Mobile System

For years, Google has been the top search engine in the world, holding over eighty percent market share in 2010. Google has stayed so popular because they have focused on keeping up with trends in technology, including getting into the Smartphone industry by purchasing the Android Operating System. Google is now trying to tailor all search results to every person individually to give their users more accurate results depending on what their interests are, and allowing businesses who choose to advertize with Google access to consumers who are directly interested in their products. They have recently decided to pair this idea with mobile computing by making and application called Google Now. Google Now is a mobile application built into Google’s Android Operation System that focuses on giving the user the information they want and it doesn’t require them to search. The application uses the web history from their phone, their Google e-mail history and their location to find what interest the consumer using the phone. If the user searches for the score to the Cleveland Cavaliers game, Google uses this information to keep the user informed of the Cleveland Cavaliers scores without the user needing to search. The app tells the user a Cavaliers game is in progress and what the score is. In addition, the app will tell the user when the Cavaliers are playing a game close to their locations and offers a one button option to even buy tickets for that game. If the user buys the tickets and opens their Gmail account for the confirmation e-mail, their phone will alert them when they should leave to make it to the game on time. It can inform the user of different transportation options including subway, bus, or car. Google Now will help the user organize their everyday life and make it easier to find new things that interest them. It can track and organize boarding passes, appointments, weather, traffic, flights, hotels, restaurant reservations, local events, package deliveries, birthdays, favorite sport teams, and movie times. All of this information is automatically organized into simple cards that appear just when they’re needed. Cards are ready whenever the user is ready so they can spend less time digging for the content. Cards are going to change based from the users decision of what is relevant information. This type of application has real streamlined the overwhelming options users have for content and planning because it filters out the content that isn’t relevant because it learns the user’s preferences.
Recently Google spoke about what is next for Google Now in future versions of Android. Google plans on looking more at context using the virtual assistant. This will offer answers and help users take action. Looking at context will inform Google Now to a much greater extent going forward and will allow users real time information. This new feature will be named “Google Now on Tap.” For example, the company showed an example demonstrating the user listening to Skrillex. Wondering what Skrillex’s real name was, the user was able to ask Google the question, “What is his real name?” Based on context, Google Now was able to determine that the “his” in the question related to Skrillex. Google is focused on the importance of context in Google Now going forward, the company offered up an example in which users wanted to see a picture of a food he did not know how to pronounce, based on looking at a menu for a restaurant. Instead of having to copy and paste the text, the user took a shot at pronouncing the food and asked Google what it looked like. Based on the context, Google was able to figure out what the user meant despite the pronunciation.
Google is also introducing a “tap and hold” feature in Android, enabling a user to hold down the home button in order to be offered Google Now information. For example, if a user gets an email about an upcoming movie from a friend, they can hold down the Android home button and Google will show the user times for the movie at the local theaters as well as reviews, actors and other information about the film. These new updates are scheduled to be part of the next version of Android, currently being called Android M. Google also provided details about this new version, showing off six improvements for the operating system. Users will enjoy being able to easily control app permissions as well as being able to better control audio from the drop-down menu in Android.

Reference
Looper, C. D. (2015, May). Google Previews Upcoming Google Now Features at I/O. Retrieved from http://www.techtimes.com/articles/56270/20150528/google-previews-upcoming-now-features-o.htm