Last week we discussed why, with two-thirds of the search engine market, Google is the only search engine you need to worry about.
One of the reasons Google is #1 is because it’s incredibly smart. Here are some of the neat tricks you can do with Google:
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Check the weather
Just type “weather 94920″into the search box (using your own ZIP code, of course!).
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Check your favorite stocks
Just enter the ticker symbol to get up-to-date results on any publicly-traded stock.
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Use it as a calculator
Just type what you’re trying to calculate into the search box – for example, “135/7″or “245 + 549.”You can also enter advanced calculations like, “((365 * 22) – 100) / (300/7)”
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Convert units
All you have to do is type in “150 pounds in kilograms” or “50 lbs = ? kg” to find the conversion. You can use this feature to convert all sorts of units: for example, “20 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit” or “1/8 cup in tablespoons” or even “2010 in roman numerals.”
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Convert money
Just enter what you want to know – for example, “1000 euros in dollars.” You can also get the same result from entering, “1000 euros = ? dollars.”
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It’s a dictionary too
There are two ways Google offers dictionary definitions. Typing in “define gingivitis” will give you Google’s top definition for the word. You can also type in “what is gingivitis.”
You can also use the define: operator to see a list of many online definitions of the word. To do this, make sure to include a colon after the word “define.”
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Check the time anywhere in the world
Just type the word “time” followed by a colon and the city where you want to know the time (for example, “time: Beijing, China”).
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Identify telephone area codes
Wondering where that call you just got came from? Type the 3-digit area code into Google to find out.
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Get directions on many forms of transportation
Google doesn’t just provide driving directions; they’re also testing directions for public transit, walking and bicycling.
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Track flights without even visiting the airline’s website
Just enter in the airline and flight number (for example, “delta 1765”).
Next week: 9 more hot tips for Google searches.