Google has updated its Google Search app for iOS to include Google Now. For those of you not familiar with the product, Google Now is an intelligent search assistant that uses natural language input and a card-based system to serve you information. Many tech experts feel that Google Now is a much more powerful and effective alternative to Apple’s Siri product. While there are certainly similarities, I believe that the products are different enough that a direct comparison is somewhat inaccurate. In practical terms, I’ve gotten way more mileage out of Google Now on my Android devices than Siri on my iOS devices.
Here’s a clip from Google’s blog with additional info:
Google Now is about giving you just the right information at just the right time. It can show you the day’s weather as you get dressed in the morning, or alert you that there’s heavy traffic between you and your butterfly-inducing date—so you’d better leave now! It can also share news updates on a story you’ve been following, remind you to leave for the airport so you can make your flight and much more. There’s no digging required: cards appear at the moment you need them most—and the more you use Google Now, the more you get out of it.
Due to the way Apple manages notifications and background processes, Google Now for iOS is slightly less powerful than its Android counterpart. It currently lacks some of the cards found in the Android version too. That said, it’s still a very powerful information tool and I recommend giving it a go.
If you play around with Google Now of iOS on your iPhone or iPad, I’d love to hear about your experience with it in the comments section.
I dl’d on my iphone but i can only use it for searching right? Not to text or call someone?
Yeah, it’s a search assistant. I don’t think Apple would allow a third-party app to have that much access to those functions. For example, look at the gimped Google Voice for iOS.
Ugh! I use dragon dictation but it doesnt accurately choose the contact or spell my text/email properly
Apple’s voice input has been decent for me, but I don’t do anything too complex with it. Google’s is actually better. Sometimes I wish I could pick and choose the parts of each OS I like and meld it into one.