Google's Conversational Voice Search

I have quickly become a fan of Google Search. This 7.5 minute video shows the capabilities coming shortly to Chrome and currently present in Google Now for your mobile devices.


The video is part of the Google I/O Keynote from May 2013. If you want to watch the entire keynote (which is over 3 hours long), you can do so here.

From Outlook to Google Contacts

Since January 2002, Outlook has served as a very complete address book. Back then, most people maintained three address books: the pencil/paper one with names, addresses, and phone numbers; the one on their phones containing phone numbers; and the one in their email programs containing email addresses. I had only one, and it contained all of that information and more. Birthdays or anniversaries I recorded in Outlook Contacts showed up on the Outlook Calendar as repeating appointments. The large "notes" block gave me a place to put information about the person—names of their children, clothing sizes, account numbers for businesses, etc.

From those early days, everything in my Outlook Contacts synced with my Palm. When I migrated from the Palm to the BlackBerry, my Outlook Contacts synced seamlessly with this device as well.

When contemplating a move from BlackBerry to Android, I faced the same challenge with my contacts as I had with my calendar. How would I sync those contacts with this new mobile device? Just as with the calendar, the answer was move the contacts to Google Contacts. 

Introducing Google Contacts
My first interaction with Google Contacts came when my an update to my tablet introduced a native contacts app. The app would allow the user to merge all contacts from the contacts list, Facebook, and Twitter into one place. Contacts which appeared in multiple places were merged into one record with all of the contact information from all sources appearing together. The question on my plate was, "How am I going to get my Outlook Contacts into my tablet?" I downloaded a free program called "Google Sync." I wrote this post, which explains where to download the program, how to set it up, and how I used it with my tablet.

So, as I started planning a move from BlackBerry to Android, I was already a step ahead. My Outlook Contacts were already also in Google Contacts. Now, instead of maintaining information in Outlook and letting Outlook push the new information to Google Contacts, I would use Google Contacts as my one and only address book.

If you have a Google account but cannot figure out how to get to Google Contacts, go to Google and log into your Google account. On the bar towards the top of the screen, you will see links to Calendar, Documents, Gmail, etc. Choose "Gmail." On the left side-bar, click on "Gmail" to reveal a dropdown which includes a link to Google Contacts.

Learn the keyboard shortcuts
In the last post, we talked about the keyboard shortcuts available in Google Calendar. Google Contacts also has a few that are helpful. While in Google Contacts, hitting the "?" in conjunction with holding "Shift" reveals the shortcuts:

• j and k move up and down the list, just as in Google Calendar they moved to "next" and "previous."
• / moves the cursor to the search window, allowing for immediate typing of the desired contact. This same shortcut is present in Google Calendar.
• Enter opens the contact on which the cursor is placed.
• u is like an "escape." After viewing a contact, "u" returns the screen to the list of contacts.
• Control+s saves changes.

While there are other shortcuts, the ones listed here are those that seems to be needed on a regular basis.

Syncronizing with the phone
Copying contacts from one phone to another is a standard process when you buy a new phone. The dealer will probably offer to perform this task. Immediately, you have on the new device what you had on the old one.

The concern need not be how to copy the contacts. The concern needs to be how to sync the contacts on the new phone with the Google Contacts. When I bought my Android, I stressed was that I already had Google Contacts established. I did not want to copy contacts from my BlackBerry and then simply have a static set of contacts on the new phone. I also did not want to risk winding up with a duplicate set of contacts.

At the AT&T store, we logged into my Google account and indicated what functions we wanted to sync. That one act brought over to the Android my Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts.

On my phone, I was able to import pictures of everyone who was also a Facebook friend, although I don't remember the exact steps. It did make for a nice feature. I thought those pictures would then sync with my Google Contacts, but that did not happen. To this point, I have not been able to find a way to make it happen. If anyone else has an answer, I would welcome the input.

Each device has a mechanism for merging contacts. For those instances where one source had some information for a person and another source had different information, having a mechanism to merge the contacts is a time-saver..

Summary
The move from Outlook Contacts to Google Contacts was very simply, as was getting those contacts to appear on my tablet and phone.

Do you use Google Contacts? What advice or other input do you have?

Search Google With "Handwrite"

Making input an a small piece of glass as fast as input on a full qwertyui keyboard is an ongoing challenge. Predictive text, some which not only predicts the word you are typing, but also the next word, Swype, and voice-enabled searches provide several solutions. Now, Google is providing one more.

I just enabled "Handwrite" on my Android phone. Handwrite is a brand new feature which provides an additional input option when searching on your mobile device.

I went to Google.com on my phone's browser and tapped the "Settings" option at the bottom of the screen. On the next screen is an option to enable Handwrite. After saving the setting and refreshing the screen, Handwrite was ready.

Now, when I go to Google.com on my phone, in the lower right-hand corner is a a small script "g." Tapping it starts Handwrite. With my finger, I can write my search terms anywhere on the screen. Google changes the handwriting into text in the search window. A space bar appears at the bottom of the screen which can be used to help the search understand where one word leaves off and the next begins. The accuracy of the search is determined by how accurately Google reads the handwritten text, so being half-way legible is important.




 I did not find the Handwrite option on my BlackBerry Playbook. A little research revealed that Handwrite is available on on Android phones from 2.3 up, Android tablets from 4.0 and, and Apple iOS 5. Handwrite is supported in 27 languages.

I still prefer the voice search. However, background noise, or being in an environment where you must be quiet, sometimes prevent it.

Google Language Tools

In the technology workshops I conduct, Google's language translation capability is a topic I enjoy. We all use Google, yet many people have not noticed the little "language tools" link. That link allows us to type text in one language and have it translated to another. The same area allows us to enter a URL and view the site in another language. I have used that capability for years to allow people to translate any of the blogs I have authored into another language just by clicking a link.

How accurate is the translation? Those who speak foreign languages fluently tell me that grammatical and syntax errors are common. The meaning, however, is conveyed well.   

Just how does Google handle the process of language translation? This video provides an interesting explanation.

How Many Ounces in 5 Pounds?

I love Google's ability to convert measurements. I can enter into the search window "32 ounces in quarts" and Google returns "1 US Quart." I can enter "5 miles in kilometers" and get "8.04672 kilometers." It doesn't get any handier than that for a quick conversion of one number to another.

But what about if you have to do quite a few of those conversions? Converticious is a website which will convert one measurement to another. The advantage of this site is that you are not having to type the unit of measure. Instead, you see your choices and click the appropriate one.

That being said, the site does have its limitations. I can enter "10 dollars in Yen" into Google and get "835.4000 Japanese yen" as my answer. Converticious will not convert currency, or at least not yet.

Thanks to Jennifer Malone for making me aware of this site on her blog, Eaton Educational Insights.

A Little Help Needed With a Survey

I need your help with a short survey. I will report the results through this blog later this week and also explain a little about the technique I am using. It's unbelievably easy and unbelievably powerful.

The survey is now closed. It was used to show how easy it is to collect information using Google Docs. Several posts later, this explanation becomes clearer.

Keyboard Shortcuts Using Google Instant

About 3 weeks ago, I composed this post on Google Instant. I am a huge fan of using keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse. Google Instant has introduced a couple of news features which make the service easier to use.
As you type and Google produces a list of possible completions, you have the ability to use the down-arrow key to move to your choice. The results change with each highlighted choice. Once you get to the one you want, press .
Now, use the down-arrow key to select the choice from the search results. Press .
This video illustrates the concept:

Google Instant

Judging from what is rolling off my RSS feed, Google Instant seems to be the news story of the week. This short video compares searching with Google as normal versus Google Instant:



Those who go to the classic Google page for their searches would experience Google Instant and figure out what is happening with no explanation. People like me who have an iGoogle homepage and search from there do not experience this new development.

So, if you haven't been to the Google classic page in the last few days, take a test drive and see what you think.

Do You Know What You Want to Know?

Google's ad during the Super Bowl illustrates a point that is becoming more important in our society. Finding information is easy provided we know what we want to find.

A Short History of Google

This two-minute video provides a history of Google and its contributions to the way we wok and play.