Ah Google.
As omnipresent as this search company is in our world today and the fact that the word "google" essentially replaces the word "search" in our vocabulary when talking about the internet, I oftentimes feel like Google is underrated and therefore under appreciated (at least in my circle of friends)
To many people I know Google is only of use to them to search and to use for their email client (Gmail). YouTube is also a service that anyone who's ever watched a video online is definitely familiar with owned by the amazing company that is Google.
But what troubles me is that despite that fact that Google offers so many other services to enhance one's online and even offline experiences, they go unnoticed because they aren't as marketed in mainstream media like the company named after a fruit.
Again this post is mainly directed to those people I know who more than likely own devices by said fruit company and are used to using their services. At the end the end of the day I am totally aware that it comes down to preference. I just want to highlight some Google services that go under the radar that help my life and hopefully give you a better appreciation for Google.
Hangouts
This one is probably the most unknown service to those outside the Google circle. Google Hangouts is Google's universal messaging client and can be used on almost any device. It's supported by iOs, Android, PC, and Mac. While it can draw comparisons to Apple's iMessage with the fact Instant Messages (IMs) can go from tablet to laptop to mobile phone, one feature that stands out is the ability to have video calls with up to 10 people. More info here
Google Play Music
For anyone who loves music I highly recommend checking it out. I personally signed up for All Access, its premium subscription, I haven't looked back. For $9.99/month you get a seemingly endless amount of music available to stream at anytime anywhere along with 20,000 songs you already own. Granted all of its features are comparable to that of Spotify's but Spotify only allows offline listening to downloaded tracks for a month whereas there is no limit with Google Music. For a music aficionado like myself, it sounds like a deal. More info here
Google+
Google's social network, Google+, is by the far the most underrated on the web. In a social world where my circle sparingly uses Facebook and devote most of their time to Instagram and Twitter, G+ in my humble opinion combines what's good about all those sites plus (no pun intended) more. The biggest thing about it is that it allows you to sort your friends and "friends" and others into Circles. In the real world, you have certain things that you would only like to share with your family and things you would only like to share with your friends. Google+ provides a simple way to curate content you would like to share with the exact people you want to share it with. Options like this exist on Facebook but IMHO it's not as user friendly or visually aesthetic.
These are just some of many Google services that I enjoy and help make my life easier. Google Maps, Drive, and the virtual assistant Google Now are others that are incredibly useful in that they may need a post of their own. How about you? Would you try out these services? Or if you know about them already do you like it or do you have other preferences?
As omnipresent as this search company is in our world today and the fact that the word "google" essentially replaces the word "search" in our vocabulary when talking about the internet, I oftentimes feel like Google is underrated and therefore under appreciated (at least in my circle of friends)
To many people I know Google is only of use to them to search and to use for their email client (Gmail). YouTube is also a service that anyone who's ever watched a video online is definitely familiar with owned by the amazing company that is Google.
But what troubles me is that despite that fact that Google offers so many other services to enhance one's online and even offline experiences, they go unnoticed because they aren't as marketed in mainstream media like the company named after a fruit.
Again this post is mainly directed to those people I know who more than likely own devices by said fruit company and are used to using their services. At the end the end of the day I am totally aware that it comes down to preference. I just want to highlight some Google services that go under the radar that help my life and hopefully give you a better appreciation for Google.
Hangouts
This one is probably the most unknown service to those outside the Google circle. Google Hangouts is Google's universal messaging client and can be used on almost any device. It's supported by iOs, Android, PC, and Mac. While it can draw comparisons to Apple's iMessage with the fact Instant Messages (IMs) can go from tablet to laptop to mobile phone, one feature that stands out is the ability to have video calls with up to 10 people. More info here
Google Play Music
For anyone who loves music I highly recommend checking it out. I personally signed up for All Access, its premium subscription, I haven't looked back. For $9.99/month you get a seemingly endless amount of music available to stream at anytime anywhere along with 20,000 songs you already own. Granted all of its features are comparable to that of Spotify's but Spotify only allows offline listening to downloaded tracks for a month whereas there is no limit with Google Music. For a music aficionado like myself, it sounds like a deal. More info here
Google+
Google's social network, Google+, is by the far the most underrated on the web. In a social world where my circle sparingly uses Facebook and devote most of their time to Instagram and Twitter, G+ in my humble opinion combines what's good about all those sites plus (no pun intended) more. The biggest thing about it is that it allows you to sort your friends and "friends" and others into Circles. In the real world, you have certain things that you would only like to share with your family and things you would only like to share with your friends. Google+ provides a simple way to curate content you would like to share with the exact people you want to share it with. Options like this exist on Facebook but IMHO it's not as user friendly or visually aesthetic.
These are just some of many Google services that I enjoy and help make my life easier. Google Maps, Drive, and the virtual assistant Google Now are others that are incredibly useful in that they may need a post of their own. How about you? Would you try out these services? Or if you know about them already do you like it or do you have other preferences?