This
has to be one of the best online mapping programs out there. I've been using
online map programs for years, and this is, by far the easiest online mapping
program to use. Not only can you view a traditional street map, but you can see
a satellite view, or even a hybrid view of a map overlay on the satellite
image. As well as driving routes to destinations of your choosing, it will also
show you addresses and phone numbers of restaurants and businesses that you're
searching for. It also has traffic overlays for most major cities, so you can
plan your route around heavy traffic before you even leave your house.
Google maps are extremely interactive; you can pan by simply dragging the map.
Zooming is just as easy; simply roll your scroll wheel up or down to change the
level of zoom. Of course, there are buttons on the left of the map that you can
use to perform these functions if you prefer. Personalizing the map is just as easy,
simply click on My Maps, and you're given a plethora of easy to use options.
You can add place markers, draw lines and shapes as well as make notes. Even if
you don't like the directions that Google has given you, one can simply click
and drag the highlighted route to a road that you want to use. You can also add
multiple points and get directions from A - B - C - D. I honestly think you can
plan an entire road trip with nothing else but Google Maps.
Google also recently added a new feature called Street View, which actually
gives you a streets eye view of the road you're looking at. Yes, you heard me
right; they have a fleet of Chevy Cobalts whose sole purpose is to drive around
all day taking street level pictures. I can't imagine how difficult it must be
to take a picture of every street in the US, but Google has taken on the
task in living up to their motto of "to organize the world's information
and make it accessible to our users". In the street mode, you can pan
zoom, and even navigate forward or backward on the street.
Google Maps is also available on your mobile phone, so if even if you don't
have access to a computer, you will still be able to access Google maps just as
long as you subscribe to a data plan through you’re service provider.
Google Video has completely
changed the way people watch video on the internet. It also has created a new
type of blogging, the video blog. Instead of typing out a blog post, people now
use their web cams to record their blog posts and upload them to Google video
to be published. Google video has opened a doorway for an amazing new way to
communicate with people around the world. To show your cool video to a friend,
you had to invite them over to your house and plug your camera into your TV.
Now, you simply copy the video from your camera, and upload it to Google. Now
even friends that live thousands of miles away can see you get some mad air on
your skateboard.
As well as personal videos, you can find many clips from TV shows and movies on
Google Video. Although some companies have asked Google to remove videos due to
copyright violations, most have not. So there is a good chance you can still
see your favorite clip of your favorite show. Just don't expect to watch the
whole episode.
Google Video has also spawned a new kind of viral marketing. Many companies
have created funny clips and purposely post them to Google Video in hopes that
people will spread the news of that video around to their friends. While
similar to TV commercials, these videos are free to publish, and instead of
forcing consumers to watch the commercial, it does the opposite. It seeks to
entice the consumer to search out their video for entertainment. For example,
the movie Snakes on a Plane was a success at the box office, mostly due to its
occult like following on the internet.
Have you ever been away from your home computer wanting to work on a homework
assignment, job project, or even get an idea for the novel you're writing? I
can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. Google Docs and
Spreadsheets is an entirely different approach to word processing. Instead of a
stand alone application like Microsoft Word, Docs and Spreadsheets simply uses
your favorite internet browser. You simply log into your Google account, and
open the Docs and Spreadsheets program, that's it. And the best part is it's
free. So not only do you have a great program available to you where ever you
have an internet connection, it allows you to save your documents online. No
more lugging a thumb drive around with you. Just save it on Google and access
it from anywhere in the world. And for those of you with privacy concerns,
don't worry. Google's not in the habit of just handing over your personal
information like most companies are. In fact, they even stood up to the
Department of Justice when they requested something simple, such as search
terms, imagine how they will fight to keep your personal documents safe.
You might be saying, "But I like Word, and I've used other free
applications and still go back to Word, what makes this better?" I felt
the same way when I heard about Docs and Spreadsheets. But, I decided to give
it a try. The interface is very simple and easy to learn. Nothing really stood
out at first, until I wanted to work on something I had left at the office.
Now, I had to VPN into my work network, then remote desktop to my computer to
get to the document. That's when it hit me, "This is just a pain."
From that point on, I started using Docs and Spreadsheets and never turned
back.
Oh yea, and no more syncing. Since your documents are in one location, you
don't have to worry about constantly syncing them, or worry about overwriting a
newer copy.
Bring the power of the Google search to your desktop. This is a fantastic
search program, not only do you have the power of the Google search engine
right on your desktop, but it has a nice sidebar feature that allows for
gadgets. Some of which include an RSS feed monitor, local weather forecast, calendar,
clock, and many more to choose from. Once it indexes your hard drive, search
results appear within seconds.
Google Calendar is an interactive calendar, which allows you
to save appointments, meetings and more. It does everything that the Calendar
in Microsoft Outlook does, but stores the information on Google's servers as
apposed to your local PC. Again, like Docs and Spreadsheets, this allows you to
access your appointments from anywhere in the world with an internet
connection. Also, with Google Calendar you can send appointment reminders to
your phone.
The interface is extremely simple, like all of Google's products. There are
tabs on the top of the page that allows you to change the view from single day,
to week, to month. It also has a view that will give you the agenda for all the
upcoming events. It's also easy to import your Outlook or iCal calendar
schedule into the Google Calendar. Simply click the add button, and select
import.
Google Calendar also allows you to have several calendars, and so it's possible
to have a public calendar that's viewable by others, and of course a private calendar
which is only visible to you. You also can add your friends or coworkers public
calendar to so scheduling meetings can be done without having to try and find a
date that you are both available. Just simply look at their calendar, and find
a suitable date for the appointment.
Ken Hendrickson works for Network
Liquidators which specializes in selling new and used network and telecom
equipment; including Cisco, Foundry Networks, Nortel Networks, Extreme
Networks, Avaya Telecom, Plantronics, GN Netcom and more.
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