Google has released dozens of products and tools to make our lives easier. Many of us are familiar with helpful applications like Google Drive and Google Maps, but what about all the other products Google has developed or obtained over the years? We looked through Google’s impressive product library to find 10 useful solutions that you might not know about.
1. Google Flights
Following a $700 million purchase of ITA Software, Google launched this product. This allows you to use Google directly in searching for flights based on price, times, and destination. The search results will immediately show both nonstop and connecting flights, as well as allow you to instantly compare prices between airlines for round trip tickets.
2. Google Patents
Need to search for a patent? This product indexes patents and applications from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, European Patent Office, Canadian Intellectual Property Office, World Intellectual Property Organization, and China’s State Intellectual Property Office. Patents date back to 1790 and contain information on thousands of different ideas.
3. Google Classroom
If you’re a teacher, you might already be using Google classroom. If not, you’re missing out on some of the advantages this product offers. It offers a simplified platform for creating and grading assignments in a paperless way. Teachers and students can communicate via Gmail and teachers can easily distribute templates, assignments, and instructions to an entire class with just a few clicks. No more printing out 25 copies of a page for a single lesson.
4. Google Sky
First launched in 2007, this product is a feature of Google Earth that allows you to view images from NASA satellites, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Hubble Telescope. Now to get a glimpse at the cosmos you don’t need a telescope or even a clear sky. Android users have an added perk of having access to the augmented reality functions, seeing the stars in real time.
5. Google Transit
Now fully integrated into Google Maps, Google Transit started as a small project serving Portland, Oregon. The application has since gone global and can quickly calculates route, travel time, cost, and make a comparison to the same trip by car. In the past four years Google Transit has grown to serve entire countries like China, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Japan.
6. Google Fit
This open platform not only allows users to control and customize their fitness data, but it allows developers to build better fitness apps using their tools. Having been pre-installed on most Android devices, you could have this handy tool in your pocket and not know it. Google has partnered with many other companies like Adidas, Map My Run, htc, RunKeeper, and others to bring the best fitness platform to Android.
7. Google Now
This product acts more like a personal assistant than an application. It is available within the Google Search app for Android and iOS, as well as for Google Chrome on computers. Google Now is helpful in making predictions based on what you’ve searched in the past, and is also tapped into your Gmail account. It will pull information from hotel reservations, booked flights, and event tickets to update your calendar and send you reminders. It is also integrated with dozens of other apps like Spotify and RunKeeper.
8. Google Keep
With over 50 million downloads, this is one of the more widely used organizational tools for Android, iOS, and web applications. It goes beyond a simple note taking tool, however, by including color coding, the ability to insert images, add reminders, and add checklists. A note can also be archived by swiping on it once you’re finished. Copies of notes can also be made, effective for grocery lists and other repetitive activities.
9. Google History
If you use Google Chrome and have a Google account, you already have access to this feature. Google History is a breakdown of your internet usage history, showing you exactly what times you visited each website. It also gives you location information, and a detailed history of YouTube views and YouTube searches. If you’re looking to clear your search history, make sure you check here too.
10. Google Sites
Google Sites was created as a web-page creation tool to make it easy to create a website and share files among a large group of people. You can map your site to a custom domain name and have three levels of permissions – Owner, editor, and viewer. This can allow multiple people to edit and modify content without changing the overall design of the website.
Have you used these products before? What other Google products have you found useful? Let us know in the comments!
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