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Chromium code suggests OS X version of Google Now is coming

Google Now (promo Traffic)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Chromium expert François Beaufort recently found codes in the Chromium browser (the open source browser where the stable Chrome build gets its codes) that indicates the arrival of Google Now on OS X. When he first spotted Google Now codes hidden within the Chrome browser in March, he only found clues hinting at the PC and Chromebook versions. While there has been no confirmation from Google, it’s not so hard to believe that the feature is heading to OS X since it was released for iOS in late April.

To be precise, Beaufort – who was hired by Google in March after leaking a number of hidden Chrome codes – found codes that implement enhancements to OS X’s notification center. Check out what it looks like:

mac-notif-google-now
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Many believe tweaking the notification center is essential to making Google Now a feasible feature on OS X. Google Now, the company’s digital assistant and answer to Apple’ Siri, delivers information via “cards” displayed on a mobile device. If it ever does arrive on OS X, it might remind you of your flight or ping you about your next meeting via a notification center.

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It doesn’t seem like OS X will be getting the feature soon, as Beaufort says rich notifications on the operating system are “still under heavy development.” You can, however, try it out by running Chromium with the “–enable-rich-notifications switch.”

[Image via François Beaufort]

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Mariella Moon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mariella loves working on both helpful and awe-inspiring science and technology stories. When she's not at her desk writing…
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