25 Ways to Use Google You've Never Heard Of

What do planet Earth, Madonna and Google all have in common? They are constantly evolving. Unlike the Earth and Madonna however, Google’s technology can really facilitate success. These services will allow you to streamline your productivity and be on the forefront of technology—all the while putting you ahead of the curve in professional and personal spheres. Here are 25 of the best, most obscure Google programs that you’ve never heard of…

GOOGLE GADGETS

Universal Search Gadget:
If you think running a Google search is enough, guess again. There is a Google widget called “Universal Search” that performs a collective search on Wikipedia.com, Dictionary.com, YouTube.com, Amazon.com, Ebay.com, iTunes and many other sites.

Document to PDF Gadget
Know why Google has never spent a penny on advertising? Because ideas like the “Document to PDF Gadget” are so inventive that the Google products speak for themselves. This gadget allows users to convert online web pages or documents stored on your hard drive into PDFs in just a few steps. Upload the document or enter the URL and shzamm—a PDF!

Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus
For all you stumped writers out there, Google’s widget, “Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus” is for you. With this application, users have the ability to search for a keyword. This is not your typical search, however. Synonyms drawn from a 145,000-word database appear in the widget in a map-like form, giving the users a great visual to pick the word they were looking for.

IMO.im Chat Aggregator
Want to talk to your best friend, manager and clients all at the same time through multiple instant messaging programs? Google’s Imo.im widget will surrender every qualm in this area. This gadget works as a chat aggregator, allowing instant messaging services such as AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger, ICQ, Myspace Messenger, Facebook Messenger and Skype all in the same feed. The service is free and requires no user-registration or sign-up.

STREAMLINED GOOGLE SEARCH FUNCTIONS

Google Social Search
Still in its infancy (the application was announced October 26, 2009), the Google Social Search function takes internet searching to a new level by filtering through the internet to see what your social connections are saying about searched topics. The first step is to create a Google profile, where you can add links to various social networking services. From there, Google uses meta-data to find what your first-tier and extended social circles are saying about the searched topic by pulling information from your social network all in one place.

Google Calculator
As a self-professed techie, this Google function is even new to me! The search bar of the Google homepage you can serve as a built-in calculator by simply enter the calculation you'd like done into the search box, then click “enter.” For multiplication use “*”, division “/”, addition “+” and subtraction use “-“. What’s the advantage of this program? Users don’t need to navigate through any website other than Google.

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