Look out, Siri. Google Now is now available on the iPhone and iPad.
Google Inc. announced Monday that its version of an online personal assistant,
originally introduced last summer for smartphones running the latest version of
its Android operating system, can now be used on Apple Inc. phones and tablets
where Apple's own Siri has charmed and occasionally frustrated millions of
users.
Siri and Google Now work differently, but each is designed to serve as a handy
starting point for answering questions and providing useful information to
people who use mobile computing gadgets to manage their daily lives.
While analysts say the voice-activated Siri could someday be a competitive
threat to Google's vaunted Internet search engine, Google's decision to offer
Google Now through the Apple iTunes store _ as an update to its Search
application _ is viewed as a challenge to Siri on its home turf.
Technically, Siri isn't a search engine, but it can search for information by
using Google and other online resources. It can also send messages and perform
other services in response to voice commands, although its occasional mistakes
can be unnerving for users.
Google Now relies more on text and pictures than spoken words, as it attempts to
deliver personalized information that's helpful even before a user requests it.
It proactively serves up brief reports on such topics as local weather, sports
scores, flight status updates, or driving directions to upcoming meetings _
based on what Google learns about users from their GPS location, recent Internet
searches, online calendar items, and emailed confirmations from airlines.
The two companies have been locked in a fierce rivalry for the attentions of
mobile-device users. Google's Android software is currently the most widely used
smartphone operating system in the world, and some of the most popular apps on
the iPhone are Google's Search, Maps and YouTube.
Apple has had mixed results in developing its own apps to compete. An Apple Maps
app was plagued with problems, but analysts say Siri could replace Google's
profitable, advertising-supported search engine for some consumers.
When asked for an opinion about Google Now, Siri told a reporter for The
Associated Press: "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather Google later."
Here's a preview:
___
(c)2013 San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)
Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
