Finding Things - Running Android: Using Your Phone and Tablet for Work and Play - page 35

Finding Things
Your phone or tablet comes with a Google Search widget at the top of the Home screen.
Combined with a feature called Google Now, this is a powerful way to find places, get dir-
ections, look up websites and get information, and keep track of events from your Google
calendar.
Google Search
You can search by tapping the search bar to bring up the on-screen keyboard or by tapping
the microphone icon at the right end of the search bar to do a voice search. If you tap the
search bar, you can then say “OK Google” to start a voice search. You can also enable voice
searches from within most apps, even when the Google Search widget is hidden.
To set this up, open Quick Settings, tap the Settings icon, and open Language & Input. Under
Speech, tap Voice input. Tap to enable Enhanced Google services, then tap the setup icon at
the right. Now, tap From any screen to enable it. Finally, you'll be asked to train the device
by saying "OK Google" three times. Tap Finish when you're done, and then Home to return
to the Home screen.
If you do a voice search, the device speaks the results. The spoken results vary depending
on the nature of the search. If Google Search doesn't understand your request, it will present
you with a list of results. Just tap the result you want, or try a new search.
For example, typing or saying “hotels” brings up a page of Google results, including a map
and a list of hotels near your present location. If you want to search for hotels in a different
location, just add the location. Searching for “hotels near Grand Canyon” displays a list of
hotels near Grand Canyon.
You can be even more specific and provide a street address for the search location. In gener-
al, the more information you provide, the better the search results.