Google web search gets Now functionality

Those on newer versions of Android are likely very familiar with Google Now, the increasingly more functional personal assistant for phones and tablets. Google has ambitions for this service that move beyond the mobile market and onto your computer via the company's website.

"Ever had trouble checking your flight’s status on the go because it meant digging through your email for the flight number? Or wanted to just quickly see whether your package would arrive on time, without having to look up the tracking info first? You’ve told us it would be much easier if you could skip the fuss and just ask Google", says Roy Livne, Product Manager at Google.

Initial Now-style functionality will include flights, reservations, purchases, plans and photos. For instance, you can ask Google for photos of trees and it will search your uploaded Google+ images for results. Ask for your plans and get a summary of upcoming flights, hotels, restaurant reservations and events -- very useful if you’re traveling. The service will search your Gmail, Google Calendar or Google+ to produce these results.

This new feature will be rolling out over the next few days to all US users. It will work, not only by typed commands, but also with voice. This is the tip of what could be a rather large iceberg.

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