Every child who had ever had the nightmare of going through a long road trip stuck into a cramped backseat - and perhaps every adult who ever had to go through the same thing - always asked the same thing.
"Are we there yet?"
As far as we know, no person has ever had the perfect response to the perfect question, but Google's automated smart personal assistant has. Google Now's response to the eternal road trip question can be found as an Easter Egg in Google Maps, or one of those cute, little tricks Google is fond of incorporating into its products to bring users a nice surprise.
This particular Easter Egg was discovered by Cody Toombs of Android Police, and he did not just write about it. He took all the effort to take a video of Google Now being as cheeky as Siri when asked the annoying question for the hundredth time, or in more realistic terms, for the fourth time.
The video shows Google Maps open on Toombs' HTC smartphone and has turn-by-turn navigation turned on. For users who are driving, Google Now would pop up every now and then to give directions about which way to turn at an intersection or if there is an exit coming up in a few miles. Most of the time, however, Google Now is like a good navigation assistant, staying quiet until the next bend or curve. That is, unless, annoying backseat riders decide to whine at Google Now.
The first tie Toombs asks Google Now, "Are we there yet?" the smart personal assistant gives him an estimated time period it will take before they reach their destination. The second and third times, Google Now replies with a clear, curt "no," which should have been enough to shut up anybody who doesn't want to get caught in the ire of Google Now. But Toombs is relentless, and he asked a fourth time, so Google Now has no choice but to put him down, like a parent disciplining a whiny child.
"If you ask me again, we won't stop for ice cream," Google Now replies tersely, referring to the iconic Chevy Chase line in National Lampoon's Vacation.
Of course, we can only go so far sulking at such a smart-alecky digital personal assistant, but like a cat who knows he is his owner's real master, Google Now just got more adorable than ever.
Check out the video from Android Police.
Photo: Eden, Janine and Jim | Flickr
