Google will now display info on Google Now cards from apps like RunKeeper, Jawbone, Feedly and 67 other apps, reports The Verge. After google started adding third party Android apps to Google Now cards in January, it has expanded the number of apps, which now totals to 110. The goal of the cards, including Google’s own, is to display time sensitive relevant information. The update is available via APKMirror as well as Google Play.
Cards trump notifications
The Verge reports adds that apps like YouTube, TuneIn radio and Spotify can recommend playlists based on listening history, fitness apps like Jawbone and Adidas will remind users of daily goals and news apps will provide breaking news cards from Circa, Feedly and ABC News. Even reservation apps like OpenTable will enable restaurant payment with a tap. Google mentions that cards will prove better helpful over regular notifications in order to push relevant data at the right time.
Dine, drive, read, learn, get stuff done
Some of the new integrations include popular apps like Spotify, AllRecipes, Zipcar, Google Express, Indeed, Lumosity, Gaana, Kotak Mahindra Bank, mIndicator (Mumbai local trains), Cleartrip, Wynk, Quikr NXT, Wunderlist, Any.do, Foodpanda, Airbnb, Shazam, Ebay, Duolingo, The Economist, Runtastic, Housing, ICICI, Shaadi.com, Economic Times and BookMyShow.
The Verge adds that although we do not know how much personal information is being accessed by Google through the new feature, since Google Now can now access and analyse users’ third party info too. Wired reports that Google Now would like to be the place users start on their phones, “the first place you go to do everything”.
Semantic-search tech with knowledge base
Google Now was released in 2012 and was previously codenamed Majel after Star Trek creator American actress and producer Majel Barrett, who was the well known voice of computer systems in the Star Trek franchise. It is embedded into the Google Search app, recognising repeated actions (driving to work, calendar appointments, search queries etc) to display relevant info in the form of cards. It uses Knowledge Graph, a semantic-search info gathering knowledge base. Now also displays Google’s famed easter eggs on mobile through voice searches for queries like “what does the fox say”, “what is the loneliest number”, “Beam me up, Scotty!” and “do a barrel roll” among others.
