Google isn't a single site; it's a family of tools and services. Here's a quick list of its most important services and tools and where to find them.
Service | What It Is | URL |
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Apple-specific search | Search for anything related to Apple products | www.google.com/mac |
Blogger | Google's blogging service | www.blogger.com |
BSD-specific search | Search for anything to do with Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), a version of the Unix operating system | www.google.com/bsd |
Froogle | Find bargains online | www.froogle.com |
Gmail | Google's email service | www.gmail.com |
Google Alerts | Get news and search results via email | www.google.com/alerts |
Google Answers | For-pay service for getting answers to questions | http://answers.google.com/answers |
Google Blog Search | Search through blogs | http://blogsearch.google.com |
Google Book Search | Search through the contents of books | http://books.google.com or http://print.google.com |
Google Catalogs | Online versions of shopping catalogs | http://catalogs.google.com |
Google Desktop | Use the power of Google to search your PC | http://desktop.google.com |
Google Directory | Browse the Web by category | www.google.com/dirhp |
Google Earth | Travel in 3D around the world | http://earth.google.com |
Google Groups | Search through discussion boards, called newsgroups, and set up newsgroups of your own | http://groups.google.com |
Google Help Center | Page with links to dozens of specialized Google search sites | www.google.com/help/features.html |
Google Image Search | Search for images | http://images.google.com |
Google Labs | Services and features Google is working on | http://labs.google.com |
Google Language Tools | Translate web pages and text between languages | www.google.com/language_tools |
Google Local | Get maps, directions, and local information | http://maps.google.com |
Google News | News-tracking site | http://news.google.com |
Google Reader | Google's RSS reader | www.google.com/reader |
Google Scholar | Search through scholarly journals | http://scholar.google.com |
Google Software Downloads | Central location for downloading Google tools | www.google.com/downloads |
Google Talk | Google's instant messaging program | www.google.com/talk |
Google Toolbar | Puts Google features on your browser's toolbar | http://toolbar.google.com |
Google University Search | Search through university websites | www.google.com/options/universities.html |
Google Video | Search and display news and other videos | http://video.google.com |
Google Zeitgeist | List of most popular Google search terms | www.google.com/zeitgeist |
Linux-specific search | Search for anything to do with Linux | www.google.com/linux |
Microsoft-specific search | Search for anything related to Microsoft products | www.google.com/microsoft |
Picasa | Google's downloadable image-management software | www.picasa.com |
Google Labs has a new feature called Google Suggest. Go to http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en and start typing a search term. As you type, Google pops up a list of suggested matches from which you can choose. Note that at press time, this feature was in Google Labs, so it might or might not be available long term.