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If that is true and is adopted by app-developers in a non-spammy and non-annoying way I might actually start using it. So far Google Now has only been Google u

If that is true and is adopted by app-developers in a non-spammy and non-annoying way I might actually start using it. So far Google Now has only been Google using up my battery to tell me that my way home, will still take me 20 minutes by car, despite me having exclusively used the subway since before I signed up for Google apps. The one thing it does, it does wrong. That's a 100% failure-rate. I don't know how much it has cost Google, but so far I would definitely rate it not worth it.

JamesBaxter 12y ago
Does this setting not work for you? [0] Google Now is really powerful in London, it seems to integrate with Transport For London well. [0]http://www.droid-life.com/2013/02/13/new-google-now-allows-you-to-specify-mode-of-transportation-for-commutes-or-other-trips/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/02/13/new-google-now-allows-y...
- josteink 12y ago
  I can't find it. I guess it doesn't exist anymore.
fmorel 12y ago
If you press the overflow button on the card, you can tell it you ride transit. If your transit system integrates with Google Maps, it will show that instead.
- icebraining 12y ago
  (Not the parent poster) I've told it multiple times that I ride transit. Occasionally it shows me the time tables for the closest transit stops, which is marginally useful, but it still tells me the driving directions to home each and every day.
  - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
    That's the problem with expert systems - they have no reason to train on outliers like you (and me). They get far better statistics by suggesting the most common solution to everybody - occams razor. So every search engine gives me links to buy a ticket or check a flight, when I search for keywords about aeronautics. Want to find a motherboard spec sheet? Get 100 links to where to buy motherboards. And guess what I see when I search for mathematical models?
    - commandar 12y ago
      >That's the problem with expert systems - they have no reason to train on outliers like you (and me). I had to ride a shuttle between campus and an offsite parking lot for about 8 months while construction was going on at work. The shuttle actually drove a couple of miles past where it'd make sense to head toward my apartment and then I'd have to loop back around in a pretty non-obvious way when I got to my car. Google Now figured this out within a couple of weeks of when I started riding the shuttle and would show my route accordingly. I was actually kind of shocked it managed that without any active input on my end. Short version being, it does seem be be a matter of development focus if the by-car side of things is that good.
    - pjc50 12y ago
      outliers This is very city and country-dependent. In Europe, car commuters aren't an overwhelming majority. The figure for the UK is 57% commuting by car.
tokenizerrr 12y ago
I haven't ever been able to activate Google Now even. It occasionally tells me about the weather, but that's it... edit: Oh, apparently > Note: Some features, such as Gmail Now cards, aren't available when using Google Now with a Google Apps account. Well, that's just useless.
saiya-jin 12y ago
one of the first things I disable on new android phone (well, i have my second :))
TeMPOraL 12y ago
Blame your city, not Google. AFAIK in my city, public transport authorities signed some kind of exclusivity deal with a route-planning startup, and they don't give bus/tram timetables to Google. Maybe where you live there is a similar deal? The startup itself is not that bad, but having this data available in Google Maps and Google now would be strictly better. I've experienced this in Hanover once and I know how cool it is.
- kirushik 12y ago
  In my city (Nuremberg, Germany) Google seems to ignore the very fact the subway is operating in the city (and it's 40+ years there). The stations are not on the map, and that's it.
- LunaSea 12y ago
  A city shouldn't have to deal with Google. Google is a company and should provide a reasonable service or no service at all.
  - TeMPOraL 12y ago
    Google needs timetable data, and since they're a company, they can't just go and scrap the timetables from the official website and call it a day. They have to arrange for whoever runs the public transport system to provide this data, and sometimes the city refuses.
    - LunaSea 12y ago
      For Google Maps, they used satellite imaging and cars with cameras. They didn't ask the government to give them the information / data besides the necessary permits. A company can't just expect that the data holders will blindly comply with them because the result would be an improvement over the current solution.
      - maxerickson 12y ago
        Google Maps makes huge use of government data (particularly in the US where the government makes detailed imagery available under a free license). I'm also confused what your point is. TeMPOraL expressed an opinion but having this data available in Google Maps and Google now would be strictly better. That isn't a forceful argument that cities must comply with the demands of Google, but you seem to be answering it as if it were. Using your words, it's a lamentation that Google provides no service at all.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
jaredhansen 12y ago
>So far Google Now has only been Google using up my battery to tell me that my way home, will still take me 20 minutes by car, despite me having exclusively used the subway since before I signed up for Google apps. Suggestion: Go into the google app on your phone, tap the menu button and tap Customize==>Everything else==>How do you Usually Get around? Set to Public Transit and save. Done.
figseed 12y ago
I understand the frustration of Google Now not noticing you're riding public transit and automatically learning your preferences, but I'm using Google Now and it defaults to telling me public transit times just fine. If you're using Lollipop, just above the travel time card there should be a small ellipsis icon (...) where you can change your preferred travel method to biking, driving, walking, public transit or tell it you don't care about travel times at all. It even lets you configure preferred routes if you take PT. Also, travel time is only one of the features of Google Now, it can tell you current weather, nearby dining and entertainment, upcoming appointments, travel information such as flight data for trips it has learned about through gmail or your calendar. I'm not saying Google Now is great and that you should use it, whether or not it has enough value is completely dependent on your use-case. But if you're having a 100% failure rate, it's likely due to configuration or exclusivity agreements as mentioned in other comments. (Unless your phone isn't running Lollipop which would be a completely different conversation)
- cssmoo 12y ago
  100% failure rate here. It is convinced I work at McDonalds despite setting my work address to home. At least I always know how far I am away from a Big Mac.
  - kbenson 12y ago
    There's a goldmine of jokes there. :) I think the work identification routine is probably pretty simple. Determine home by where the phone spends a long stasis/charging period, likely overnight, and then find the most common recurring location that visited during the day during weekdays over a prior period. It's probably good for the vast majority of people.
    - cssmoo 12y ago
      I think you're right. It's not coincidental that after Mr Postman delivered it and I set it up, I immediately went and had lunch in McDonalds. It appears that it doesn't understand that I could possibly work from home and went to lunch that one day and its heuristics are broken in some way. I've turned it off now and I'm happy (plus I get another hour or so out of the battery)
s73v3r 12y ago
You know you can tell it whether you're using car, bike, walk, or public transit, right?

JamesBaxter 12y ago

Does this setting not work for you? [0] Google Now is really powerful in London, it seems to integrate with Transport For London well. [0]http://www.droid-life.com/2013/02/13/new-google-now-allows-you-to-specify-mode-of-transportation-for-commutes-or-other-trips/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/02/13/new-google-now-allows-y...

josteink 12y ago
I can't find it. I guess it doesn't exist anymore.

fmorel 12y ago

If you press the overflow button on the card, you can tell it you ride transit. If your transit system integrates with Google Maps, it will show that instead.

icebraining 12y ago
(Not the parent poster) I've told it multiple times that I ride transit. Occasionally it shows me the time tables for the closest transit stops, which is marginally useful, but it still tells me the driving directions to home each and every day.
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  That's the problem with expert systems - they have no reason to train on outliers like you (and me). They get far better statistics by suggesting the most common solution to everybody - occams razor. So every search engine gives me links to buy a ticket or check a flight, when I search for keywords about aeronautics. Want to find a motherboard spec sheet? Get 100 links to where to buy motherboards. And guess what I see when I search for mathematical models?
  - commandar 12y ago
    >That's the problem with expert systems - they have no reason to train on outliers like you (and me). I had to ride a shuttle between campus and an offsite parking lot for about 8 months while construction was going on at work. The shuttle actually drove a couple of miles past where it'd make sense to head toward my apartment and then I'd have to loop back around in a pretty non-obvious way when I got to my car. Google Now figured this out within a couple of weeks of when I started riding the shuttle and would show my route accordingly. I was actually kind of shocked it managed that without any active input on my end. Short version being, it does seem be be a matter of development focus if the by-car side of things is that good.
  - pjc50 12y ago
    outliers This is very city and country-dependent. In Europe, car commuters aren't an overwhelming majority. The figure for the UK is 57% commuting by car.

tokenizerrr 12y ago

I haven't ever been able to activate Google Now even. It occasionally tells me about the weather, but that's it... edit: Oh, apparently > Note: Some features, such as Gmail Now cards, aren't available when using Google Now with a Google Apps account. Well, that's just useless.

saiya-jin 12y ago

one of the first things I disable on new android phone (well, i have my second :))

TeMPOraL 12y ago

Blame your city, not Google. AFAIK in my city, public transport authorities signed some kind of exclusivity deal with a route-planning startup, and they don't give bus/tram timetables to Google. Maybe where you live there is a similar deal? The startup itself is not that bad, but having this data available in Google Maps and Google now would be strictly better. I've experienced this in Hanover once and I know how cool it is.

kirushik 12y ago
In my city (Nuremberg, Germany) Google seems to ignore the very fact the subway is operating in the city (and it's 40+ years there). The stations are not on the map, and that's it.
LunaSea 12y ago
A city shouldn't have to deal with Google. Google is a company and should provide a reasonable service or no service at all.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  Google needs timetable data, and since they're a company, they can't just go and scrap the timetables from the official website and call it a day. They have to arrange for whoever runs the public transport system to provide this data, and sometimes the city refuses.
  - LunaSea 12y ago
    For Google Maps, they used satellite imaging and cars with cameras. They didn't ask the government to give them the information / data besides the necessary permits. A company can't just expect that the data holders will blindly comply with them because the result would be an improvement over the current solution.
    - maxerickson 12y ago
      Google Maps makes huge use of government data (particularly in the US where the government makes detailed imagery available under a free license). I'm also confused what your point is. TeMPOraL expressed an opinion but having this data available in Google Maps and Google now would be strictly better. That isn't a forceful argument that cities must comply with the demands of Google, but you seem to be answering it as if it were. Using your words, it's a lamentation that Google provides no service at all.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

jaredhansen 12y ago

>So far Google Now has only been Google using up my battery to tell me that my way home, will still take me 20 minutes by car, despite me having exclusively used the subway since before I signed up for Google apps. Suggestion: Go into the google app on your phone, tap the menu button and tap Customize==>Everything else==>How do you Usually Get around? Set to Public Transit and save. Done.

figseed 12y ago

I understand the frustration of Google Now not noticing you're riding public transit and automatically learning your preferences, but I'm using Google Now and it defaults to telling me public transit times just fine. If you're using Lollipop, just above the travel time card there should be a small ellipsis icon (...) where you can change your preferred travel method to biking, driving, walking, public transit or tell it you don't care about travel times at all. It even lets you configure preferred routes if you take PT. Also, travel time is only one of the features of Google Now, it can tell you current weather, nearby dining and entertainment, upcoming appointments, travel information such as flight data for trips it has learned about through gmail or your calendar. I'm not saying Google Now is great and that you should use it, whether or not it has enough value is completely dependent on your use-case. But if you're having a 100% failure rate, it's likely due to configuration or exclusivity agreements as mentioned in other comments. (Unless your phone isn't running Lollipop which would be a completely different conversation)

cssmoo 12y ago
100% failure rate here. It is convinced I work at McDonalds despite setting my work address to home. At least I always know how far I am away from a Big Mac.
- kbenson 12y ago
  There's a goldmine of jokes there. :) I think the work identification routine is probably pretty simple. Determine home by where the phone spends a long stasis/charging period, likely overnight, and then find the most common recurring location that visited during the day during weekdays over a prior period. It's probably good for the vast majority of people.
  - cssmoo 12y ago
    I think you're right. It's not coincidental that after Mr Postman delivered it and I set it up, I immediately went and had lunch in McDonalds. It appears that it doesn't understand that I could possibly work from home and went to lunch that one day and its heuristics are broken in some way. I've turned it off now and I'm happy (plus I get another hour or so out of the battery)

s73v3r 12y ago

You know you can tell it whether you're using car, bike, walk, or public transit, right?