14 DAY TRIAL // In the wake of Apple releasing the smarter Proactive Siri, Google has also demonstrated during an event in Paris an unannounced but very interesting feature of Google Now.
According to the folks at Android Police, the new feat is called Location Aware Search and is an incredibly smart function, as it allows users to ask questions without specifying an exact location (by address or otherwise) or giving a proper name and still get a relevant and, most importantly, “correct” answer.
Google Now will reportedly be able to use your location and understand when you refer to a certain building. So if you are in Paris, sitting next to the Louvre Museum and ask “What is this museum?” the app will be able to discern what you meant by “this museum” and will offer you the right answer.
According to a Reddit post, the feature has been quietly announced and is already available to some folks in the United States. In the tweet below, you can also check out a demonstrative video from the Paris conference.
While we wait for Google to provide us with more details about the new Location Aware Search feature via a blog post or something similar, here’s a list of questions Google Now is now able to answer:
- What is this museum?
- When does this restaurant open?
- How tall is this? (when standing next to a tower)
- When was this built? (for monuments)
- What's the name of this church?
- What's the phone number for this pharmacy?
Location Aware Search is live unannounced feature in Google Search App. Ask about things nearby without naming them pic.twitter.com/ML7APC6Msc
— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 9, 2015