For many years Google has been much more than just a search engine. Of course, Google’s ambitions have always reflected this, with a mission statement to ‘organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful’ and the rise of Google+ through to the growth of Google Android are testament to this.
Whatever Google do, they always manage to have an element of playfulness or detail that often is only uncovered by chance rather than shouted about. It is possibly this understated attention to detail that helped make them so popular in search.
With this in mind, I have listed my top five hidden Google gems:
1. Need a calculator?: Type a math query into the search box and not only will the result appear, but a mini calculator too. Try ‘1+1’
2. Want to convert a currencies?: Need to convert € into £ or $? Then simply enter it and the answer will be provided, along with relevant currency information. Try ‘$1 to £’.
3. Can’t find content on a site?: Google allows you to search within a specific site, which can save lots of time trawling around to find content. Try ‘Paralympics site: www.pinterest.com’
4. Want the time?: If you need to know the time in another part of the world, Google has the answer. Type in ‘time’ and the location and voila. Try ‘time San Francisco’
5. What’s the weather like there?: If you’re British like me, your day won’t be complete without at least one conversation about the weather. To find out whether it is raining anywhere else in the world just type in ‘weather’ and the location and Google will provide the answer. E.g. Try ‘weather London’
Finally, if you are simply bored and want to kill some time, then Google has some fun surprises too. Try out some of the following of my favourite five Google searches for a fun break to the routine:
Type ‘answer to life the universe and everything’
Type ‘do a barrel roll’
Type ‘tilt’
Type ‘xx-klingon’ and use I‘m feeling lucky
Type ‘zerg rush’
Happy Googling and I’d love to hear any more gems in the comments below…
Tags: calculator, currency conversion, Google, search, search engine, time zones, TIPS, tricks, weather
