Chat with your phone with Google Now
Google Now home page.(Photo: Google)HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — OK Google, when am I going to San Francisco?Where am I staying? Can you show me directions to get there? And where are some good Italian restaurants in the neighborhood? Many know that such questions can be posed to Google's computerized eyewear, Glass, but did you know you can have the same conversations and get on-the-money answers from Google simply by conversing with your smartphone?The under-the-radar feature is called Google Now. And while it's available once you download the free Google Search app for Android and Apple, it does work best with Android phones. More on that in a minute. (And a quick semantics note — the "Google Search" app got a new name on Android phones Tuesday, now it's just called "Google," while the name remains the same, for now, in the Apple App Store.)Once you sign up and register, Google guesstimates your interests with Google Now "cards" that show up in the Google app, spotlighting everything from weather, local movie showtimes, articles Google thinks you'll be interested and upcoming concert info.If you're worried about privacy and having Google know and track everything about you, then this isn't the app for you. But if you're an avid user of Google search, Gmail, Maps and Calendar, and don't mind having Google watching over you 24/7, then you'll probably get a kick out of Google Now.Google Now works when you are signed in to Google and using it a lot. For the new user, Google says it will take about a week for the search giant to learn your interests.The best first step is to begin by adjusting the settings in the search app, to tell Google of your interests.Want to hear about specific sports teams or stocks? Do you commute to work…
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