, saying "Call John Appleseed" will call John Appleseed from your contacts.

5. Jot Down Ideas on the go

Very often we come across various ideas that we want to jot down or record but don't have time to do that. Google Now takes care of that with its notes feature. Swipe up on the home button and speak the following into the phone: "Note to self" followed by your idea. Google Now will then send your recorded message as an email to yourself. Cool huh?

6. Easter Egg

Open Google Now and say the following "Do A Barrell Roll". Go on, do it. It's fun!

Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.