Perhaps, we’ve all been stuck one time or another in this scenario: Calling it a day at work a few hours late than usual or a little bit groggy from last night’s partying, then taking on a bus ride dead tired and sleeping it off for a while — only to realize much later that home is already halfway past. That’s where Google Now comes in, your new alarm clock on the go.
People at Google must have known this problem all too well, which is why it launched an alarm feature intended to wake up those sleepy heads in commute just before they reach their destination, says research.
Android’s Google Now offers an integrated alarm for locations saved by the user such as home and office or work, whether the commuter is on the bus, train or other forms of transport. Simply open the alarm feature and it will show a suggestion of the approximate place and time to hop off the public transport, or when to reach the destination. Tap the alarm app icon to enable the alert, and the user never misses any stop anymore. To disable the alarm app, simply tap it again. That easy.
Understandably, the mileage may vary from time to time, considering that public transportation is actually not accessible in all areas, as per various researches. Also, this alarm feature is only based on and for transportation as well as only functional within the Google Now app. Meaning, the normal alarm clock application within Android is still separate.
Google Now has been constantly beefing up its features, providing more assistance to its users when it comes to getting particular information anytime they want or need it. Whether it’s about the weather, traffic conditions or about sports, it has been a one-tap shop for quick information.
Information gathered is organized automatically into relevant cards for the user, so the user can simply go back to it anytime. Information are sorted into cards such as boarding pass, activity summary, next appointment, traffic and transit, weather, restaurant reservations, friend’s birthdays, location or event reminders, movies, stocks, developing story & breaking news, new books, new video games and translation, among others.
Based on gathered reports, it remains unclear if the alarm clock feature of Google Now is available in all Android devices or for all Android users, and if it would also be rolled out on Apple’s iPhone handsets. That’s something to look forward to in the days to come.
