

Google Now for the web: Google testing a much more data-heavy home page - dbin78
http://venturebeat.com/2013/04/22/google-now-for-the-web-google-testing-a-much-more-data-heavy-home-page/

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raldi
_> It has also conveniently been scheduled for “retirement.” In an
announcement dated April 8, just a couple of weeks ago, Google said it will
retire iGoogle on November 1, 2013. The reason? A Google Now-like experience
on mobile._

Take off your conspiracy hat. The iGoogle shutdown wasn't announced "just a
couple of weeks ago"; it was announced last July:

[http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/spring-cleaning-in-
su...](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/spring-cleaning-in-summer.html)

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Adaptive
(Obligatory "as a former Google fan" header)

When Google isn't making my skin crawl / fists clench in fury lately, they are
making me scratch my head.

Why on earth isn't Google Now, easily one of the most amazing things they've
done recently and hugely competitive give how much big-data crunching and user
profiling it requires, available as a widget on Android? Why is there no Now
api that other apps can push cards to?

Why is there no Google Now launcher?

Now still feels like some interesting parallel world on Android (while Google+
feels like some uninteresting parallel world everywhere else).

~~~
litewulf
I think making Now API-interactable would just beg for spammy popups. Mobile
is already a maelstrom of apps trying to promote themselves, or getting paid
to promote others.

~~~
joenathan
That's a bad argument against an API, spammy apps are going to spam no matter
what.

A Google Now API would be awesome.

~~~
r00fus
Isn't handling of spam a major product hurdle for any public data interface?

Requires addressing in angles regarding security, UX, and performance at the
very least.

~~~
joenathan
Google already has a system in place for managing apps and services' access to
your account[1]. Not to mention if you install crappy apps you are already
going to have issues[2]. People need to be careful of what they install and
give access to their account, I can't see how a Google Now API would make this
problem worse.

[1][http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&a...](http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=41236)

[2][http://www.androidguys.com/2012/02/28/airpush-ad-network-
con...](http://www.androidguys.com/2012/02/28/airpush-ad-network-continues-to-
grow-cough-spam-on-the-android-platform/)

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nissimk
Why does google now tell me how long it will take to get home when I'm on my
way to work? Is it just messing with me?

~~~
veb
I find it hilarious. Apparently I'm supposed to go home from work at 11am!

Timezones Google.

~~~
davorak
I never would have guessed this was a problem for some people, it has not
gotten my wrong yet.

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anigbrowl
Meanwhile I can't see it at all on my Android 2.3 device, even though I have
had voice search on there for years, all the clever stuff seems to be taking
place server-side, and I already get push notifications for calendar etc..

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Mahn
Wow, I expected to see Google Now integrated within Chrome somehow, but
betting for the homepage is even bigger.

