When we think of Google, the first things that come to mind are Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube. These are some of the most popular and widely used Google services that have revolutionized the way we access information, communicate, and navigate the world. However, Google is much more than its flagship products. Over the years, the company has expanded into a multitude of industries, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, hardware, and even health and wellness.
Many of Google’s lesser-known products (Google products) and services offer immense value, but they often fly under the radar, overshadowed by more mainstream offerings. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore some of the hidden gems within Google’s ecosystem—products and services that you probably don’t know about but are worth checking out. These range from innovative productivity tools to niche services tailored to specific industries.
1. Google Trends
Google Trends (Google products) is a tool that allows users to explore how frequently specific search queries are entered into Google’s search engine relative to the total search volume. It’s a valuable resource for businesses, content creators, marketers, and researchers looking to identify current trends, discover keyword insights, and analyze interest in particular topics over time.
Key Features:
- Search Term Analysis: Shows how often a search term is entered in Google over a specific period.
- Comparisons: Compare the popularity of different search terms side by side.
- Geographical Breakdown: See search trends by region, city, or country.
- Trending Searches: Displays real-time data on what’s trending globally.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Trends can help marketers plan content around high-traffic topics, track the success of marketing campaigns, and even predict consumer behavior. Researchers and journalists use it to analyze public interest in social, political, and entertainment trends – Google products.
2. Google Dataset Search
Google Dataset Search is a powerful tool for finding publicly available datasets. Whether you’re conducting research, building AI models, or just interested in accessing data for personal projects, Google Dataset Search is a treasure trove of information. It helps users discover datasets hosted across the web from various disciplines, including government reports, academic papers, and industry studies -Google products.
Key Features:
- Search Filters: Refine searches by topic, date, or dataset type.
- Metadata: Provides detailed descriptions of datasets and how to access them.
- Collaboration: Great for research projects and academic collaboration.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Dataset Search is especially valuable for data scientists, researchers, and analysts looking to build data-driven solutions. It aggregates data from a wide range of sources, saving users time and providing comprehensive datasets for any research need.
3. Google Keep
Google Keep is a simple but powerful note-taking service that integrates seamlessly with other Google services. With Keep, users can capture ideas quickly, organize to-do lists, and collaborate with others in real-time – Google products.
Key Features:
- Cross-Device Syncing: Notes are accessible across all devices via the cloud.
- Color-Coded Labels: Organize notes by color for quick access.
- Collaborative Notes: Share and collaborate on notes and lists with others.
- Voice Memos: Record voice memos that can be transcribed automatically.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Keep is ideal for people who need to organize their thoughts quickly and effectively. The ability to sync notes across devices and integrate with other Google services like Google Docs makes it a versatile tool for both personal and professional use – Google products.
4. Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture is an extraordinary service that allows users to explore art collections, museums, and cultural artifacts from around the world. It provides immersive experiences with 360-degree virtual tours of famous landmarks and in-depth information on a vast range of art pieces, from Renaissance masterpieces to contemporary street art.
Key Features:
- Virtual Tours: Take 360-degree tours of museums, galleries, and historical landmarks.
- Art Recognition: Use the Google Art Projector feature to view how artworks would look in your space.
- Art History Education: Learn about different artists, art movements, and cultural heritage.
Why It’s Useful:
For art enthusiasts, students, and teachers, Google Arts & Culture (Google products) is an incredible resource for exploring and learning about global art and history. It brings museums and historical sites to your home, making art more accessible than ever.
5. Google Scholar
Google Scholar is an academic search engine that provides access to scholarly articles, research papers, theses, books, conference papers, and patents across various disciplines. Whether you’re a student, educator, or researcher, Google Scholar is a valuable tool for discovering peer-reviewed literature.
Key Features:
- Citations: View and track citations for academic papers.
- Search Filters: Refine searches by date, author, publication, and more.
- Saved Searches: Save papers to your library for easy access later.
- Related Articles: Discover articles related to your search queries.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Scholar simplifies academic research by providing a single platform for searching scholarly literature. Researchers and students can easily access credible academic sources, track citations, and discover groundbreaking research in their fields.
6. Google Jamboard
Google Jamboard is a digital interactive whiteboard designed for collaboration. It allows teams to brainstorm, share ideas, and work on projects in real-time, regardless of their location. Jamboard integrates with Google Workspace, making it a useful tool for remote teams and classrooms.
Key Features:
- Real-Time Collaboration: Collaborate on a shared whiteboard with multiple users simultaneously.
- Cloud Integration: All boards are stored in the cloud, making them accessible from anywhere.
- Drawing Tools: Includes a variety of drawing, shape, and text tools for enhanced creativity.
- Interactive Sessions: Integrate photos, sticky notes, and other media into your Jamboard sessions.
Why It’s Useful:
For remote teams and educators, Google Jamboard is an innovative tool that enhances collaboration. Whether used for project brainstorming, class discussions, or business presentations, it helps teams stay engaged and work together effectively from any location.
7. Google Voice
Google Voice is a communication service that provides users with a virtual phone number, allowing them to make calls, send text messages, and receive voicemails from their computer or mobile device. It’s an excellent tool for freelancers, small businesses, or anyone needing a secondary number for privacy.
Key Features:
- Free Phone Number: Get a U.S.-based phone number for calls and texts.
- Voicemail Transcriptions: Voicemails are automatically transcribed and can be read instead of listened to.
- Call Forwarding: Forward calls to other phone numbers.
- SMS and Calls: Make calls and send texts directly from the Google Voice app.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Voice is particularly useful for individuals who want to keep their personal and professional communications separate. It offers great functionality for freelancers and business owners who want to streamline their phone communications without needing a second physical phone.
8. Google Podcasts
Google Podcasts is a podcast app that allows users to discover, subscribe to, and listen to podcasts across a variety of genres. The app is integrated with Google Search, allowing users to find podcasts on their preferred topics easily.
Key Features:
- Subscription Management: Subscribe to your favorite podcasts and receive new episodes automatically.
- Recommendations: Get personalized podcast recommendations based on your listening habits.
- Cross-Device Syncing: Sync podcasts between devices so you can pick up where you left off.
- Offline Listening: Download episodes for offline listening.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Podcasts is a simple, clean app for podcast lovers. Whether you’re commuting, exercising, or just relaxing, you can easily access a vast library of podcasts and discover new shows based on your interests.
9. Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a monitoring tool that sends email notifications when new content matching your specified search terms appears online. It can be used to track mentions of your name, business, or industry topics.
Key Features:
- Custom Alerts: Set up alerts for specific keywords, topics, or names.
- Frequency Control: Choose how often you receive alerts—daily, weekly, or as-it-happens.
- Content Type: Filter alerts by news, blogs, videos, or forums.
- Email Notifications: Alerts are delivered directly to your inbox.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Alerts is great for professionals, marketers, and individuals who want to stay updated on specific topics or monitor their online reputation. It’s also useful for businesses that need to track brand mentions, competitor activity, or industry trends.
10. Google Public Data Explorer
Google Public Data Explorer allows users to visualize and explore publicly available datasets from sources like the World Bank, Eurostat, and OECD. The service offers interactive charts and graphs, making it easy to interpret complex data sets.
Key Features:
- Interactive Data Visualizations: Create dynamic visual representations of data.
- Data Source Integration: Access data from trusted sources like government agencies and academic institutions.
- Customizable Graphs: Customize charts and graphs to better suit your data analysis needs.
- Sharing: Share your visualizations with others via email or social media.
Why It’s Useful:
For students, researchers, and policy analysts, Google Public Data Explorer is a powerful tool for data visualization and analysis. It allows users to turn raw data into actionable insights through easy-to-read charts and graphs.
11. Google Cloud Text-to-Speech
Google Cloud Text-to-Speech is an AI-driven service that converts written text into natural-sounding speech. It supports multiple languages and dialects, and offers customization options for voice, pitch, and speaking rate. It’s widely used for creating voice applications, automated customer service, and audio content.
Key Features:
- Natural-Sounding Voices: Converts text to speech using Google’s WaveNet models.
- Language Support: Supports over 30 languages and multiple dialects.
- Customization: Adjust voice, pitch, and speaking rate for personalized output.
- Real-Time Synthesis: Generate speech in real-time for dynamic applications.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Cloud Text-to-Speech is invaluable for developers, content creators, and businesses looking to incorporate voice technology into their services. Whether it’s for accessibility, customer service, or entertainment, the high-quality speech synthesis offered by Google sets a new standard.
12. Google Cloud Vision AI
Google Cloud Vision AI is a machine learning service that enables developers to understand the content of images by classifying objects, reading text (OCR), and detecting faces. It’s widely used in industries like eCommerce, healthcare, and security.
Key Features:
- Image Labeling: Automatically detect objects, locations, and activities within images.
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Extract text from images, including handwritten text.
- Face and Emotion Detection: Detect faces and analyze emotions based on facial expressions.
- Custom Model Training: Train custom models to recognize specific objects or features.
Why It’s Useful:
For businesses looking to build image recognition applications or analyze visual data, Google Cloud Vision AI is a powerful tool. It simplifies complex tasks like image classification and text extraction, making it accessible to a wide range of industries.
13. Google Advanced Protection Program
The Google Advanced Protection Program is designed to provide high-level security for users at risk of targeted attacks, such as journalists, politicians, and activists. It adds extra layers of protection to Google accounts, including stronger verification methods and limited app access.
Key Features:
- Enhanced Account Protection: Protects accounts with two-factor authentication using security keys.
- Limited App Access: Restricts third-party apps from accessing your account without explicit approval.
- Ongoing Security Monitoring: Constant monitoring for suspicious activity.
- Recovery Options: Simplified account recovery in case of lockouts.
Why It’s Useful:
The Advanced Protection Program is ideal for users who require stronger security measures to protect against hacking or phishing attempts. It’s particularly relevant for individuals working in sensitive fields who may be high-profile targets.
14. Google Expeditions
Google Expeditions is a virtual reality platform that allows students to take immersive, virtual field trips around the world. It’s primarily used in educational settings to teach subjects like history, geography, and biology through interactive VR experiences.
Key Features:
- Virtual Field Trips: Explore historical sites, natural wonders, and scientific phenomena in VR.
- Classroom Integration: Teachers can guide students on virtual tours and provide real-time instruction.
- Augmented Reality: Use AR mode to bring objects like volcanoes or animals into the classroom.
- Content Library: Access a growing library of expeditions on various subjects.
Why It’s Useful:
For educators, Google Expeditions is a game-changing tool that makes learning more interactive and engaging. It allows students to explore places and concepts that would otherwise be inaccessible in a traditional classroom setting.
15. Google Books
Google Books is an extensive online library offering access to millions of books, from bestsellers to obscure publications. While many books are available in full, some can only be previewed. Users can also purchase books through the Google Play Store.
Key Features:
- Search Inside Books: Search the text of millions of books to find relevant passages.
- Preview Mode: Preview sections of books that aren’t fully available.
- Buy and Rent: Purchase or rent eBooks through Google Play.
- Library Management: Organize and save books in your Google Books library.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Books is a valuable resource for students, researchers, and book lovers. It makes it easy to find and access a wide range of literature, from academic textbooks to popular novels.
16. Google Flights
Google Flights is a travel search engine that helps users find flights, compare fares, and discover travel deals. The service allows for filtering by price, airline, duration, and even layover airports.
Key Features:
- Flight Comparisons: Compare prices across different airlines and booking platforms.
- Price Tracking: Set up alerts for price changes on specific routes.
- Explore Destinations: Discover flights to various destinations within your budget.
- Flexible Dates: Find the best deals by adjusting departure and return dates.
Why It’s Useful:
Google Flights is a go-to tool for frequent travelers. Its user-friendly interface, powerful filters, and price tracking capabilities make it easier to find the best deals on airfare, saving time and money.
17. Google One
Google One is a subscription service that offers expanded cloud storage across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. It also comes with additional benefits like access to Google experts and special discounts on Google products and services.
Key Features:
- Cloud Storage: Choose from 100 GB to 30 TB of cloud storage.
- Family Sharing: Share storage with up to five family members.
- Google Expert Support: Get direct access to Google experts for account help.
- Backup Service: Automatically back up your photos, videos, and other files.
Why It’s Useful:
For anyone who frequently uses Google’s cloud services, Google One offers enhanced storage and additional perks. It’s particularly useful for families or small businesses that need centralized storage and backup solutions.
18. Google Digital Garage
Google Digital Garage is a free online learning platform offering courses on digital marketing, business strategy, data analytics, and more. It provides certification upon completion of many courses, making it a valuable resource for professionals looking to improve their digital skills.
Key Features:
- Free Online Courses: Access a variety of courses on marketing, data, tech, and career development.
- Certifications: Earn certifications from Google for completing certain courses.
- Flexible Learning: Study at your own pace and access learning materials anytime.
- Industry Experts: Courses are designed by industry leaders and subject matter experts.
Why It’s Useful:
For anyone looking to advance their career or learn new skills, Google Digital Garage is a great resource. Its certification programs are well-regarded by employers, and the free courses make it accessible to all.
Conclusion
Google products and service portfolio extends far beyond its widely recognized tools like Search and Gmail. From advanced tools for developers to educational resources and consumer-focused services, Google offers a diverse range of products that cater to various industries and needs. Whether you’re looking to enhance your productivity, explore new learning opportunities, or leverage cutting-edge technology like AI and machine learning, Google has something for you.
Exploring these lesser-known services can unlock new opportunities for personal growth, business efficiency, and creative innovation. Google continues (Google products) to evolve and release new tools, making it an ever-expanding ecosystem that touches every corner of the digital world.
FAQs
1. What is Google Trends used for?
Google Trends is used to analyze the popularity of specific search terms over time. It helps marketers, researchers, and businesses identify trends and monitor interest in topics across regions.
2. How does Google Voice work?
Google Voice provides users with a free virtual phone number, allowing them to make calls, send texts, and receive voicemails via their computer or mobile device.
3. What is Google Keep?
Google Keep is a note-taking app that lets users capture ideas, create lists, and set reminders. It syncs across devices and integrates with other Google services.
4. Who benefits from using Google Scholar?
Researchers, students, and academics benefit from using Google Scholar to find peer-reviewed articles, research papers, and other scholarly publications for academic purposes.
5. What is the Google Advanced Protection Program?
Google’s Advanced Protection Program provides enhanced security features to protect users at high risk of targeted attacks, such as journalists, politicians, and activists.
6. How does Google Public Data Explorer work?
Google Public Data Explorer provides access to public datasets and helps users visualize complex data through interactive charts and graphs, making it easier to interpret large amounts of information.