Google Search Gets Better Conversation Skills; OpenTable Integration

Google has released a new update for its Search app that improves conversational search, and can help users find restaurants and make reservations with just voice commands.

The search giant has also integrated Search with OpenTable, a company that offers online real-time restaurant-reservation service. Google notes that restaurant reservations can be made through the Search app if the restaurant is on OpenTable.

Back in July, Google had rolled out an update that allowed users to search nearby places to roam around using the hotel reservations saved in Gmail. The new feature to make restaurant reservations can be considered a follow-up to this, though it does work independently.

One can look for restaurant reservations by saying something like, "Ok Google, show me restaurants near my hotel" and the search engine giant using the hotel reservation mail in Gmail will offer options to choose from near the hotel. Users can then also check for the menu by saying, "Ok Google, show me the menu for the first one".

For making reservation, users can just say, "Ok Google, make a reservation there for 7pm". Google notes, "If the restaurant is on OpenTable, you'll see a reservations screen pop up with the details already filled out."

Earlier, Google on Tuesday updated its Search app for Android and iOS platforms with the ability to show upcoming and past bills, dug out of users' Gmail accounts. The updated Google Search app could now search the Gmail account for bills.

Last month, the company, after rolling out an update to search for alternative flights in case of flight delay, started rolling out another update to Google Now for tracking flight prices for users based on their recent destinations and itinerary searches on Google and Google Flight Search (Google Flight service).