Google Now for iOS launched on Monday through an update to the Google Search app, which displays location and context aware cards underneath Google’s search options. For a little while, I’ll be using Google Search to reference tidbits of information on the Internet instead of Safari or Chrome on my iPhone, while also living with Google Now to discern its value on iOS. An early conclusion I came to, like many tech writers have, is that Google Now uses additional battery life when turned on. Lifehacker, reporting on a Cult of Mac story about the battery drain caused by Google Now’s use of Location Services, was later contacted by Google. A Google spokesperson wrote:

Reports that Google Now drains battery life are incorrect. We understand people’s concern about seeing the Location Services icon stay on when they use Google Now. Many apps that keep the icon on actually do drain the phone’s battery because they require very accurate location. (For example a navigation app has to run your GPS all the time to keep you from missing your turn.) Google Now is built very differently: it uses cell towers and wifi hot spots for much lower battery impact.

We extensively tested Google Now on iOS for months and didn’t see reports of significant battery impact — we would encourage you to try it in the Google Search app for a few days and we don’t expect you to see significant impact on your battery. If you are seeing a problem, please do tell us (just tap feedback in the app settings). We take user feedback very seriously.

It’s a very defensive statement by Google — there’s conflicting statements about battery drain and a note that Google Now on iOS was built to specifically use cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots instead of GPS. Even if that’s the case, location aware apps do make use of Assisted GPS with or without a clear line-of-sight to a satellite. Nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers are used to more quickly pinpoint where you are in the world, or are used completely in the absence of GPS. In their release notes, Google also notes that the Google Now will stop tracking location once battery life is low (from what I’ve seen I believe this is at 20%), and that the app only starts actively tracking location once you move a long distance.

As far as battery drain issues go, Google does say that they haven’t seen internal reports of “significant battery impact,” which I think is fair, even if they originally outright denied it. Many apps, in addition to Google Now, that use Location Services or take advantage of features like Geofencing do eat up additional battery life. Apps like Passbook use Geofencing so that you can quickly swipe open a ticket or gift card at a place of business, and apps like Reminders also use Geofencing to remind you of a task at a given location. These apps, however, remain in the background until needed and aren’t significantly impacting daily battery life, which is the key word here.

Google Now wants to deliver “up-to-the minute” information. The difference between apps like Passbook and Reminders in comparison to Google Search is that Google Now appears to always be actively tracking your location, as a navigation app like Maps would, even after it’s closed for a period of time. Google claims that the icon in the status bar remains as Google Search will occasionally report your location to update traffic alerts for example. Google Now’s Location Reporting in particular is used to periodically check location information when the app is not in use, for use with directions and nearby places. But Google Now isn’t sending push notifications, and the only time it really needs to update cards is when you open the app. Unlike Google Now on Android, Google Now on iOS is sandboxed inside an app and not integral to the OS.

Why doesn’t Google Now simply refresh the cards only when you open the Google Search app, pinging for your location at that time? That sounds like a better solution to me, even if I had to wait an extra second or two for cards to be updated.

If battery life is of concern, you can disable Google Search in Location Services through Settings. You can then manually refresh the cards when you’re looking for something nearby.

For more information on how Google Now works on iOS, you can view the related help document here.

[via Lifehacker]

Between occasional swaps during the initial run of Jawbone UP wristbands, I wore the original device for a year and continued as Jawbone’s refreshed model hit the marketplace. With UP 2.0 came an updated iPhone app, and Jawbone finally seemed prepared to launch an overdue API that developers could extrapolate data from. And while Jawbone’s bracelet was being refreshed, Nike parternered with Path for their Nike+ FuelBand for sharing their daily progress, something that was similarly suggested by TechCrunch’s Alexia Tsotsis for the UP just months before. I can’t help but admit the same thought crossed my mind as an early adopter.

This morning, Jawbone announced their new UP Platform, a closed API that’s currently available to developers per application and approval. Currently, Jawbone has said that ten partners have worked with the company to integrate their services with the UP app for iPhone (with Android support coming soon).

Beginning today, the UP app version 2.5 for iOS enables you to integrate any of these 10
best-in-class services: IFTTT, LoseIt!, Maxwell Health, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, Notch, RunKeeper,
Sleepio™, Wello® and Withings.

Integration with these services is mostly inclusive to the UP app however, presenting additional workout data or weight trends alongside Jawbone’s regular sleep or activity goals. The clear differentiator and the service that has the most potential to do interesting things with UP data is IFTTT, as Lex Friedman from Macworld explains.

Kittredge sounded particularly enthusiastic regarding the IFTTT integration, suggesting several clever “recipes” that Up users could try with that service, such as: If I sleep too little, text me later in the day that I should go to bed earlier; if I log a certain number of steps, tweet about it; or each day, append my progress to a Google document.

Also announced by Jawbone today is an acquisition of BodyMedia, a company that specializes in weight and calorie management, overall activity, and sleep tracking with their Armband and accessories. In their press release, Jawbone says that BodyMedia has the only platform of its kind registered with the FDA as a Class II medical device and that is additionally clinically proven to enhance weight loss.

“Jawbone’s deep expertise with consumer technology, design, and building products that fit seamlessly
into people’s lives is the best way to carry forward many of the innovations that BodyMedia has
developed over the past 14 years,” said Christine Robins, CEO of BodyMedia. “We are eager to pair our
depth of insight and IP with Jawbone’s expertise so that together, we can make an even bigger impact
on people’s health and help them achieve their goals.”

Jawbone launched the UP in 2011 and unfortunately, the band came under intense scrutiny as manufacturing issues resulted in problems such as the bracelets losing their charge after a couple of weeks. Hosain Rahman, CEO of Jawbone, offered early adopters the chance to get a full refund to rectify the issue and examine the problem. With the launch of UP 2.0, Jawbone didn’t just fix the issue, but reengineered the device to make it even more durable and water resistant.

The single-most thing that has me excited about the UP Platform is not only Jawbone’s commitment to making a better product, but also the opportunity for breaking data out of Jawbone’s mobile app. Unlike FitBit for example, there isn’t a web front where someone can log in and access their data — the UP band has to be plugged into an iPhone or Android phone first, and that phone becomes the sole gateway to your information. People wearing the UP band are probably using the device in different ways: for example I don’t track what I consume with Jawbone’s app for calorie tracking, but I do run and track steps. There’s potential for a developer to come behind and complement the data that I actually use and hide what I don’t need or want to see, personalizing my Jawbone dashboard from generalized data to something that shows me improved workout statistics. With any luck and a good developer, I’m also hoping that the UP Platform also lets developers use the band in more interesting ways, such as tracking pushups or body workouts instead of just steps. Integration with a partner like Wello gives me confidence that Jawbone is stepping in that direction.

[via Macworld]