Google Search - Search effectively

When it comes to the Google search box, you already know the tricks: finding exact phrases matches using quotes like "so say we all" or searching a single site using site:lifehacker.com gmail. But there are many more oblique, clever, and lesser-known search recipes and operators that work from that unassuming little input box. Dozens of Google search guides detail the tips you already know, but today I am skipping the obvious and highlighting my favorite obscure Google web search tricks.

For more tricks and usefull tools visit http://www.google.com/help/features.html

Get the local time anywhere

What time is it in London right now? Ask Google. Enter simply what time is it to get the local time in big cities around the world, or add the locale at the end of your query, like what time is it hong kong to get the local time there.

Convert currency, metrics, bytes,

and more

Google's powerful built-in converter calculator can help you out whether you're cooking dinner, traveling abroad, or building a PC. Find out how many teaspoons are in a quarter cup (quarter cup in teaspoons) or how many seconds there are in a year (seconds in a year) or how many euros there are to five dollars (5 USD in Euro). For the geekier set, bits in kilobytes (155473 bytes in kilobytes) and numbers in hex or binary (19 in binary) are also pretty useful.

Find related terms and documents

Ok, this one's direct from any straight-up advanced search operator cheat sheet, but it's still one of the lesser-used tricks in the book. Adding a tilde (~) to a search term will return related terms. For example, Googling ~nutrition returns results with the words nutrition, food, and health in them.

Find music and comic books

Using a combination of advanced search operators that specify music files available in an Apache directory listing, you can turn Google into your personal Napster. Go ahead, try this search for Nirvana tracks: -inurl:(htmhtmlphp) intitle:"index of" +"last modified" +"parent directory" +description +size +(wmamp3) "Nirvana". (Sub out Nirvana for the band you're interested in; use this one in conjunction with number 7 to find new music, too.) The same type of search recipe can find comic books as well.

Make Google recognize faces

If you're doing an image search for Paris Hilton and don't want any of the French city, a special URL parameter in Google's Image search will do the trick. Add &imgtype=face to the end of your image search to just get images of faces, without any inanimate objects. Try it out with a search for rose (which returns many photos of flowers) versus rose with the face parameter.

Get more from Gmail - Gmail Labs

Google has launched Lab Edition of its famous Gmail service with exciting features which can help you get more from your email service. You can selectively enable these features on your account by going to Gmail Settings >> Labs tabs. Most of these feature are highly innovative and described in brief below…

Since the introduction of Gmail Labs, new features have been added steadily. Some are just for fun, while others can add to improving your productivity. Here is a roundup of the most useful features you will find in Gmail Labs at this point, and how they can help you do more with Gmail.

For more information goto http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/introducing-gmail-labs.html

1. Send & Archive

Added to labs only a few days ago,‘Send & Archive’ is a great solution for those of us who like to keep their inbox as empty as possible. After sending a message, you would normally have to click an additional button to archive a thread. Now, you can do both with just one mouse-click.
Let’s say it takes an additional 2 seconds to archive each message after you send it, and you do this to 20 messages a day, then by using this feature you can save 4 hours a year. Doesn’t seem like that much, but that is just for one task. When streamlining more of our day to day activities, we could save enough time to justify an extra vacation.

2. Tasks

Without a doubt it is one of the most useful developments in Gmail Labs. Although there are countless other ‘to-do-list organizers’, it is handy to have one right in Gmail. The time you save from not logging into multiple websites for your email and task list can also add up over time. I’m not even mentioning how nice it is to cut down on yet another unnecessary tab.

3. Superstars in your inbox

I am the type of person who stars just about everything. When an email needs to get replied to, forwarded, or when it contains some sort of important information I will need later, it always get’s a bright shiny star. Starring helps me navigate my inbox faster, and find the information I need to look at again at a later time. However, before Labs every star was the same. By enabling ‘Superstars’in Gmail labs there are different types of stars you can assign to different types of emails. For example, info that needs to be copies into my calendar gets a red star. Emails I need to respond to later get a yellow star. When I need to update my calendar, I just type in “has:red-star”, and all relevant messages are lined up in a second.

This feature saves me an endless amount of time every day.

4. Take a Break!

Email addicts have to be reminded to take a break and walk around once in a while. By the time you’re parched and stiff, but still stubbornly typing away, you are already far overdue for a few minutes to yourself. Gmail can help you get some down-time by forcing a break. Acknowledge your addiction by enabling ‘Email Addict’ in Labs. You can specify how often your screen will freeze up and tell you to get up and take five.

5. Forgotten Attachment Detector

By far my favorite feature is the Forgotten Attachment Detector. Over are the days of sending multiple emails with embarrassed apologies because I forgot an attachment, or two. This little tool picks up on whether your email message refers to an attached file, and alerts you when you try to hit send without actually attaching the file in question.

6. Google Calender in Gmail

Again cutting down on the number of tabs you need to keep open in your browser, you can display a mini-version of yourGoogle Calendar. Easily keep track of upcoming appointments for the day, without leaving Gmail.

7. Google Docs Gadget

If you are an avid user of Google Docs, it is handy to keep a shortcut to your favorite (i.e. most used) docs right in your inbox. Activate this gadget, and you’ll see a list of docs pop up in your Gmail.This is different from the “create a document” feature, but just (perhaps even more) handy.

Custom "from" email id - gmail

Wanna send that "official" looking mail from home when you don't have access to you work email id from outside the office...use custom 'from' address feature from gmail...http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=22370

Gmail's custom 'From:' feature lets you use Gmail to send messages with another of your email addresses listed as the sender in place of your Gmail address. This feature makes it easier to manage multiple accounts from the Gmail interface.

To add a custom 'From:' address:

1. Make sure you can sign in with the address you'd like to add. You'll need to access the other account before Gmail will let you send from it.
Please note: If you'd like to send from another Gmail username, be sure to sign up for the account first.
2. Sign in to Gmail.
3. Click Settings along the top of any page, and open the Accounts tab.
4. Under Send mail as, click Add another email address.
5. In the Name field, enter your full name.
6. In the Email address field, enter the email address you'd like to send from.
7. (Optional) When someone replies to a message you sent using a custom 'From:' address, the reply will be delivered to the 'From:' address rather than your Gmail address. If you'd like replies to be delivered to Gmail or a third account, you'll need to enter a 'reply-to' address. To do this, click Specify a different reply-to address and enter the email address you'd like.
8. Click Next Step >> and then click Send Verification. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you own it.
9. Open your other account and either click the link in the message Gmail sent or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Gmail settings.

To use a verified custom 'From:' address when composing a new message, pick an address from the drop-down menu in the 'From:' field. If you're replying or forwarding, click change next to the 'From:' field first. You can also choose to automatically use the address to which a message was sent.

To edit the name or reply-to address for an existing entry, click edit next to the address on your Accounts tab. To delete an address, just click delete. 

fring.com

Stay online on all most all messenger, such as Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN Messenger, SIP and Twitter,  through the WiFi, GPRS, EDGE or 3G services on Windows Mobile, Symbian, and iPhone handsets...http://www.fring.com/

Fring is an exclusively Mobile VOIP service that enables free mobile calling between Fring users. Fring is currently available through WiFi, GPRS, EDGE or 3G services on Windows Mobile, Symbian, and iPhone handsets. In addition to calling other Fring users you can use such platforms as Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN Messenger, SIP and Twitter to message or call for free. Users can make calls using a non-phone WiFi device if they choose. Fring has a real time contact availability feature which allows you to see who is online before you call them.

Unlike many other mVOIP clients, Fring never charges for their service. Fring works completely on your data plan or WiFi. All costs associated with a Fring call are for data transfer (which would be free with an unlimited data plan) or SkypeOut/SIP calls to non-Fring users.

mapmyindia.com

Indian alternative to google maps...infact better! http://mapmyindia.com/

Asking for directions and scanning through complicated paper maps while on the move can be nerve-raking and extremely dangerous. So imagine a device that sits in your vehicle and helps you find your way effortlessly. 

MapmyIndia is India’s premium quality digital maps and consumer navigation services. This sounds very complicated but what it means is that with MapmyIndia you will never get lost whether you are on the internet where you can access a free internet mapping portal and search for directions from Malviya Nagar to Khirki, Delhi to Mumbai or Delhi to Mussoorie whether you are on your mobile phone and you want to access the maps and get a turn by turn voice guidance, there is a voice guiding you through your journey with precise directions. 

People are moving beyond a point where they just want to stop and ask people for directions. In US travelers are guided through their journey via a GPS system in their cars. MapmyIndia has come up with a similar system in India thus assuring that one never gets lost.

Using state of the art technology a MapmyIndia navigator can map 55,000 villages and towns, 150 cities as well as important landmarks. In fact in 18 major cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata you can even get information about the street, the locality and sub localities. 

The map data is better than google maps or anything else offered in the country with the best database of Indian streets

ABOUT US

Site Concept: Pia Khanna, Kanika Mittal

Logo Design and Concept: Vinod Yadav, Puneet Sewra