Google brings Google Now notifications to Chrome beta for desktop users

After appearing in a developer build of Chrome last month, Google announced today that this week it will be rolling out Google Now notifications to the desktop through the latest beta version of Chrome. Google Now notifications were previously available to Android and iOS users, but can now be accessed through the Chrome notification center on Mac (that little bell icon in your menu bar) as well as through Chrome on Windows and Chromebooks. Google notes that Chrome will show a a subset of the cards that appear on iOS and Android including “weather, sports scores, commute traffic, and event reminders cards.”

So the next time you’re finishing up emails at your desk, Google Now might suggest that you leave the office a bit early to beat the heavy traffic on the way to your dinner date. To view the notifications, click on the bell icon on your desktop (on Mac and Windows) or the numbered box (on Chromebook) to open the Chrome notification center.

The feature can be enabled for Chrome beta users by signing into the same Google Account used for Google Now on Android or iOS device. The feature is only available in English when it rolls out this week, but Google says it will be adding support for other languages in the future. Now that the feature has finally hit the beta channel, it won’t be long before Google rolls out Now functionality to all Chrome users.

(image via GigaOM)