The usefulness of Google Now on my Samsung Galaxy S4 has increased dramatically with the recent Google Search update. In the most recent update, Google added the option to activate voice search by saying "Ok Google" on more windows including the lock screen. For those who fear change or fear Google listening on all your conversations, this setting seems to be turned off by default.
In my mind, having the voice activation on the lock screen is essential to making voice search useful and accessible. I've only had this feature for only a few days and I've probably matched or exceeded the number of "Ok Google" commands the past few days compared to all my previous "Ok Google" calls. The usefulness of voice search is constantly improving on Google's Search and not solely for a Google Search. You can do so many things you do often in your daily life like setting alarms, discovering what song/show/movie is currently playing, creating calendar events, or even set reminders. And if you are searching for basic information, sometimes it displays the answer first then the search results; knowledge graph creates very user friendly experience.
For Moto X users, this is nothing new as the "Ok Google Now" command is always on. This feature created a devoted fan base for the device; and it's completely clear why this was the case. Hopefully more phone adopt this always-listening behavior as the trend seems to be to heading.
Oh yeah, Google's Orkut, one of their social networking sites, is going to the graveyard. More likely than not, you've never heard about this service before; I probably used it two whole days...