Skip to main content

New "Goodies" At Google

Search giant, Google.com, recently expanded their reach yet again by offering new and expanded services going far beyond simply searching the Internet for relevant information.

Jumping on a growing bandwagon already teaming with millions of active users, Google now offers its own SMS search service to allow mobile phone users access to their database.

Google also released "Desktop 2," a personal information manager that resides on your desktop to organize everything from rss feeds and stock quotes, to photos and the weather.

Make no mistake, though Google seems to possess an uncanny ability to make things useful and "cool," these latest offerings represent Google staking out territory on your desktop against rivals Microsoft and Yahoo!

** Google Expands Desktop **

Originally, the Google Desktop program simply organized your files, emails and web searches into one place.

When you looked from a certain file or topic on your system, the program returned relevant results from files on your hard drive, email correspondence, and past web search history.

The new version of Google Desktop expands significantly over the original version by including a host of new services designed to create your own "personal information manager" right on your computer's desktop.

Probably the most obvious change is the "Sidebar," which makes a significant new addition to the tool.

The Sidebar allows you immediate access not only to information on your hard drive, but to specialized online information based on your preferences and viewing habits.

The Sidebar also incorporates an RSS feed reader, making it extremely simple for even complete novices to subscribe to and read news feeds from the web.

Many would think this one feature of a simple rss reader represents a direct step to grab the general consumer before Microsoft can launch their Longhorn browser (which will contain an rss reader).

Other additions include a news ticker, real time stock quotes, photo viewer, quick-find feature with the ability to launch programs just by typing in a few letters, and a scratch pad.

Google definitely upgraded this previously limited program to create a very handy personal organizer for your computer's desktop. Log on to http://desktop.google.com to download a free copy.

** Google Goes Mobile **

If you fall into the over-30 age range, you probably didn't know that "SMS" stands for "Short Message Service."

Yet SMS comprises one of the fastest growing areas of all communication on the planet.

Millions of people use SMS on their cell phones to communicate as well as gather information.

Log on to http://www.google.com/sms/ to discover how Google can now help you get information through your cell phone fast and free.

Get everything from driving directions, local business listings, and movie showtimes to local weather conditions, dictionary definitions and even product pricing.

Imagine walking into a store, spotting an item you want to buy, and before purchasing it know exactly how much you could snag it for online.

Picture yourself in an unfamiliar town and getting driving directions to the local Walmart. Google also operates a new home page just for mobile users at http://www.google.com/mobile/.

Watch for this area of online services to expand massively in the near future.

Copyright 2005 Jim Edwards

About The Author
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist & creator of an amazing course that shows A Quick and Easy Way To Painlessly Set Up Your OWN Money-making 'Mini' Websites... Without Being a Computer Geek, Buying Software, or Paying A Webmaster!" Click => http://www.MiniSiteCreator.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Edwards
Technorati Tags : , , , ,

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Learn What is Search Engine Optimization & How to Optimize Your Website For Search Engines

SEO is an action from a webmaster/owner of the website to optimize the website for search engines, to receive maximum traffic and increase ranking in the search engine result pages(SERPs). There are different types of SEO. Some are very specific, trying to dominate very targeted audience, and some are for targeting wide and general audience. Search Engine Optimization is quite long process, and it requires from a webmaster constant testing and tracking, to see what works and what doesn't. If you are a webmaster, then it's vital to know SEO, because it's a free, effective and clever way to get traffic to your website. There are many guides available on SEO, so you can read them and learn, if you want to be an expert. Why Does A Website Needs SEO? Most of the websites on the Internet get their main traffic from search engines, like Google, Yahoo & MSN. If you website cannot be located by search engines, or your content is not indexed in their database, then you are missin...

Laptop ergonomics

Article by Franklin N. Tessler Repost from MacWorld For years, using a laptop meant putting up with an undersized screen, a puny hard drive, and an anemic processor. Not anymore. Today’s PowerBooks and iBooks are powerful enough to be used as everyday computers. But they lag far behind desktop computers when it comes to ergonomics. For example, you can’t position a laptop’s display and keyboard separately to reduce your risk of neck or wrist injury. Trackpads and other integrated pointing devices compound the problem by requiring that designers position the keyboard away from the laptop’s edge, making the keys hard to reach without using the laptop’s built-in wrist rest. And if you’re not careful, the sharp edge on the front of newer PowerBooks can put even more pressure on the nerves, blood vessels, and tendons in your wrists. Beyond these fundamental design flaws, the simple fact that laptops are portable can exacerbate their ergonomic hazards. Thanks to improved batteries and ubiqui...

Credit card debt catches up with Britons

By Cesar G. Soriano, USA TODAY USAToday.com - London : "This Christmas season, the hottest-selling gifts in Europe are pricey American products such as iPods, the Xbox 360 and celebrity-inspired fashions. That kind of shopping has led to a very American problem: credit card debt." Nationwide, 34% of Britons say they will use credit cards or store cards to pay for their holiday purchases this year. And one in five say they are still paying off their gifts from last Christmas, according to a December poll by Zopa, an online lending agency. "The UK has adopted the American habit of credit with vigor, and consequently consumers are rapidly getting in over their heads," says Steve Rhode, president of Myvesta.org, a non-profit, debt-relief group. In August, U.S.-based Myvesta opened an office in Britain to deal with the growing number of Britons in debt. The number of people filing for bankruptcy or insolvency in England and Wales rose 46% from 2004 to 2005 to a record, a...