10 Google uses you probably aren’t aware of

Google never ceases to amaze me. This little startup is only about a decade old, and yet they have changed the world on a large and dramatic scale. Accessing information online has become so much more accurate than before they hit the scene and the business world has been changed forever as well. And it all started with a simple little search engine.

So, according to the stats, if you are reading this, you most likely are a Google user. There is a 18% chance that you still use Yahoo, and about a 10% chance that you are a Bing user. But regardless of what engine you use, experts predict that our daily search engine use is only going to increase over the next decade.

I know in my life I use Google probably twice as much as I did just a couple years ago. It’s kind of like opening Pandora’s box – as I learned that I could find answers to any question that ever crossed my mind, I began to use it more. And the cycle has continued.

1. Use Google as a Calculator

Try typing in “25 / 5″ in your Google search box. Google instantly turns into a calculator for you.

2. Track your flight (US)

By typing in your Carrier + Flight + your flight number you can get up to date status on your flight.

Ex : Southwest Flight 2175

3. Track your packages (USPS)

This one is particlularly interesting to me right now, as I have multiple Christmas gifts that I am still waiting on. So to use it just type “Track” and the tracking number and it will provide you with a link to get more info.

4. Conversions

If you type in “USD in INR” Google will tell you exchange rate for 1 USD in Indian rupee. It s applicable for distance measurement, Volume conversion and Mass Conversion.

5. Find someones address

You can just type in a home phone number and Google will provide the address and a link to a map and of course driving directions as well. If this freaks you out that your info is available like this, you can go to this page to find out how to get yourself removed.

6. Narrow your search

By using the minus sign you can eliminate certain search results. If you place a minus before any words it will eliminate pages with that word on it.

7. Find movie showtimes

Just type “movies” and your zip code to find out movie showtimes near you. Hit the “Showtimes for…” link and it will take you to lots of detailed info.

8. Listen to songs

If you have a song that you want to give a listen before you buy it and aren’t satisfied with the 30-second clip that iTunes offers, you can just Google the artist name and song title and give the song a full listen. It doesn’t pull results for every song, but if it doesn’t try Youtube.com.

9. Find a particular type of file

If you are looking for a PDF or Excel file in the search results you can just type “filetype:” and the file extension you are looking for along with any related keywords.

10. Find Bible references

I no longer use Bible search tools to find verses I am looking for. I just Google all the words I can remember from the verse and quickly by scrolling through the results I can usually tell what the reference is.