Google is really good at making commercials, many of which tend to moisten eyeballs if you aren't careful. And the company's new Nexus 4 smartphone ad, which premiered last night during the Grammy telecast, isn't any different.
The ad demonstrates a new feature, called Google Now, which should be familiar to most Android owners. The robotic helper gathers calendar events, location and weather data, and more, to intelligently present information you probably didn't even realize you needed. And, according to tech bloggers far and wide, it's making Apple's Siri look downright ancient.
"Though Google shows no voice interaction with the service throughout the entire ad, it's hard not to liken the service to Apple's Siri," says Jordan Crook at TechCrunch. "That said, I tried to do everything in this commercial using Siri, the operative word there being 'tried.'" Indeed, "Google Now is the product I miss most on days when I use my iPhone 5," says Andrew Kameka at Mobileburn. "The commercial did a good job of highlighting Google Now's value in relatable, real-world situations, and made me think about buying a Nexus 4 again."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Mind you, the phone's onscreen performance may be a bit of an exaggeration, but overall the ad does a good job of illustrating exactly what Siri's lacking. What about you? Are you having iPhone 5 buyer's remorse? Is the "Add to cart" button at Google Play looking extra tempting? (And if that's the case, where did you get your money tree?)
