Google has just announced a new feature for Google Now at the I/O conference in San Francisco. The feature is called “Now on tap” and what it basically does is show you contextual information in one single click.
Most often, it becomes quite difficult to access certain information or complete a task while you are in the middle of doing something else. This is where “now on tap” steps in. By making Google Now smarter, Google is now able to offer the user contextual information based on what you are doing just by tapping and holding the home button.
For example, if you take a look at the first image, you can see an email sent by a friend inviting you to join for a movie. If you tap and hold the home button, Google Now brings up a card with all the information and links you will need that are relevant to the movie. Information includes the movie ratings, links to the trailer, IMDB page and Flixter page. So you can watch the trailer or even buy tickets and simply return back to whatever it is you were doing.
If you are discussing with your friend about grabbing a lunch or having a party at a restaurant, users can use Google Now to directly get information about a restaurant. Google Now will bring up shortcuts to show directions to the particular restaurant and a shortcut to call the restaurant directly. You can also make reservations, read the menu or reviews using apps such as Yelp or OpenTable.
Another example is when you are using Spotify and listening to a particular song. You can simply say OK Google and ask “Who is the lead singer?”. You don’t have to specify the band’s name or even the song name. Google Now will identify the details and then answer your question directly. This saves users a lot of time and makes their lives easier.