Google Now looks set to become integrated into the company’s Chrome browser and Chrome OS platform, if the findings of one Chromium user are to be believed. The Big G’s engineers have reportedly referenced such a feature in the most recent Chromium release, and Chromium enthusiast François Beaufort quickly latched onto the news.
A new flag has been spotted at the Chromium backend which allows users to activate Google Now, provided they know the required server details. At this point in time, the feature hasn’t gone public, and Google Now cannot yet be viewed. Nevertheless, the news is likely to appease those who’ve accustomed themselves to the very powerful Google Now on their Android device, and although we can only speculate on when the end-user might get a chance to use it within their Chrome browser or on Chrome OS, the search company’s development process seems a tad more efficient than that of rivals.
This news, while encouraging, doesn’t exactly come out of the blue. All the way back in December, Google added fuel to the already smoldering Google Now fire by adding a new notification center feature to its Chrome OS, which presented info in a rather beautiful, card-like fashion.
For the time being, it looks as though Google Now will only be enabled in Chrome for Windows, with version currently in sight for those on Apple’s OS X. If and when Google Now hits the official release channels, we would expect a Mac iteration to follow in due course, but considering how many more consumers run on a Windows machine versus a Mac, it’s not surprising that the priority lies with those on Microsoft’s operating system.
Google’s intelligent personal assistant has, in its short lifespan, made waves within the digital world. Popular Science named it as the “Innovation of the Year” for 2012, and if any company has the resources and product range to take take Google Now to the next dimension, it’s the Mountain View-based search giant.
If the notification center feature is indicative of things to come, we could be in for a real treat, and look forward to Google Now making its way to the Chrome family.
(via TheVerge)
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