Google has proven to be a tremendous resource that many people reference for all kinds of information ? ?from the budding chef looking for the latest recipe, to a research assistant comparing their findings with an already published study.? Offering a myriad number of links, there?s nothing that Google ?will not uncover, the extraordinary depth of its offerings the main reason it stands alone atop the peak of search engines.
While performing research, running multiple searches is a common task, one that can become frustrating when transitioning between multiple tabs. Alleviating you of that headache is a site called googlegooglegooglegoogle.com.
As the name of the website suggests, it affords users the opportunity to perform four Google searches simultaneously, splitting the screen into 4 separate Google windows. ?Acting independent of each other, each screen serves as its own Google search, even allowing users to visit the links within that screen without impacting the content of the remaining 3 windows.
If you want to visit another website in one of the windows, click the green arrow at the top of that particular screen, where you?ll be prompted to enter the URL that you?d like to visit. This will not impact whatever you?re viewing on the other screens.
At the bottom, there?s a link ? called ?Menu? — that?ll draw up a list of options. You can restore previously closed google pages, switch to other Google services while maintaining the split screens, and alter the layout of the screens.
This is perfect for those of you performing a lot of research, especially if you?re a student who needs to cull information from a variety of sources.
While Internet Explorer and Firefox are the two most popular browsing clients used to navigate the web, Google?s made some headway with a relatively new entry that?s been a recipient of high marks for its features. Called Chrome, Google?s web browser has been praised for its speed and functionality.
If you?re a web developer, you?re always mindful of the speed your website moves at, knowing that even the slightest delay could determine whether or not a new visitor will return.
Aiding developers to that end, Google has released Speed Tracer, a Chrome extension that helps developers gauge just what might be slowing things down?? Java execution, specifically.
While this is probably of no use to your average internet user, it?s certainly something worth looking into if you?re someone who either has a website or is in the process of developing one.
The video below offers a demonstration of how Speed Tracer works:
Chrome can be downloaded from this site, while the Speed Tracer extension can be found here.
Announced a couple of weeks ago, Google has recently rolled out with Google Public DNS, which is a said to increase the speed at which you browse the internet. Completely free, Google?s service replaces your Internet Service Provider?s DNS with theirs.
If you?re someone that feels uneasy when messing with the settings associated with your router and internet connection, you might be interested in an extremely easy-to-use application that gives you an opportunity to test Google?s Public DNS and determine whether its benefit outweighs whatever hassles you might fear from switching over to it.
It?s called the Google DNS Helper, and its purpose is to allow users a chance to test out multiple public DNS servers to determine which ones introduce a noticeable improvement over the speed of your current DNS server.
Using it is simple, with just two options for users to worry about, saving them the stress of having to wrangle with their network settings. With just one click, this application switches you over to Google Public DNS, saving your current DNS settings before doing so. You?re now able to browse the web with your new DNS settings, having only to click the other button if you ever want to return to your original configuration.
If you?re interested in trying out Google?s DNS solution, this is a convenient ? and, more important, safe ? way of doing so if you?re someone who?s wary of tinkering with your router and network.
As an habitual user of Google?s impressive array of services, I?ve only had one grievance, finding it frustrating to have to check every Google service for any new activity. In the past, keeping notified of such activity required the installation of an app for every service, which can prove to be somewhat tiring. Released today, there is now a free utility that consolidates notifications for every Google service you?re subscribed to, acting as a hub of alerts that spares you the hassle of having to use distinct notification apps for each service.?
Called Googsystray, this convenient tool monitors Gmail, Google Voice, Calendar, Reader, and Wave ? settling right in your system tray, where it?ll update you whenever new activity occurs.
Upon its installation, the utility allows you to determine which service you?d like it to keep you apprised of and how you?d like it to respond. For instance, once you?ve received a new email, you can toggle the application to play a sound or even commence with a preset command. Once alerted, an icon corresponding to the service in question will also pop-up; should you right-click on the icon, it?ll expound upon the notification, giving you more information about what new content has arrived.
This is particularly useful if you?re a frequent user of each of these services. Working on both Windows and Linux Operating Systems, this is a free download.
While email has become the most popular method of communication in this digital age, it?s limited to the internet, requiring a working connection for the delivery of the messages you draft. Still, even in those times when the internet isn?t available, we?d like to be able to read our email and draft new messages in the interim. ?The internet isn?t an infallible resource, all of us experiencing outages of service ? ?at work and home.?
Google just made their Gmail service available offline, a feature that had only existed in their Google Labs, the experimental hub of upcoming services tested out in a beta format. This is a great alternative for those instances when your internet connection isn?t available yet you still find yourself wanting to manage the email in your Gmail account.
When activated, Google downloads a local cache of your current email using Gears, the google service that augments the abilities of your web browser. Once your email has been captured, it remains accessible, no matter if your connection is available or offline. So long as your connection is working, the cache of your email will remain current.
In offline mode, your Gmail features remain available, allowing you to do just what you?d normally do when using the service online ? without the ability to send messages, of course. For those messages you want to transmit, all you need to do is ?send? them as usual, though they?ll occupy your ?outbox? until a connection is available. It?s quite similar to how SMS texts are handled on your smartphone, where the unavailability of services sends your texts into a queue that is emptied upon restoration of service.
With it publically available, the steps required to activate this service are the following:
Click the ?settings? link in the top-right corner of Gmail
Click the ?Offline? tab.
Select ?Enable Offline Mail for this computer.?
Click ?Save Changes? and follow the directions from there.
For a demonstration of how this service, here?s a video that accompanied the Google Lab?s offering:
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Because this is still relatively new, there are bound to be some quirks that haven?t yet been ironed out. If you ever have any questions, never hesitate to give us a ring.
