Yes, with the advent of flash drives I can now carry around heaps of files in my pocket. But I also like to have some stashed online and I can do that with Google Docs. I can keep my contacts online in Google Mail and my calendar can sync there too, accessible even when my pocket versions have run out of juice.
Now Google adds a super feature that lets me compare sets of things in one view. I'm sure there are many ways to use Google Squared, but I'm just starting out and like what I see so far.
I tested it by asking for New Zealand cities. A chart came up with images, area codes, etc. Then I saw the Add Columns option so asked for Coordinates. Click & up they come! I searched rivers, religions, bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize, prayer beads and more! Read on for PC Advisor's review:
Google Squared search tool goes live
Google has made its new search tool - Google Squared - publicly available.
Google Squared pulls information about members of a category from all over the web and presents it in a table with rows and columns, instead of the series of page links typically returned by search engines.
A typical search on Google will return a list of relevant websites, but users still have to visit ten to twenty websites to find information on complex questions, said Alex Komoroske, associate product manager for Google Squared in a blog.
The experimental search tool Google Squared, on the other hand, collects information from different websites and presents it as an organised collection.
A search for US states on Google Squared for example returns the names of the states in the first column, and pictures from the states, descriptions, the state's motto, information on population, and state birds in subsequent columns.
Users can customise the table to add a new column such as capital of the state or name of governor from a list provided, or add to the list. The information on the grids on the table links to websites containing more detailed information on that particular aspect of the topic. Users can also save the table using a Google account, and move on to the usual search on Google from within the same page.
But, wait, there's more . . . .
Google Wave is a web application that's the equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife for consumer online services and possibly one of the riskiest and most ambitious endeavours Google has embarked upon in years. See also: What is Google Wave?
In the works for about two years, Wave has the potential to drive people away from popular Google products like Gmail, Google Docs, Google Talk, Picasa, Blogger and Sites, as well as from similar products from competitors like Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL.
However, Google Wave could also fall flat if people don't understand how it can be useful, or if they can't be convinced to give up their email, blogging, IM and other individual online services.
Whatever destiny holds for Wave, it is a bold attempt by Google to give people a new unified web application for their communication and content creation needs, instead of integrating the company's set of discrete online services.
It remains to be seen whether Wave will cannibalise Gmail and other popular Google products, but the culture of innovation at the company trumps those types of concerns.
"Just because we have a suite of very popular products, we shouldn't stop innovating; quite the contrary. We should always keep trying and do new, better things," Rasmussen said.
Google Ave will be open source with room for developers to enhance it as we go. One great feature: Drag-and-drop file sharing: There is no need to upload, so it will work like a desktop. just drag your file and drop it inside Google Wave and everyone in that wave or with permission, will have access. See Sci Tech for more on both applications in one comparison review.
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