Google Now is the modern-day laboratory timer

Our time in the lab is punctuated by the incessant and demanding beeping of timers. They are to the research environment what bird songs are to the rainforest. Timers have not changed much in the 10+ years I have been in a lab environment, nor should they. They have one task to perform and they perform it with aplomb.

But sometimes, we have to leave the lab and mingle with other people. Maybe we need to attend a seminar or go grab something from the cafeteria. In the 10+ years I have been in a lab environment, carrying around a timer has always been a hassle (let's not even talk about clipping it on to our lab coats or pants).

Not anymore, thanks to the prevalence of smartphones and Google Now.

Google Now is the context-aware personal assistant on your modern Android phones. It has a lot of features, but I would like to focus on this one ability :

Type reminder in Chrome universal bar. It understands plain English.

Get a reminder on your desktop computer and on your Android phone a la laboratory timer.