YouTube Music is about to get a lot better

YouTube Music launched in May to mixed reviews. Even though its song catalog matches Apple Music and Spotify's (in addition to millions of videos pulled from YouTube) it arrived missing some essential features. Something as simple as sorting out your...

Google searches omitted key US presidential candidates (update: bug)

Google has been a rich, impartial resource for US election info so far, but it's apparently not perfect. NBC notes that certain searches for would-be Presidents (such as "presidential candidates" or "US president candidates") weren't turning up majo...

Google brings nutrition information for more than 1,000 food items to search

Google brings nutrition information for more than 1,000 food items to search

Google can already answer plenty of questions for you without requiring you to delve into the actual search results, and you can now add yet one more category to its knowledge base. The company's today announced that it can answer a range of nutrition-related questions for over 1,000 different food items -- everything from the amount of protein in a particular fruit or vegetable to the number of calories in a given dish. That naturally works in both mobile and desktop search, but it will remain confined to the US (and English answers only) for the time being. Google says you can expect it to roll out over the next ten days, and promises that it will be adding "more features, foods, and languages" over time.

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Source: Google Inside Search

Google reportedly acquires natural language processing startup Wavii

Google reportedly acquires natural language processing startup Wavii

Word that Google has snapped up natural language processing startup Wavii first came from TechCrunch, and now the Wall Street Journal is chiming in with its own sources claiming the deal has in fact been struck, and that an announcement is imminent. In its current form, Wavii parses a personalized news feed and distills text into a summary for the top stories, similar to Yahoo's recently-purchased Summly. TechCrunch reports that Apple and Google were locked in a bidding war for the outfit, but the web titan ultimately won with a bid in the neighborhood of $30 million. According to the WSJ, the fledgling firm's talent will join Page and Co.'s web search team, which means the language detection technology may bolster its Knowledge Graph, giving users better results (and direct answers) for their queries. As language recognition permeates Page and Co.'s projects, Google Now and Google Glass could potentially benefit from the acquisition as well. Mountain View has yet to acknowledge the reported purchase, but if the tea leaves are being read correctly, expect that to happen soon.

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Source: TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal

Google promises better Knowledge Graph answers for more countries and languages

Google promises smarter Knowledge Graph answers for more languages

Google has been rolling out a fair number of additions to its so-called Knowledge Graph as of late, but the search engine enhancement has tended to be a bit less useful for those looking for results in something other than US English. The company says that's now set to change, however, with it announcing today that it's begun to roll out new improvements that promise to deliver "smarter answers" in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, and Italian. What's more, it will also now take your location into account even if you're searching in English -- it gives the example of "football" delivering different results depending on whether you're in the US or Europe. You can expect to see those changes appear over the "next few days."

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Source: Google Inside Search

Google adds medication to the Knowledge Graph, might ease our minds through search

Google adds medication to the Knowledge Graph, might save our health through search

It's no secret that many of us turn to Google searches for medical advice, much to the chagrin of doctors who have to contend with periodic bad attempts at self-diagnosis. Google might not have a cure for hypochondriacs, but it can stop all of us from taking risks at the pharmacy: it's adding medicine to the Knowledge Graph. Search for medication and the side results panel will bring up data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the FDA and the National Library of Medicine. Apart from a very top-level summary of a drug's role, the Knowledge Graph will show alternative names, related drugs and (most importantly) risks. The search firm is quick to warn that it's not giving us a license to prescribe our own treatment -- we'll want to talk to someone who swore the Hippocratic Oath, if there's more than a headache. The depth of Google's new search tool could still do more to assuage worried patients than a pill bottle label.

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Source: Inside Search

Google redesigns search to make space for more info, kick the sidebar to the curb

Google redesigns its search to make space for info, kicks the sidebar to the curb

Google loves to tweak its search results whether or not it's something we'd ever notice. Even the most casual of visitors might notice its latest change, though. The Mountain View crew has dropped the sidebar on the desktop in favor of moving everything to drop-down menus up above. It's ostensibly a reflection of the company's tweaks to its mobile page that should scale elegantly through different screen sizes, although a key goal is to fit in richer results: images, the Knowledge Graph and more all have extra room to breathe with the update. Americans tracking down election results will be the first to see the extra-wide view, and they should be followed by everyone else as soon as Google can flick the switch. We'll be content enough knowing that the company isn't spreading sidebars everywhere.

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Google redesigns search to make space for more info, kick the sidebar to the curb originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 20:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Knowledge Graph explains related content, finds the six degrees with less Bacon

Google Knowledge Graph adds explanations for related content, finds the six degrees with less Bacon

We had a bit of a laugh with Google's Kevin Bacon calculator. Not everyone needs to tie their searches to the star of Footloose, though, which is partly why Google is pushing out an update to its Knowledge Graph that explains how searches turn up related items. The effort is starting with actors, celebrities and their links to any movies and TV shows they've starred in. Looking for Orson Welles and mousing over Rita Hayworth's portrait reminds us that the two luminaries were married for years, for example. We won't know when the more intelligent searches will expand, but at least we won't be quite so confused if the animated Transformers movie appears next to Citizen Kane.

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Google Knowledge Graph explains related content, finds the six degrees with less Bacon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 01:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf

Google's revamped voice search coming to iOS

Google has been offering the ability to search the web with your voice using its iOS app for some time. But, it always just spit out a pile of links. While the next version wont be getting quite as creepy as Google Now, it'll be bringing with it the vocalized responses that debuted as part of Jelly Bean's revamped search offerings. The UI is also getting an overhaul to bring it inline with Now and Mountain View's recent aesthetic tendencies towards sharp lines and limited color schemes. Obviously, the new app also taps the Knowledge Graph, allowing you to make natural language queries like, "what's the weather like in San Francisco," and get a detailed vocalized response. According to Google the update should be hitting the App Store in "the next few days," but don't expect it to keep tabs on your favorite sports team for you.

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Google's revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Knowledge Graph coming to all English-speaking nations tomorrow, adds lists to results

Google Knowledge Graph

Google launched its contextual and intelligent search service, Knowledge Graph, only a few months ago. Till now, it's been limited in its availability and, while most nations will still be left out, tomorrow it will be coming to all "English-speaking" countries. The ability to discern your intended search goal and present you with relevant information immediately, as opposed to just a page of links, is the next step in search technology and the secret sauce powering the somewhat creepy Google Now in Jelly Bean. The Graph has also received a few enhancements and tweaks, including the ability to answer queries with collections and lists. So, say you're looking for rides in Disney World, a thumbnail of every attraction will appear at the top in a horizontally scrollable list. How much longer till our Spanish, French or Chinese speaking pals can get in on the action? That's anyone's guess. But, if English is the native tongue of your home, then rest assured your flavor of Google has just gotten a little bit smarter.

Continue reading Google Knowledge Graph coming to all English-speaking nations tomorrow, adds lists to results

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Google Knowledge Graph coming to all English-speaking nations tomorrow, adds lists to results originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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