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Watch Android Marshmallow turn home buttons into magic with Google Now on Tap [VIDEO]

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Google’s knowledge graph, combined with Google Now, is changing the way we think about search. Instead of reacting to direct questions we ask our devices through search engines, Google Now predicts what we want to know and when, delivering it right to our fingertips.

Google Now is already an amazing feature for Android users, but the newly announced Google Now on Tap integration may completely change the way you use your phone.

It’s that simple:

  • You’re in an Android app
  • You want to know something relevant to the current screen
  • You launch Google Now on Tap by holding the home button

You’ve just started the magic trick better known as Google Now on Tap and it takes only a split second for it to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. Now on Tap collects and interprets the data on your current screen, predicts what it is  you’ll want to know based on the context of that information, and present you with – hopefully – exactly what you’d want. Without even having to ask. It already knows.

Here are 3 examples of Google Now on Tap in action.

(1) Discussing what movie to watch, when, and where

google-now-on-tap-screens

(2) Texting about dinner plans

google-now-on-tap-restaurants

(3) Current curiousity (in this case, your music)

google-now-on-tap-music

 

As Google’s Knowledge Graph expands and more developers integrate with the new APIs, Now on Tap has the potential to become an outrageously powerful tool.

Think about it: how often are you inside a particular app, going about your merry mobile way, and something triggers a question or task for which you need to exit the app, conduct a search, or perform some other task to finish your thought? All. the. time.

Now (no pun intended) what if you just held the Home button down and Google automatically launched the answer for the question you were already intending to ask? Call me the king of laziness, but I’m pretty sure I’d smile with satisfaction every time my buddy Googs served up this mind-reading goodness on a silver platter.

google-now-on-tap-2

Initially the use cases of Google Now on Tap may be limited, but over time will grow. The concept is so simple, yet so brilliant, that a year from now we may be wondering how we lived without it (or why someone else didn’t think of it first).

Rob Jackson
I'm an Android and Tech lover, but first and foremost I consider myself a creative thinker and entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for ideas of all sizes. I'm a sports lover who cheers for the Orange (College), Ravens (NFL), (Orioles), and Yankees (long story). I live in Baltimore and wear it on my sleeve, with an Under Armour logo. I also love traveling... where do you want to go?

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23 Comments

  1. Watching porn.

    “Kleenex at Walmart, $1.99”

    1. Or… Locating girlfriend…

      1. Or…. Locating boyfriend… just saying

  2. Google Now has elevated from smart to genius! A more fitting name is Now on Roids.

  3. This is awesome. I wonder how well it will work if their is more text on the screen. The examples that the used only had a few words in them.

    1. Good question. I never thought about that.

  4. this is something i would use a lot!!! pretty cool

  5. Not working on initial “M” developers preview..at least not for me nor anyone I know…but it will be cool when it does!

  6. Seriously, this is big.

    1. Yeah.. a big way to serve you more ads.

      1. Ads that will display slowly on your new phone with a gimped processor. Trolling. Please don’t tell us about heat issues and throttling again for the 17th time.

  7. No Twenty One Pilots reference will go unnoticed by me!
    Blurryface FTW

  8. It just keeps getting better and better and smarter and smarter… Can’t wait

  9. Would it have been super hard to turn the guy and the camera so as to NOT have the terrible light glare on the screen? How was that missed? It is 2015, this is basic 101 filming kids stuff.

  10. Really cool but means Google read your text and email…sounds creppy .

    1. Then don’t opt in

    2. They already do, at least with this you’re reaping the benefits.

  11. BRUH!! OMG!! YESH!! YESH!! I have been WANTING THIS!! I’m so happy!! *cries*

  12. Hmm. I currently have Home-DoublePress acting as “Alt-Tab” to toggle between my last two active apps. Running out of keycombos.

    1. Have you tried LMT (like Pie controls, google “LMT XDA”)? You can have a button to ” go to last app”, super useful since back button won’t do that.

    2. one word: gestures!

      p.s. my phone has no capacitive buttons and i disabled the on screen ones.

  13. Any idea on how it will work on galaxy phones?

  14. Verizon: Can we add our splash logo before Google Now on Tap does its thing?

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