Google Labs is, for all intents and purposes, a research and development (R&D) lab. The intent is to create new products and services that can be launched publicly within the Google universe. Granted, some of these projects are more theoretical than others and eventually fall by the wayside. But many Google Labs projects have graduated into full-blown products and services that are now presented alongside Google’s more established offerings.
Which Google services first saw life in Google Labs? Here’s a short list:
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GOOG-411. Search for local businesses by voice from your cell phone (dial 1-800-GOOG-411).
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Google Desktop. Search data on your computer’s hard disk.
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Google Docs. Create and share word processing and spreadsheet documents over the Web.
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Google Glossary. Look up definitions for specific words.
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Google Groups 2. Create and join topic-specific discussion groups.
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Google Maps. View maps and driving directions.
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Google News Alerts. Receive email alerts when new news stories appear online.
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Google Notebook. Clip and collect information as you browse the Web.
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Google Personalized Search. Get search results more relevant to you.
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Google Reader. Automatically display the latest articles and headlines from blogs and websites that offer RSS and Atom feeds.
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Google Scholar. Search scholarly journals and articles.
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Google Search by Location. Restrict your search to a specific geographic area.
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Google SMS. Search Google via your mobile phone.
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Google Spreadsheets. Create your own web-based spreadsheets.
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Google Transit. Plan trips using public transportation.
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Google Video. Search and download TV programs and videos.
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Google Web Alerts. Be notified of new web pages that match your search criteria.
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iGoogle. Create your own custom start page.
At any given point in time, Google Labs has a dozen or so new projects percolating on the virtual test bench. Some of these projects will graduate into normal distribution; others will be incorporated into other products; and there will always be a few that just don’t cut it and eventually wither away. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at what’s currently being tested in Google Labs.
Note
The researchers at Google Labs are always working on new projects, so the projects available when you’re reading this book may be different from the projects listed here.
This is web search for the visually impaired. Try it out at labs.google.com/accessible/.
This is where Google works to fine-tune your search experience. There are always several projects bubbling in this part of Google Labs, all having to do with different ways to present search results. Check out what’s happening at www.google.com/experimental/.
This is Google for programmers, located at www.google.com/codesearch. It lets you search the Web for publicly available source code.
If you like the gadgets in Google Desktop but currently use a Macintosh computer, you’re in luck. Google Dashboard Widgets for Mac (www.google.com/macwidgets/) translates several popular Google Desktop sidebar gadgets into widgets for the Apple Dashboard.
If you’re using Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer as your web browser, Google Extensions for Firefox (www.google.com/tools/firefox) lets you add a variety of browser extensions to provide new functionality.
If you like Google Maps and have an eye for the stars, you’ll love Google Mars. Google Mars (www.google.com/mars) is essentially Google Maps for the red planet, using detailed Martian maps, as supplied by NASA.
Google Product Search for Mobile (labs.google.com/productswml.html) lets you do comparison shopping in the real world. Just whip out your mobile phone when you’re in a store, and query Product Search for Mobile to see if the current price is a good one.
Google Ride Finder (labs.google.com/ridefinder) is a Google Maps mashup that lets you view the locations of taxis, shuttles, and limousines. Google Ride Finder contains real-time information for 13 major cities—Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, DC.
Note
Also available is a U.K. version of Product Search for Mobile (labs.google.com/intl/uk/productswml.html).
Google Sets (labs.google.com/sets) is a way to find words related to a given word. The idea is to enter a few words that make up a type of list, and then let Google try to predict other items in the list.
Google Suggest (www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en) is a technology that offers keyword suggestions as you enter a Google search query.
Google Trends (www.google.com/trends) builds on the top searches compiled in the Google Zeitgeist to form a huge database of user information. Using a variety of data-mining and analysis techniques, Google Trends lets you sort through search query data to determine the popularity of a given topic over time.
Lively (www.lively.com) is a kind of 3D virtual world or social community. You pick a cartoon-like avatar to represent yourself onscreen and then interact with other users in real time.