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8 Google Tools that you Might not Know About!

I am thankful to Google because it has made the Internet a better place for all of us by releasing a number of very useful utilities in the past few years. Almost all of us use Google.com for their every day search on the Internet, and also other Google services like Gmail, Gtalk, Orkut etc. But there are some Google products that you might have forgotten about or might not be aware of. Here is a list of those not-so-popular tools that can definitely make your life easier :-

- Google Hot Trends (May 2007)

I highly recommend this tool if you are a webmaster and looking for hot topics and keywords that people are searching for in their daily lives. This can even help you as a blogger to choose the most current topic in your niche to write on. The tool lists all the hot trends by date and its very easy to switch between dates as per the calendar. This Google product is still in the Labs (experimental phase), but I have been using it for a long time now.

- Google SketchUp (January 2007)

Google SketchUp is a 3D (3-dimensional) modeling program designed for professionals to use in their every day projects. SketchUp may also be used to design buildings to be displayed on Google Earth (another application from Google that allows you to view satellite maps of the earth). SketchUp has been developed to be more intuitive, flexible, and easier to use than other 3D modeling programs like 3D Studio Max, MAYA etc. which are often difficult to learn for an average user. Several features allow designers to play with their designs, unlike other 3D CAD programs.

- Google Web Accelerator (May 2005)

Google Web Accelerator is a utility introduced by Google which uses client software installed on the user’s computer, as well as data caching on Google’s servers, to speed up average page load times by means of data compression, prefetching of content, and sharing cached data between users. The tool supports various operating systems like Windows 2000 (SP3+), Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista.

- Google Docs (February 2007)

I am sure many of you must have already heard about this Google product. This is an initiative taken up by Google to allow the public to maintain their office files (Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations) in an online as well as offline version. Google Docs lets you edit and modify your files online and also lets you share them with your team or friends. It supports all the popular file formats like Word, OpenOffice, RTF, PDF, HTML, Zip, XLS, CSV, TXT, ODS, PPT and PPS.

- Google Suggest

Google Suggest offers keyword suggestions in real time as you type your search query. This can be helpful if you are looking for information but can’t think of accurate and exact search terms. A product still in testing mode but you can use it anyway.

- Google Sets

Google Sets is again a product being developed in Google Labs that can suggest you different sets of keywords related to the words you input into the system. So, if you are running out of synonyms or are generally looking for ideas matching your words, this is the place to look for.

- Google Alerts

Google Alerts is a handy utility if you want to remain updated with the latest news about your selected topic/s. This service alerts you in the form of an email notification to let you know if new articles are available for you. Google Alerts also allow its users to determine the frequency in which checks are made for new results. The alerts are available in both HTML and plain text format.

- Google Book Search

If you are a books lover, this service is for you. Google Book Search is a tool from Google that searches the full text of books that Google scans and stores in its digitized database. The service was formerly known as Google Print when it was introduced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2004. When you click a result from the Google Book Search, it opens an interface in which you may view pages from the searched book as well as content-related advertisements and links to the publisher’s website and booksellers. Google limits the number of viewable pages and attempts to prevent page printing and text copying of material under copyright.

For more updates on tools from Google, you can visit this page -> Google Products

By the way, if you want to have some fun, go to Google.com and type this search phrase “Google Chuck Norris” and hit “I’m Feeling Lucky” button instead of the standard “Google Search” button.

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