The average Internet user will check out Google several times a day, whether on searches, email access or to get to YouTube
Google Sketchup is a 3D imaging tool that lets the user create anything they can imagine. If someone is not skilled enough to create a house, it is possible to download one already made, too. The 3D buildings that can be seen in Google Earth are also made here, and the possibilities are endless.
Initially released in September of 2008, Google Chrome was promised to be a fast whiz kid of a browser, its main functionality being speed, security and stability. While no browser can significantly stand out from the rest as they all have similar looks and functions, Chrome's simple, modern design and usability promise it to become serious competition for popular browsers like Mozilla Firefox as it evolves.
A convenient way to post information for clubs and activities on a personal site for free, Google Sites can provide a homepage for groups or activities to give out vital information such as sports meets or due dates. Much like editing in Google Docs, one needs no coding or language experience to make a usable site that gives users what they need. From posting feeds from relevant Web sites, or voting on polls, Sites is a useful program to try.
Google Calendar is a Web based calendar that can be seen, edited, and shared with anyone and anywhere. A must for workaholic students with full days, there is the option to have important notices be texted to a cell phone to remind the user forcibly about something they might have neglected or forgotten. That could also be used to send out notices to students who never check class Web sites, but are always checking out their phones. (Mr Otterspoor and Ms Wilkins have this texting function available to students on their sites)
Google Mail (or more commonly known as Gmail) is a staple to a good percentage of Internet users, and true to its mother company it is pretty simple and easy to pick up and use. Apart from the usual email-back-and-forth use, there is a built in IM called Google talk, and a brand new feature called Buzz released last month. It has similar concepts to Twitter, where the user can comment on happenings and everyone following that person can read their posts. It does not have a character cap, and many facilities such as blogger, Flickr and YouTube can already connect to it. Whether for constant status updates or for showing off new videos is up the user.
A new feature in development that received a lot of hype a while back is Google Wave, a real-time messaging program that lets people see what is being written, as it is written. While that is all most people know it is actually consists of much more than that. Wave is a true social connection site, with all the contacts, messages, photos and to-dos played out in a usable and aesthetic manner. While Wave is not out yet, it has promises a revolution in Internet communication.
Google Extras
The Versatility of Google Inc.
By Nicolas Correa - 10/03
NEIRAD enilno edition
The average Internet user will check out Google several times a day, whether on searches, email access or to get to YouTube. But there is so much more to Google than those limited applications. We checked out some of the great applications our readers may find fun and also helpful to their Internet life.
Google Docs is used much like Microsoft Word. However, this document allows multiple users to simultaneously work on the same document thus omitting the need to resend attachments after each update. Google Docs provides great organizational options and the ability to be accessed anywhere, by any number of people. It can replace glitchy school drives for storing documents and work, and groups can simultaneously interact and work on a presentation or paper at any time (this very article was written in it). It is quick and easy to use, and it is an easy switch to access existing documents online with its uploader feature. Emails and attachments can be directly uploaded into Google docs as well, making it a promising staple for Google's future Chrome OS system.
Many know Google Desktop as a standard issue program for Windows Vista PCs and as an annoying feature taking up desktop space. However, it has many useful functions such as having one's Gmail page on his desktop. There is no longer a need to log on then go to the browser for Google, as there is a search bar on the desktop already. There is a whole list of widgets available to explore before Google Desktop is given up on; a vase full of flowers you can watch grow from day to day, or having top news stories and movies in front of you when you want them.
The well known Google Earth now is officially out of this world. While many might know of the option for exploring the cosmos in Google Sky, now it has become possible to cruise above the Planet Mars and the Moon. If uninterested with barren landscapes though, it is still possible to see the Grand Canyon and Mt. Everest in 3D, and it is users can download extensions that render cities in 3D as well.
An alternative to the blank Google search homepage, iGoogle offers pages of news feed, email and chat, games and a whole repository of apps in which to choose. By just opening the browser, all the information that would be otherwise searched for is already there, saving time and bother. To enhance the fact that the user would never have to leave his iGoogle homepage, there is a plethora of themes in which to choose. Examples are Solar System, white tiger, and even “New Moon Taylor Lautner”. Whatever the taste, iGoogle can supply.
Google Sketchup, a 3D imaging tool
Google Calendar, capable of sending automatic text messages to any cell phone
Google Earth gives a birdseye view of any location in the world from satellites
