Is it me? Or is Google Now some kind of Rubik Cube to puzzle out how to make it run?

Wimbolithic

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I have my Location GPS switched on. I have my WiFi connected. I've made settings in Google Now for Weather and Traffic and a few other items.
I swipe up from the bottom of the screen and I get a Circle with Google Logo then a blank page with Google Search at the top.

After much fiddling with various settings I finally got a screen with option to Join Google Now with a button that said "I'm in" - well I thought I was already "in" because yesterday it was working but today without any bidding from me, the Nexus system thinks I've either opted out of membership of the clique or that I have un-installed it.

Well I have news for Google, I haven't un-installed it. So just to show willing, I agreed to "I'm in" and by some miracle the Google Now page chucks up a weather report in my area. So I does remember the setting I put in there for my GPS location or postcode or whatever else it uses to keep an eye on me from a great height! But fathoming out why the application was there and switched on yet locking me out I really can't fathom.

If anyone has any way to throw light on this I'd be glad of the key to unravel the puzzle and maze that is Google Now.

If you never fly anywhere or travel on railways or buses and you don't eat out in restaurants - it's hard to know how it can be useful apart perhaps from showing you where the pubs and local attractions are when you go away for a Holiday break in a different county. The satnav can do most of that anyway.

--
Thanks for listening to my rant !
 
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repligation

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Nov 23, 2012
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I have my Location GPS switched on. I have my WiFi connected. I've made settings in Google Now for Weather and Traffic and a few other items.
I swipe up from the bottom of the screen and I get a Circle with Google Logo then a blank page with Google Search at the top. Down at the bottom is Show Sample Cards or Hide Sample Cards. What in heaven's name is that? I don't want samples I want information.
If I tap Sample Cards I get Wather Traffic headings with Sample Card written under each one. Nothing can be pushed further than this apart from Settings and Sample Card. So what's the game? Have I got to pay for a card, or register for it? When I first got my Nexus it showed weather near me and that's all but now it shows nothing. A sample card is not worth the digital paper it's printed on.

Can anyone please help me to discover what button I'm supposed to press to make it work. Without that knowledge it's about as much use as a chocolate teapot!
In hope
Thank you !

Just use it to do your regular searches, Google NSA will issue you new cards once they have collected enough data from you and have been able to determine where you should be directed next. You can help speed things along by going to settings/My stuff and adding interests.

By the way, you might want to reconsider that shirt with those pants.

EDIT: Oh yeah, there is no purchase necessary. The product is you.
 

Wimbolithic

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Eh?? What shirt with what pants? Interesting joke, but I didn't know you could see my clothing in my profile !! ;-))
Anyhow thanks for the help because I had no idea that Google NSA would issue me according to the God of Google spying on my every move from the digital sky! So I don't think it's going to get much idea from me about where I go unless as you say I use the Google Now, for Searches. I've been using the blue Google search shortcut on my Nexus home screen to search so I suppose I shall just have to go back there and start confusing Google when I search for the origins of old English Words; supply sources of shellac French Polish; Motorcycle Crash Helmets; Grey Water Waste containers for RVs; and cheaper Energy Saving lightbulbs before they will throw up anything beyond the weather forecast outside my front door!
Finally apart from thanking you for this help, I would say to Michael Vieux - I wasn't aware that I had changed my post but I expect you were referring to repligation's EDIT at the end of his answer. So thank you for trying to answer my question anyway I appreciate that 2 people had a go at helping me.
 
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repligation

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Nov 23, 2012
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Eh?? What shirt with what pants? Interesting joke, but I didn't know you could see my clothing in my profile !! ;-))
Anyhow thanks for the help because I had no idea that Google NSA would issue me according to the God of Google spying on my every move from the digital sky! So I don't think it's going to get much idea from me about where I go unless as you say I use the Google Now, for Searches. I've been using the blue Google search shortcut on my Nexus home screen to search so I suppose I shall just have to go back there and start confusing Google when I search for the origins of old English Words; supply sources of shellac French Polish; Motorcycle Crash Helmets; Grey Water Waste containers for RVs; and cheaper Energy Saving lightbulbs before they will throw up anything beyond the weather forecast outside my front door!
Finally apart from thanking you for this help, I would say to Michael Vieux - I wasn't aware that I had changed my post but I expect you were referring to repligation's EDIT at the end of his answer. So thank you for trying to answer my question anyway I appreciate that 2 people had a go at helping me.

My friend Barry is the one who told me about the outfit.

But seriously, all jokes aside, Google Now has the potential to be pretty cool. Right now I waffle between disinterest and being really impressed. You have a little direct control with the settings (like getting cards which report my college sports scores), but most of the rest is just based on searches and other Google usage.

Sometimes I get random nonsense like travel time to the pet store that is five miles away presumably because I bought my kids a Betta fish there last year.

The problem I have with searches in now is that it adds an extra step. I use three different browsers for different reasons and I don't want to set any of them to the default browser all the time.

Otherwise, I just do my Google searches in chrome.
 

maxman1

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Google would be well advised to install an in-app help & tutorial rather than the current process of accessing the information. It is a rapidly advancing tool that should become worthy of designing an operating system around at some point. I'm amazed @ what it can do @ such an early stage of development but I'm afraid many users never avail themselves to it's abilities due to either being unaware of them or, being required to do the required research @ 3rd party websites to access tutorials, tips & tricks. FWIW, you can send feedback directly from the app to the Google Now development team with issues, suggestions or other.

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