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After listening to friends rave about Now and reading so many positive comments online I really wanted to like it. I've been using it for a few months and my ex

After listening to friends rave about Now and reading so many positive comments online I really wanted to like it. I've been using it for a few months and my experience is significantly worse than what others have reported. It always seems to show me notifications for the wrong information at the wrong time. Take directions. I work at a coworking space 4 miles from my home. The hours I'm there vary. Now seems to try predicting when I'm going to leave and shows me directions home. Its timing is never correct and I don't need directions for a route I drive all the time. I can only remember one instance of it correctly notified me of when to leave (with directions) for something on my calendar. Often it just shows directions without the "Leave Now" message. Sometimes it notifies me of the weather. Sometimes it doesn't. I haven't figured out that pattern yet. Overall it just doesn't seem to understand my usage patterns.

sahaskatta 14y ago
It doesn't work too well on the first day. Use it for a few days and it will begin to learn your habits.
- gee_totes 14y ago
  Not if you continually use public transportation. I go all over the place in NYC, and there doesn't seem to be a way to get the directions to default to public transportation. Having driving directions and traffic wait time when I don't have a car is kind of useless.
  - nedrichards 14y ago
    Press the i button in the top right hand corner of the card. Select 'Transportation Mode' from the expander. Select from Driving, Public Transport, Walking, Cycling etc.
    - mentat 14y ago
      Excellent, thank you so much for this. "Next train leaving in <x> minutes" is sweet.
  - chrisrhoden 14y ago
    I always use public transportation in Boston and configured it to show directions as such the first day I had it last fall. It's probably more useful if you use it this way because there are usually multiple possible routes to take and it gives a very good indication of when to walk out the door.
- alexobenauer 14y ago
  From their comment: I've been using it for a few months
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- dsirijus 14y ago
  He stated he used it for few months. I've been using it even longer, and, aside of few "ok, cool" moments, it is completely unusable piece of software. Deal breaker for me is - you can't rely on it as a weather app, you can't rely on it as reminder, as currency converter, and so on. Simply put, it's unreliable. And a bit scary to boot, but I don't mind that, seeing how incompetent it is.
- funkdobiest 14y ago
  Unless you work as Taxi driver, or Messenger.
kyrra 14y ago
Guessing random working hours are hard for any algorithm. I wouldn't really hold that against google. As well, the directions to common destinations is more about knowing what traffic will be like and if you should take an alternate route. This is much more useful for those that commute farther.
moskie 14y ago
> I work at a coworking space 4 miles from my home. The hours I'm there vary. Followed by: > Overall it just doesn't seem to understand my usage patterns. It sounds like that's because there isn't a pattern, at least in the case of your commute. You should just configure it to not try to show you those directions.
- jfoster 14y ago
  I think one of the philosophies behind Now is that you don't need to configure it. Through it having access to your calendar, email, and searches, it is supposed to be clever. It'll probably get better in future, but if users have to configure it, then it's currently failing.
- julianz 14y ago
  You can't. I work from home and Now has decided that I work at the vegetable shop nearest to my house (because I visit there often I guess), and it has assigned it the location name "Work". You cannot delete this location. You can rename it, but that won't stop Now from suggesting that you drive there. If there was a bit more control it would be fantastic.
  - mmcnickle 14y ago
    In Now app, go to Settings | My Stuff | Places | Work. You can edit the address in there.
51Cards 14y ago
"... I don't need directions for a route I drive all the time." It's not just about directions, it's about traffic as well. When it maps a regular drive for me it also factors in traffic delays.
- hnriot 14y ago
  Yes, but today as I was leaving work it told me there was heavy traffic. There wasn't any way to reroute so I used google maps and this time it told me traffic was light and gave a different commute time. All happened within a minute so it seems unlikely that it was right in the middle of updating traffic conditions. I drove the usual way and the traffic was normal. So I'm not sure what its up to.
bsimpson 14y ago
I quit my job and started freelancing from home last year, but there's no way to delete a work address in Google Now (only to change it).
- lucian1900 14y ago
  You could maybe change it to be the same as your home address.
  - GilbertErik 14y ago
    Having tried that myself, I discovered your suggestion causes Google Now to go a little cuckoo. It spent a week trying to suggest that I work at our local grocery store because I went there one morning for coffee, milk, and lunch ingredients. Then when I met up with some associates at a coworking spot, it tried recommending that I drive home to the grocery store. :-?
    - hmottestad 14y ago
      Brilliant. I recommend a real, living, breathing assistant for you then. You can hire one cheap online from India.
      - GilbertErik 14y ago
        ...but then I'd have to send them my phone. ;-)
        GilbertErik 14y ago
        ...and then I'd have to have the person in India with my phone turn on mock locations, and then be constantly borrowing someone else's phone. I'd probably have to get another personal assistant here in the U.S. to follow me around so I can borrow their phone and task them with updating where I am to the resource I hire in India.
      - deleted 14y ago
bsimpson 14y ago
I had plans in G+ to go to the Exploratorium at 2:00 on Saturday. I finished brunch early, so I arrived at 1:30. Google Now interrupted me at 1:45 to remind me to go to the Exploratorium.
- mpowered 14y ago
  Are you really complaining that it can't read your mind?
  - uptown 14y ago
    It sounds like he's complaining that it was telling him to go somewhere he already was.
    - hamax 14y ago
      But being in the same building doesn't mean he was already there. When I'm at work I still want a reminder for a meeting.
      - recursive 14y ago
        He wasn't going to the exploratorium for a meeting. I'm not sure what the solution is, or if there is one, but the point is that it was not useful.
        mynameisvlad 14y ago
        It was in a calendar (this case G+). It's not going to know you don't want a reminder for something because it's not a human and it can't read your mind. I'd rather have it remind me of things that I don't want to be reminded of than not be reminded of things I do.
        bsimpson 14y ago
        It was a Google+ event with about 100 people invited. It felt like it was a cached notification that didn't realize I had already arrived.

sahaskatta 14y ago

It doesn't work too well on the first day. Use it for a few days and it will begin to learn your habits.

gee_totes 14y ago
Not if you continually use public transportation. I go all over the place in NYC, and there doesn't seem to be a way to get the directions to default to public transportation. Having driving directions and traffic wait time when I don't have a car is kind of useless.
- nedrichards 14y ago
  Press the i button in the top right hand corner of the card. Select 'Transportation Mode' from the expander. Select from Driving, Public Transport, Walking, Cycling etc.
  - mentat 14y ago
    Excellent, thank you so much for this. "Next train leaving in <x> minutes" is sweet.
- chrisrhoden 14y ago
  I always use public transportation in Boston and configured it to show directions as such the first day I had it last fall. It's probably more useful if you use it this way because there are usually multiple possible routes to take and it gives a very good indication of when to walk out the door.
alexobenauer 14y ago
From their comment: I've been using it for a few months
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
dsirijus 14y ago
He stated he used it for few months. I've been using it even longer, and, aside of few "ok, cool" moments, it is completely unusable piece of software. Deal breaker for me is - you can't rely on it as a weather app, you can't rely on it as reminder, as currency converter, and so on. Simply put, it's unreliable. And a bit scary to boot, but I don't mind that, seeing how incompetent it is.
funkdobiest 14y ago
Unless you work as Taxi driver, or Messenger.

kyrra 14y ago

Guessing random working hours are hard for any algorithm. I wouldn't really hold that against google. As well, the directions to common destinations is more about knowing what traffic will be like and if you should take an alternate route. This is much more useful for those that commute farther.

moskie 14y ago

> I work at a coworking space 4 miles from my home. The hours I'm there vary. Followed by: > Overall it just doesn't seem to understand my usage patterns. It sounds like that's because there isn't a pattern, at least in the case of your commute. You should just configure it to not try to show you those directions.

jfoster 14y ago
I think one of the philosophies behind Now is that you don't need to configure it. Through it having access to your calendar, email, and searches, it is supposed to be clever. It'll probably get better in future, but if users have to configure it, then it's currently failing.
julianz 14y ago
You can't. I work from home and Now has decided that I work at the vegetable shop nearest to my house (because I visit there often I guess), and it has assigned it the location name "Work". You cannot delete this location. You can rename it, but that won't stop Now from suggesting that you drive there. If there was a bit more control it would be fantastic.
- mmcnickle 14y ago
  In Now app, go to Settings | My Stuff | Places | Work. You can edit the address in there.

51Cards 14y ago

"... I don't need directions for a route I drive all the time." It's not just about directions, it's about traffic as well. When it maps a regular drive for me it also factors in traffic delays.

hnriot 14y ago
Yes, but today as I was leaving work it told me there was heavy traffic. There wasn't any way to reroute so I used google maps and this time it told me traffic was light and gave a different commute time. All happened within a minute so it seems unlikely that it was right in the middle of updating traffic conditions. I drove the usual way and the traffic was normal. So I'm not sure what its up to.

bsimpson 14y ago

I quit my job and started freelancing from home last year, but there's no way to delete a work address in Google Now (only to change it).

lucian1900 14y ago
You could maybe change it to be the same as your home address.
- GilbertErik 14y ago
  Having tried that myself, I discovered your suggestion causes Google Now to go a little cuckoo. It spent a week trying to suggest that I work at our local grocery store because I went there one morning for coffee, milk, and lunch ingredients. Then when I met up with some associates at a coworking spot, it tried recommending that I drive home to the grocery store. :-?
  - hmottestad 14y ago
    Brilliant. I recommend a real, living, breathing assistant for you then. You can hire one cheap online from India.
    - GilbertErik 14y ago
      ...but then I'd have to send them my phone. ;-)
      - GilbertErik 14y ago
        ...and then I'd have to have the person in India with my phone turn on mock locations, and then be constantly borrowing someone else's phone. I'd probably have to get another personal assistant here in the U.S. to follow me around so I can borrow their phone and task them with updating where I am to the resource I hire in India.
    - deleted 14y ago

bsimpson 14y ago

I had plans in G+ to go to the Exploratorium at 2:00 on Saturday. I finished brunch early, so I arrived at 1:30. Google Now interrupted me at 1:45 to remind me to go to the Exploratorium.

mpowered 14y ago
Are you really complaining that it can't read your mind?
- uptown 14y ago
  It sounds like he's complaining that it was telling him to go somewhere he already was.
  - hamax 14y ago
    But being in the same building doesn't mean he was already there. When I'm at work I still want a reminder for a meeting.
    - recursive 14y ago
      He wasn't going to the exploratorium for a meeting. I'm not sure what the solution is, or if there is one, but the point is that it was not useful.
      - mynameisvlad 14y ago
        It was in a calendar (this case G+). It's not going to know you don't want a reminder for something because it's not a human and it can't read your mind. I'd rather have it remind me of things that I don't want to be reminded of than not be reminded of things I do.
        bsimpson 14y ago
        It was a Google+ event with about 100 people invited. It felt like it was a cached notification that didn't realize I had already arrived.