Google has moved the PC one step closer to becoming a smartphone-like digital assistant with the addition of the personalised data card service Google Now to Chrome browsers. Google Now was previously only available as part of the Android and iOS Google Search Apps.
Google Now was a “predictive search” engine that remembers calendar appointments, weather updates for the home and work area via GPS, customised sports scores and transport previews to and from work and home addresses.
Google Now could also answer natural-language spoken questions such as “Where is the nearest pub?” and a map and directions to nearby pubs appeared, much like Apple’s Siri.
Features to be rolled out over the next few weeks included the option to configure Gmail, Google Drive and Hangouts alerts.
How to Turn On Google Now
PC or Mac users could access Google Now cards in Chrome’s notification centre, either at the top or bottom of the screen depending on whether the user used a Windows or OS X machine. Once they had signed into their Chrome account, a user could arrange their Chrome browser into a dashboard with their customised cards.
On Android devices the Google Now cards widget could be placed on the home or lock screen while Apple devices swiped upwards from the Google Search App.
Certain Google Now card data was based on the mobile device’s location and could interfere with the computer desktop’s location.
The same personalised setup was displayed on smartphones and PCs and laptops linked under the same Google account.
