Google maps the day

Many people start their day by reaching for their smartphones.迷你倉 They may want to know what the weather is like, how traffic conditions are to work and what appointments are due. Google knows that. "The perfect search engine would understand exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want," said Google co- founder and chief executive Larry Page. And this is the firm's mission: to manage the world's information. "What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?" Page asked. With the strong penetration of mobile devices in developed economies such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, many people look for the latest information. Google puts things together on Google Now, a platform to show and update information for users. The application was simply Google Search previously, but engineers at the California-based tech giant have brought together various bits of information via "display cards." They include birthday reminders, information of appointments, weather and traffic reports, and flight schedules. Users can check all the details they need on one personalized platform. However, Google did not aim to personalize Google Now, a platform that gives users the right information at the right time without even having to ask. "Users should be able to get crucial information about their day automatically and all together," said product management director Kentaro Tokusei. "This should be delivered seamlessly to the user at just the right time - like the perfect assistant." This is done by new technology called the Knowledge Graph, which has changed the way Google understands what users are asking for. Information sharing is one of the keys. And for Google Now, users don't have to customize the layout. Once they log on to their Google account, be it Gmail, Google+ or Hangouts, their searches are recorded and Google Now will be customized according to the searches they perform. That means search is one of the core parts of this integrated platform. Integration also extends to software for work. Google Keep is one of the latest apps that makes work much easier for people on the go. You can take notes and photos, create lists and make voice recordings with Google Keep. Of course, there are similar applications doing the same things but what makes Keep more attractive is that you can sync all your information, notes and recordings across all your devices under the same Google account. So you never have to write those things twice. The best sharing feature is probably Google Drive, cloud storage for every Google user. Gmail currently is giving 30 gigabytes of storage shared across Google+ and Google Drive. You can pay for more storage, too. It will save a lot of time in sending things to devices, while users don't have to worry about文件倉losing their flash drives. Google Docs, which works on mobile devices and browsers for desktop or notebook computers, is another application for productivity. It allows multiple users to edit documents simultaneously shared over the Google platform. However, there is one important factor about all these applications, said Vince Wu, senior product manager of Chrome OS. "Nowadays, everyone goes online almost every time they turn to their devices or notebooks," said Wu, who sees a great need to blend browsers with operating systems. This is where Chromebook comes in. The notebook computer runs on an operating system solely based on Chrome - the web browser developed by Google. "While web platform is getting more powerful, web-based applications will be more popular," Wu said. "Chrome OS can very much accommodate that by making these apps feel like native ones." Google continues to improve both Chrome as a browser and its OS, Wu said. The software is updated every six weeks - automatically - for the best performance. The browser is 40 percent faster - on both desktops and mobile devices - than when it was launched. And it will get even faster. Wu also mentioned security. "We paid people to hack Chrome and give us feedback. So far, we have given out US$2 million (HK$15.6 million)." He said such campaigns help Google to make the applications much safer. But we can't simply rely on the device itself to be secure. Users have a responsibility to protect themselves. So Google has set up a Good To Know website (google.com/goodtoknow) to offer tips on staying safe and secure online. There are also other services that help make web use wiser and more effective. For travelers, flight status is available on Google Now, along with local times and a currency reference. Google Translate helps solve language problems. Besides voice search for translation, the application can even translate characters from images. For example, users can turn on the camera option on the electronic translator and take the image. Then they can swipe across the words they are looking up. The app recognizes and translates the words. Google hosted "A Day with Google," an event showcasing its applications and the latest developments in its products to the public in Taipei over the weekend. Products were demonstrated in eight different themed zones. Google Maps was shown in a setting of the Taipei Metro station. The use of YouTube in kitchen and gym settings was shown. Demonstrators showed how to play with Google Now, Google Cultural Institute and Google Docs, along with Google Keep, in the bedroom, the sitting room and the study room. There were also settings of a resort in Bali and a bank vault for displaying Google Translate and the Good To Know website. tony.liaw@singtaonewscorp.com 存倉