Google Services and Tools

Desktop products

Standalone applications

• AdWords Editor [1] (Mac OS X (10.4), Windows 2000 SP3+/XP/Vista)

Desktop application to manage a Google AdWords account. The application allows users to make changes to their account and advertising campaigns before synchronising with the online service.

• Desktop [2] (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows 2000 SP3+/XP/Vista)

Desktop search application, that indexes e-mails, documents, music, photos, chats, Web history and other files. It allows the installation of Google Gadgets.

• Earth [3] (Linux, Mac OS X and Windows 2000/XP/Vista)

Virtual globe that uses satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS over a 3D globe.

• Gmail/Google Notifier [4] (Mac OS X, Windows 2000/XP)

Alerts the user of new messages in their Gmail account.

• Pack [5] (Windows XP/Vista)

Collection of computer applications -- some Google-created, some not -- including Google Earth, Google Desktop, Picasa, Google Talk, StarOffice and Mozilla Firefox.

• Photos Screensaver [6]

Slideshow screensaver as part of Google Pack, which displays images sourced from a hard disk, or through RSS and Atom Web feeds.

• Picasa [7] (Linux and Windows 2000/XP/Vista)

Photo organization and editing application, providing photo library options and simple effects.

• Picasa Web Albums Uploader [8] (Mac OS X)

An application to help uploading images to the "Picasa Web Albums" service It consists of both an iPhoto plug-in and a stand-alone application.

• Secure Access [9] (Windows 2000/XP)

VPN client for Google WiFi users, whose equipment does not support WPA or 802.1x protocols

• SketchUp [10] (Mac OS X and Windows 2000/Windows XP)

Simple 3D sketching program with unique dragging interface and direct integration with Google Earth.

• Talk [11] (Windows 2000/Windows XP/Server 2003/Vista)

Application for VoIP and instant messaging. It consists of both a service and a client used to connect to the service, which uses the XMPP protocol.

• Visigami [12] (Mac OS X Leopard)

Image search application screen saver that searches files from Google Images, Picasa and Flickr.

• Web Accelerator [13] (Windows 2000 SP3+/XP/Vista)

Uses various caching technologies to increase load speed of web pages.

Desktop extensions

These products created by Google are extensions to software created by other organizations.

• Blogger Web Comments [14] (Firefox only)

Displays related comments from other Blogger users.

• Browser Sync [15] (Firefox only)

Saves browser settings for backup and use on other installations of Mozilla Firefox.

• Dashboard Widgets for Mac [16] (Mac OS X Dashboard Widgets)

Collection of mini-applications including Gmail, Blogger and Search History.

• Gears [17] (Firefox and Internet Explorer)

A browser plug-in that enables development of off-line browser applications.

• Pinyin IME [18] (Internet Explorer extension) (Google China)

Input Method Editor that is used to convert Chinese Pinyin characters, which can be entered on Western-style keyboards, to Chinese characters.

• Send to Phone [19] (Web and Firefox)

Allows users to send text messages to their mobile phone (US only) about web content.

• Toolbar [20] (Firefox and Internet Explorer)

Web browser toolbar with features such as a Google Search box, phishing protection, pop-up blocker as well as the ability for website owners to create buttons.

Mobile products

Online mobile products

These products can be accessed through a browser on a mobile device or a standard desktop web browser such as Firefox.

• Blogger Mobile [21]

Only available on some US networks. Allows you to post to your Blogger blog from a mobile device.

• Calendar [22]

Read a list of all Google Calendar events from a mobile device. There is also the option to quickly add events to your personal calendar.

• Gmail [23]

Access a Gmail account from a mobile device using a standard mobile web browser. Alternatively, Google provides a specific mobile application to access and download Gmail messages quicker.

• News [24]

Access Google News on a mobile device using a simpler interface compared to the full online application.

• Google Mobilizer[25]

Makes any web page mobile-friendly.

• iGoogle [26]

Simple version of iGoogle - you must visit the information page to choose which modules to display on your personal mobile version as not all modules are compatible.

• Product Search [27]

Updated version of the previous Froogle Mobile

• Reader [28]

View Google Reader on a mobile device.

• Mobile search [29]

Search web pages, images, local listings and mobile-specific web pages through the Google search engine. If a webpage is not tailored for a mobile device Google will provide a simple text version of the webpage generated using an algorithm.

• Picasa Web Albums [30]

Lets you view photo albums that you have stored online.

• Google Notebook [31]

View and add notes to your Google Notebook

Downloadable mobile products

These products must be downloaded and run from a mobile device.

• Gmail [32]

A downloadable application that has many advantages over accessing Gmail through a web interface on a mobile such as the ability to interact with Gmail features including labels and archiving. Requires a properly configured Java Virtual Machine, which is not available by default on some platforms (such as Palm's Treo).

• Maps [33]

Mobile application for viewing maps on a mobile device, available for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Palm OS smartphones.

• Mobile Updater [34] (BlackBerry only)

Keeps all Google mobile products up-to-date. Also allows installation or uninstallation of these products.

• Sync for BlackBerry [35]

Synchronizes a BlackBerry calendar with multiple Google calendars using a Google Account.

• Talk [36] (BlackBerry only)

VoIP application exclusively for BlackBerry smartphones.

• YouTube [37]

A downloadable application for viewing YouTube videos on selected devices (see [38]).

Web products

These products must be accessed via a Web browser.

Advertising

• AdSense [39]

Advertisement program for Website owners. Adverts generate revenue on either a per-click or per-thousand-ads-displayed basis, and are adverts shown are from AdWords users, depending on which adverts are relevant.

• AdWords [40]

Google's flagship advertising product, and main source of revenue. AdWords offers pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and site-targeted advertising for both text and banner ads.

• AdWords Website Optimizer [41]

Integrated AdWords tool for testing different website content, in order to gain to the most successful advertising campaigns.

• Audio Ads [42]

Radio advertising program for US businesses. Google began to roll this product out on 15 May 2007 through its existing AdWords interface.

• Click-to-Call [43]

Calling system so users can call advertisers for free at Google's expense from search results pages.

• Grants [44]

Scheme for non-profit organizations to benefit from free Cost-Per-Click advertising on the AdWords network.

• TV Ads [45]

CPM-driven television advertising scheme available on a trial basis, currently aimed towards professional advertisers, agencies and partners.

Communication & Publishing

• 3D Warehouse [46]

Google 3D Warehouse is an online service that hosts 3D models of existing objects, locations (including buildings) and vehicles created in Google SketchUp by the aforementioned application's users. The models can be downloaded into Google SketchUp by other users or Google Earth.

• Apps [47]

Custom domain and service integration service for businesses, enterprise and education, featuring Gmail and other Google products.

• Blogger [48]

Weblog publishing tool. Users can create a custom, hosted blogs with features such as photo publishing, comments, group blogs, blogger profiles and mobile-based posting with little technical knowledge.

• Calendar [49]

Free online calendar. It includes a unique "quick add" function which allows users to insert events using natural language input. Other features include Gmail integration and calendar sharing. It is similar to those offered by Yahoo! and MSN.

• Docs [50]

Document, spreadsheet and presentation application, with document collaboration and publishing capabilities.

• Dodgeball [51]

Social networking site built specifically for use on mobile phones. Users text their location to the service, which then notifies them of crushes, friends, friends' friends and interesting venues nearby.

• FeedBurner [52]

News feed management services, including feed traffic analysis and advertising facilities.

• Friend Connect [53]

Google Friend Connect

• Gadgets [54]

Mini-applications designed to display information or provide a function in a succinct manner. Available in Universal or Desktop format.

• Gmail [55] (Also known as Google Mail)

Free Webmail IMAP and POP e-mail service provided by Google, known for its abundant storage and advanced interface. It was first released in an invitation-only form on April 1, 2004. Mobile access and Google Talk integration is also featured.

• GrandCentral [56]

Free voice communications product that includes a POTS telephone number. It includes a follow-me service that allows the user to forward their GrandCentral phone number to simultaneously ring up to 6 other phone numbers. It also features a unified voice mail service.

• iGoogle [57] (Previously Google Personalized Homepage)

Customizable homepage, which can contain Web feeds and Google Gadgets, launched in May 2005. It was renamed to iGoogle on April 30, 2007 (previously used internally by Google).

• Notebook [58]

Web clipping application for saving online research. The tool permits users to clip text, images, and links from pages while browsing, save them online, access them from any computer, and share them with others.

• Marratech e-Meeting

Web conferencing software, used internally by Google's employees. Google acquired the software from creator Marratech on April 19, 2007. Google has not yet stated what it will do with the product.

• Orkut [59]

Social networking service, where users can list their personal and professional information, create relationships amongst friends and join communities of mutual interest. In November 2006, Google opened Orkut registration to everyone, instead of being invitation only.

• Page Creator [60]

Webpage-publishing program, which can be used to create pages and to host them on Google's servers.

• Picasa Web Albums [61]

Online photo sharing, with integration with the main Picasa program.

• Reader [62]

Web-based news aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds. It allows the user to search, import and subscribe to feeds. The service also embeds audio enclosures in the page. Major revisions to Google Reader were made in October 2006.

• Sites [63] (Previously Jotspot)

Website creation tool for private or public groups, for both personal and corporate use.

• Shared Stuff [64]

Web page sharing system, incorporating a Share bookmarklet to share pages, as well as a page for viewing the most popular shared items. Pages can also be shared through third party applications, such as del.icio.us or Facebook.

• Questions and Answers [65] (Google Russia Only)

Community-driven knowledge market website. Launched on June 26, 2007 that allows users to ask and answer questions posed by other users. [66]

• YouTube [67]

Popular free video sharing Web site which lets users upload, view, and share video clips. In October 2006, Google, Inc., announced that it had reached a deal to acquire the company for $1.65 billion USD in Google's stock. The deal closed on 13 November 2006.

Development

• Android

Open Source mobile phone platform developed by the Open Handset Alliance

• App Engine [68]

A tool that allows developers to write and run web applications.

• Code [69]

Google's site for developers interested in Google-related development. The site contains Open Source code and lists of their API services. Also provides project hosting for any free and open source software.

• Mashup Editor [70]

Web Mashup creation with publishing facilities, as well as syntax highlighting and debugging.

• OpenSocial [71]

A set of common APIs for building social applications on many websites.

• Subscribed Links [72]

Allows developers to create custom search results that Google users can add to their search pages.

• Webmaster Tools [73] (Previously Google Sitemaps)

Sitemap submission and analysis for the Sitemaps protocol. Renamed from Google Sitemaps to cover broader features, including query statistics and robots.txt analysis.

• Web Toolkit [74]

An open source Java software development framework that allows web developers to create Ajax applications in Java.

Mapping

• Maps [75]

Mapping service that indexes streets and satellite imagery, providing driving directions and local business search.

• Mars [76]

Imagery of Mars using the Google Maps interface. Elevation, visible imagery and infrared imagery can be shown. It was released on March 13, 2006, the anniversary of the birth of astronomer Percival Lowell.

• Moon [77]

NASA imagery of the moon through the Google Maps interface. It was launched on July 20, 2005, in honor of the first manned Moon landing on July 20, 1969.

• Sky [78]

An Internet tool for viewing the stars and galaxies, you can now access this tool through a browser version of "Google Sky".

• Ride Finder [79]

Taxi, limousine and shuttle search service, using real time position of vehicles in 14 US cities. Ride Finder uses the Google Maps interface and cooperates with any car service that wishes to participate.

• Transit [80]

Public transport trip planning through the Google Maps interface. Google Transit was released on December 7, 2005, and is now fully integrated with Google Maps.

Search

• Accessible Search [81]

Search engine for the blind and visually impaired. It prioritises usable and accessible web sites in the search results, so the user incurs minimal distractions when browsing.

• Alerts [82]

E-mail notification service, which sends alerts based on chosen search terms, whenever there are new results. Alerts include web results, Groups results news, and video.

• Base [83]

Google submission database, that enables content owners to submit content, have it hosted and make it searchable. Information within the database is organized using attributes.

• Blog search [84]

Weblog search engine, with a continuously-updated search index. Results include all blogs, not just those published through Blogger. Results can be viewed and filtered by date.

• Book Search [85] (Previously Google Print)

Search engine for the full text of printed books. Google scans and stores in its digital database. The content that is displayed depends on the arrangement with the publishers, ranging from short extracts to entire books.

• Catalogs [86]

Search engine for over 6,600 print catalogs, which are acquired through Optical character recognition.

• Checkout [87]

Online payment processing service provided by Google aimed at simplifying the process of paying for online purchases. Webmasters can choose to implement Google Checkout as a form of payment.

• Code Search [88]

Search engine for programming code found on the Internet.

• Directory [89]

Collection of links arranged into hierarchical subcategories. The links and their categorization are from the Open Directory Project, but are sorted using PageRank.

• Directory [90] (Google China)

Navigation directory, specifically for Chinese users.

• Experimental Search [91]

Options for testing new interfaces whilst searching with Google, including Timeline views and keyboard shortcuts.

• Finance [92]

Searchable US business news, opinion, and financial data. Features include company-specific pages, blog search, interactive charts, executives information, discussion groups and a portfolio.

• Groups [93]

Web and e-mail discussion service and Usenet archive. Users can join a group, make a group, publish posts, track their favorite topics, write a set of group web pages updatable by members and share group files. [94]. In January, 2007, version 3 of Google Groups was released. New features include the ability to create customised pages and share files.

• Image Labeler [95]

Game that induces participants to submit valid descriptions (labels) of images in the web, in order to later improve Image Search.

• Image Search [96]

Image search engine, with results based on the filename of the image, the link text pointing to the image and text adjacent to the image. When searching, a thumbnail of each matching image is displayed.

• Language Tools [97]

Collection of linguistic applications, including one that allows users to translate text or web pages from one language to another, and another that allows searching in web pages located in a specific country or written in a specific language.

• Life Search [98] (Google China)

Search engine tailored towards everyday needs, such as train times, recipes and housing.

• Movies [99]

A specialised search engine that obtains Film showing times near a user-entered location as well as providing reviews of films compiled from several different websites,

• Music Trends [100]

Music ranking of the songs played with iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player and Yahoo Music. Trends are generated by Google Talk's "share your music status" feature.

• News [101]

Automated news compilation service and search engine for news. There are versions of the aggregator for more than 20 languages. While the selection of news stories is fully automated, the sites included are selected by human editors.

• News Archive Search [102]

Feature within Google News, that allows users to browse articles from over 200 years ago.

• Patent Search [103]

Search engine to search through millions of patents, each result with its own page, including drawings, claims and citations.

• Product Search [104] (Previously Froogle)

Price engine that searches online stores, including auctions, for products.

• Rebang [105] (Google China)

Google China's search trend site, similar to Google Zeitgeist. Currently part of Google Labs.

• Scholar [106]

Search engine for the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and scholarly fields. Today, the index includes virtually all peer-reviewed journals available online.

• SearchMash [107]

Search engine that means to "test innovative user interfaces." Among its features are the ability to display image results on the same page as web results, feedback about features, and continuous scrolling results. Aside from its privacy policy and terms of service, there is no Google branding on the site.

• Sets [108]

List of items generated when the user enters a few examples. For example, entering "Green, Purple, Red" produces the list "Green, Purple, Red, Blue, Black, White, Yellow, Orange, Brown."

• SMS [109]

Mobile phone short message service offered by Google in several countries, including the USA, Japan, Canada, India and China and formerly the UK, Germany and Spain. It allows search queries to be sent as a text message. The results are sent as a reply, with no premium charge for the service.

• Suggest [110]

Auto-completion in search results while typing to give popular searches.

• University Search [111]

Listings for search engines for University websites.

• U.S. Government Search [112]

Search engine and Personalized Homepage that exclusively draws from sites with a .gov TLD.

• Video [113]

Video search engine and online store for clips internally submitted by companies and the general public. Google's main video partnerships include agreements with CBS, NHL and the NBA. Also searches videos posted on YouTube.

• Voice Local Search [114]

Non-premium phone service for searching and contacting local businesses

• Web History [115] (Previously Google Search History / Personalized Search)

Web page tracking, which records Google searches, Web pages, images, videos, music and more. It also includes Bookmarks, search trends and item recommendations.

• Web Search [116]

Web search engine, which is Google's core product. It was the company's first creation, coming out of beta on September 21, 1999, and remains their most popular and famous service. It receives 1 billion requests a day and is the most used search engine on the Internet.

Statistics

• Analytics [117]

Traffic statistics generator for defined websites, with strong AdWords integration. Webmasters can optimize their ad campaigns, based on the statistics that are given. Analytics is based on the Urchin software and the new version released in May 2007 integrates improvements based on Measure Map.

• Gapminder [118]

Data trend viewing platform to make nations' statistics accessible on the internet in an animated, interactive graph form.

• Trends [119]

Graph plotting application for Web Search statistics, showing the popularity of particular search terms over time. Multiple terms can be shown at once. Results can also be displayed by city, region or language. Related news stories are also shown.

• Zeitgeist [120]

Collection of lists of the most frequent search queries. There are weekly, monthly and yearly lists, as well as topic and country specific lists. Closed 22 May 2007 and replaced by "Hot Trends, a dynamic feature in Google Trends".

Hardware products

• Google Search Appliance [121]

Hardware device that can be hooked to corporate intranets for indexing/searching of company files.

• Google Mini [122]

Reduced capacity and less expensive version of the Google Search Appliance.

Other products

• GOOG-411 [123]

Google's directory assistance service, which can be used free of charge from any telephone in the US and Canada.

Previous products

Applications that have been discontinued by Google, either because of integration with other Google products, or through lack of support.

• Answers [124]

Question and answer service, allowing users to pay researchers to answer questions. Google announced the closing of service on November 28, 2006. All past discussions have been publicly archived.

• Deskbar

Bar on your desktop with a minibrowser built into it. It was discontinued when a very similar feature was added to Google desktop. Some people preferred Google deskbar for its ability to add custom searching and the mini-browser so you wouldn't have to open an actual window. The last release, version 9.95, had a .NET plugin.

• Free Search [125]

Free code to embed either web search or site search into another website. Discontinued in favour of Google Co-op's Custom Search Engine.

• Hello [126]

Allowed users to send images across the Internet and publish them to blogs.

• Joga Bonito [127]

Soccer community site, similar to services such as MySpace, in that each member had a profile, and could join groups based on shared interests. The service allowed a user to meet other fans, create games and clubs, access athletes from Nike, and watch and upload video clips and photos.

• Local

Local listings service, before it was integrated with mapping. The merged service was then called Google Local, which was further renamed to Google Maps due to popular demand.

• Personalized Search

Search results personalization, now fully merged with Google Accounts and Web History.

• Public Service Search [128]

Non-commercial organization service, which included free SiteSearch, traffic reports and unlimited search queries. Discontinued in February 2007 and re-directed to Google Co-op.

• Related Links

Script that places units for related Web content, including pages, searches and videos, on the owner's Website, through embedded code. Discontinued in July 2007.

• Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet management application, before it was integrated with Writely to form Google Docs & Spreadsheets. It was announced on 6 June 2006.

• Video Player (Mac OS X/Windows 2000/XP)

Standalone desktop application that allowed you to view videos from Google Video.

• Voice Search [129]

Automated voice system for searching the Web using the telephone. Now called Google Voice Local Search [130], it is currently integrated on the Google Mobile web site [131].

• Writely

Web-based word processor created by software company Upstartle, who were acquired by Google on March 9, 2006. On October 10, 2006, Writely was merged into Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

• Google X

Re-designed Google search homepage, using a Mac OS style interface. It appeared in Google Labs, but was removed the following day for undisclosed reasons.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.