You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Sometimes, it’s what you don’t say that matters. When asked at Google’s Big Tent Summit about when Google Now might show on the iPhone, the company’s Eric Schmidt told a questioner that he’ll “need to discuss that with Apple,” and that there was no certainty Apple would approve what Google sent. Conspicuously non-committal? You bet — but the statement also suggests that a Google Now release is just a question of whether or not Apple gives the thumbs up, not whether the iOS port exists at all. We’d add that the remarks sound eerily familiar. Schmidt was saying similar things about Apple’s responsibility when he downplayed the odds of a stand-alone Google Maps release for iOS, and we all know how that turned out. Skip forward to about 17:50 in the video at the source link for Schmidt’s own words.
Update: And the plot thickens. CNET is reporting that Apple hasn’t received a Google Now iOS app submission as of yet. C’mon guys — the queue can’t be that long.
Update 2: Google is also chiming in with confirmation that it hasn’t submitted Google Now to the App Store. Whether or not the app is real, it’s not in a state that would reach customers.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Apple, Google
Via: TechCrunch
iOS fans jealous of Jelly Bean’s creepy Google Now might finally have something to get excited about. An October update to the Google Search app finally delivered an updated voice recognition experience to Apple’s platform, but sadly alerts and contextual cards of data were nowhere to be seen. Of course, Mountain View has never been one to keep its wares to a single platform, and many expect that it’s only a matter of time before Now makes its proper debut on iOS. Those that like to dip their toes in both ponds might be interested in a video brought to our attention by a tipster earlier today.
The clip, embedded after the break, is allegedly a low resolution version of a promotional video for Google Now on iPhone and iPad. The video has since been pulled from YouTube and appears to feature the same voice actress as the original Now announcement (which you’ll also find after the break for comparison). Supposedly, Now will be accessible in an upcoming iOS app update simply by swiping up from the main screen. Of course, there’s always the chance that is an impressive fake or even a canceled project that’s only being leaked now. We’ve reached out to Google for comment, but even if the search giant remains silent, we’re confident the truth will be known soon enough.
[Thanks, Jason]
Google Now seems another step closer to arriving to the Chrome browser on Windows and Chrome platforms, thanks to yet another code spot by Chromium savant François Beaufort. He previously noticed hints that such a feature might arrive, and this time he espied it in a full-fledged Chrome beta release — sadly, sans the server address necessary to run it. Despite that omission, it looks ready to eerily track your life anew on non-Android devices, so if you’re in the mood to look at (but not touch) the new add-in, grab it at the more coverage link after the break.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Via: The Verge
Source: Chromium Code Reviews
Google Now holds a place for artwork, but it hasn’t had much visual variety outside of major cities — there’s only so many times you can see a generic mountain landscape before boredom sets in. To our (admittedly mild) relief, Google has quietly spiced up the area for certain users. At least some of us running Jelly Bean now see an optimized version of the latest Google Doodle while we’re busy dictating a search. Not everyone who’s technically capable is seeing the Doodle at this stage, so don’t be disheartened if there’s still a generic backdrop. If the daily image becomes more ubiquitous, though, we’ll have an extra reason to come back to Google Now for more than just weather or sports scores.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google
Source: Android Central
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Google already tipped its hand on this one, but those looking for some widgets with their Google Now can get their fix today with the latest update to the Google Search app for Android. In addition to letting you add a Now widget to either your home screen or lock screen, the update also adds ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and movie passes from Fandango (including a reminder for when you need to leave for the movie), as well as real estate listings from Zillow.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: Google Play, Official Android Blog
Mountain View has silently been updating Google Now for a while — throwing in a pedometer, some travel tools and even limited desktop support. A premature update to the feature’s support page has revealed what’s next: widgets. The proposed tool promises to give your Now cards a suitable abode on your device’s home or lock screens, presenting a summary of your card selection at a glance. A single tap will dive directly into the full Google Now experience, offering you a better look at the corresponding deets. We aren’t sure when or even how this feature will land, but it’s sure to be a welcome addition when it does. After all, it’s all about getting the right information at the right time.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google
Via: Android Central
Source: Google
This year’s Grammy Awards weren’t as packed with gadget advertising — gadvertising* — as the Super Bowl, but Microsoft and Google still coughed up to hawk their wares. The former wanted to demonstrate the productivity chops of the Surface Pro with a commercial that implies the device will cause your employees to breakdance involuntarily. Google, on the other hand, wanted to show off the powers of the Nexus 4 and Google Now to help you distinguish between fish and vegetables, in case the smell isn’t enough. Curious to know more? We’ve stashed the clips after the break.
* A term we just invented. Hollywood, call us.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Microsoft, Google
Google’s web browser might be creeping even closer to its mobile OS, with François Beaufort noting that the latest build of open-source Chromium for Windows has folded in some new “rich notifications”. These are easily enabled by dabbling with the chrome://flags component, and you’ll even get a look at the decidedly Chrome-ish pop-up box, seen above. The code elaborates on how devs can work their own notifications into the service, with the Clear All button presumably signposting that several notes can be stacked. We’re still dealing with the test iteration at the moment, but after those Google Now cards made their appearance, it makes sense to see more functions permeate Chrome — especially if you own one of their Books.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Via: TNW
Source: Francois Beaufort (Google+)
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