Search Out Loud #GoogleHouse, Google Café Day, Delhi

“If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist.”
Jimmy Wales

I am a HUGE fan of Google, of how dynamic it is; creative and interactive too. In  many ways I know I don’t speak for myself alone as Google marches ahead making life online simpler and simpler. Google India hosted a Google Café Day in Delhi showcasing the search experience for Indian users: English Voice Search in the Indian accent, The Knowledge Graph, and Google Now.

The demo driven event reflects Google’s continual effort to improve the search experience that will help Indians users find answers on the web more quickly and efficiently. Sandeep Menon, Head of Marketing Google India, led the demo. From asking Google where you can watch the latest movies to finding out cricket scores at the touch of a button,  help is just a click away, or rather just a shout away! I came home and shouted into the Google Search App of my ‘smart phone’  … “SMS Rohan to have a bath now”. Smartly enough, hand in hand with Google, it first went to SMS, then asked me which Rohan from my phone book … and seconds later the message was sent!! Minutes later a curious Rohan emerged to ask about the unusually cryptic message. Once explained, he was pleasantly surprised and actually went to have a shower!! That explains the magic of Googles Voice Search for mere mortals like me.

Google Café Day was informative and interactive, something that Google India has consistently done. From g|india in September 2012, where Google engaged with the Indian community of developers, business leaders, IT professionals and entrepreneurs who are as passionate about technology as they are …

… to World Photography Day  the Google+ Way in August 2013 in Mumbai, when professional photographers and photo enthusiasts were invited to step into Googles dynamic world of photo sharing. Google invited photographers to embrace technology with its easy to use features, once again showing how dynamic they are as a company.

The Knowledge Graph is Googles growing model of the hundreds of millions of people, places and things that make up our world. Using ambitious technology and massive google-scale computing, The Knowledge Graph attempts to give you relevant information based on this sophisticated database.

The third innovation introduced that day was Google Now, an anticipatory feature within Google Search that brings you the right information even before you ask!! The days weather, traffic en route, traffic hot spots and even alternative route suggestions, flight status, movie listings … Google Now brings it all to you proactively when you opt for Google Now in the Google Search App.

The event was interactive, engaging and entertaining with a few special guests. Singer and model Shibani Dandekar, Indian footballer Baichung Bhutia, and Chef Kunal Kapoor were part of the demo team out to make each session fun! Appreciation must be given to the team that set up the stage for the event… attention to detail, excellent creatives, and a lovely play of Google colours made #GoogleHouse fun and imaginative!

A down to earth, approachable team, interactive demos and engaging sessions are trademark of Google India. It’s interesting to see how they progress, how much they enjoy sharing their milestones with users across the spectrum, how ethical and focused they are! For a layman like me, I came back inspired as always. Thank you Google India.

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