Google today launched its latest Android app that it is hoping will become an indispensable tool when we all go out and explore the big wide world.
In a similar way to how Google Now is aimed at giving users as much information at their fingertips as possible, Google’s new Field Trip app promises to keep people in the loop as they take themselves on a mini adventure. In fact, to some extent, Field Trip borrows from Google Now’s feature-set, which makes sense when an upcoming iOS release is considered.
So what exactly does Field Trip do?
Imagine you’re walking around a city you’re not familiar with. Field Trip will alert you when you are near a restaurant that it believes you will enjoy, or when you’re coming up on a store that you may want to visit. Field Trip monitors your location and then recommends events and destinations based on where you are, and what you like. It’s search, but now you don’t have to actually go through the bother of doing it yourself. Google’s Field Trip is essentially doing it in real time.
In order to recommend venues, Google has enlisted the help of companies like Zagat and Food Network when it comes to eateries, with Sunset and Inhabitant providing info on stores. Field Trip then packages all the info up and presents it to the user, keeping it all in one place and offering it up as and when you need it.
Right now, Field Trip appears to be a US-only affair, but hopefully the app will break free of North America’s borders soon enough. We’d love to use Field Trip when wandering around Paris, for example, or exploring the many restaurants of London. We’re sure Google is working on it, and we hope it’s working really, really hard!
With Google Now only available as part of Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, Field Trip gives users another way to experience the power of Google’s real time predictive searching systems. There’s something magical about your phone knowing what you want before even you do, and Field Trip certainly promises to offer that by the bucket load.
Field Trip is available to download on Android right now, with an iOS version not yet making an appearance on the App Store.
(Source: Field Trip for Android on Google Play)
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