Thing 9 - Google Tools!

'ello again,

Today I'm going to tell you about a few of my favorite Google tools. Google is not just a search engine any more. It is a super search engine!

Google now offers much more than your basic searching, now you can find images or video or even maps all at the click of a button. Google has a ton of applications that you can use just by having a Google account. Don't want to pay Microsoft's outrageous prices for Word; use Google Docs. Looking for that great Thai restaurant your friends keep raving about; use Google Maps. Want to see what your house will look like with a new family room; use Google Sketch-up. The possibilities are endless.

I think that my two favorite Google tools have to be Google Earth and Google Maps. These applications are amazing! I first found aout about Google Earth about a year and a half ago, and it has changed the way I look for directions. Google Earth is a program that is available for download. With it you get an entire map of the world via images that are pieced together to form a topagraphical map of the Earth. The detail is spectacular. You can zoom in, on some areas, so close that you can see your car! Google has transported the technology over to its online Maps feature. So now when you are looking for directions you can choose map, terrain or satellite. In addition, they have started to add the street view in some areas. This feature gives a street level view so you can see the neighborhood you are going to be traveling through. So far there are half a dozen cities or so that have the street view but they are adding more every week. I love it!

Another Google feature that I use daily is iGoogle. I have it set as my homepage so it is the first thing I see when I open up my internet browser. I love this tool because it is so customizable. I have a ton of stuff on it; a link to my Gmail and Google Calender accounts; a widgit that gives me local, national, and world news and weather; Dictionary.com's Word of the Day and Quotes of the Day. All add by me. Anytime I get sick of one I can delete it or, if I find a new one, adding it is just as simple. Gotta love how much effort Google puts in.

Cheers!