Today Google has just updated one of the many improving and awesome features of Android. That being Google Search, or Google Now for those running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and above. Google Now has just received some awesome new features that will make your holiday travel easier, better suggestions, and even improved voice actions for all types of goodness. Read on for full details.

It appears that the update is for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean devices (enjoy you RAZR HD owners) and it brings some much improved features. I’ve been a huge fan of Google Now since its birth, and today it got a lot better. Previous updates allowed Google Now to pull details from Gmail. Info such as flight information, hotel reservations and more but this update takes it even a step further.

Now with Google Now you can actually get your boarding pass (United only) right to your smartphone thanks to Google Now when it finds flight reservations in Gmail. Optional of course, as well as tons of suggestions while traveling, local places to take photos, the time back home and more. Here’s the full change log right from Google themselves:

New cards:
- Events nearby
- Suggestions to help with your research
- Boarding passes from Gmail (United only, more to come)
- Search by camera when at museums or shops
- Weather at upcoming travel destinations
- Approximate monthly summary of walking and biking activity

New voice actions:
- Post to Google+
- Say “What’s this song?” to find the song you hear
- Say “Scan a barcode” to find product info

With Google Now you can instantly ask “What’s this song?” to find details of a song. Just like Shazam and others only now Google does it for you with a simple voice command. This should be great while driving, not that I use my phone while driving. All the new cards mentioned above are quite nice too. Being able to see the weather at a travel destination before you get there is nice. Some users have already been seeing the monthly summary of walking or biking activities, but now it’s official so all users should see that if the option is enabled.

Google’s continuing to make search and Google Now one of my favorite must have features, and this update is no different. Grab it right this minute from the Google Play Store.

[via Android Blog]