Part III

Part III: Search Tools

Google started by providing generalized web search. Google now provides tools and shortcuts for finding commonly sought utilities and information, which you may have previously found offline or on specialized sites, e.g., telephone numbers, street maps, local restaurants and businesses, financial information, travel conditions, package tracking information, weather, currency conversions and other calculations. This part describes some of Google’s specialized search tools.

Making Google Easier with Google Tools

You can use Google even when the www.google.com page isn’t currently in your browser. It’s simple to do with the following tools and features.
Google Toolbar, Googlebar, or Apple’s Safari web browser
Deskbar
Browser Buttons
Built-in Browser Support
Setting Google as your home page
Setting Google as your default search engine

Shortcuts: Introduction

Google provides shortcuts for finding commonly sought utilities and information, which you may have previously found offline or on specialized sites. The results of these shortcuts appear to the right of a tag or specialized icon and above your search results.
To read about all of these shortcuts, one by one, simply click the “Next” links

Shortcut: Calculator

Want to add up a list of numbers, convert from miles to kilometers, or evaluate some other mathematical expression? Instead of using a piece of paper, your calculator, or a computer math software program, you can now solve mathematical problems with Google’s built-in calculator function.
Simply enter the expression you’d like evaluated in Google’s web search.

Shortcut: Phone Numbers and Addresses

Google no longer supports personal telephone and address searches because of numerous user complaints.
Finding the phone number of a person who lives in the United States used to mean searching the white pages of the telephone directory. Printed residential phone books are getting scarce, but Google has an alternative: the Residential PhoneBook service.

Shortcut: Street Maps

Want to find where something is or how to get there? Just enter an address into Google. You can also copy and paste addresses, even ones with embedded carriage returns, into Google’s search box. When Google recognizes your query as a location, the results page includes a map for that location.
Google Maps.

Shortcut: Stock Quotes

Looking for Google’s stock symbol? It’s GOOG on Nasdaq. Click here for Google’s stock price or search for it on Google.

Note: Entering a ticker symbol in the search box and then clicking on I’m Feeling Lucky will not take you to that symbol’s financial information page. Instead, Google displays the first search results.

Shortcut: Definitions (Google Glossary)

When you include “define,” “what is,” or “what are” in your query in front of a word, phrase, or acronym, Google displays one Glossary definition above your search results. Google Glossary provides definitions for words, phrases, and acronyms that Google finds on web pages. The Glossary is good for finding definitions for terms.

Shortcut: Travel Conditions

Google provides a shortcut for learning about delays and weather conditions at a US airport. Just enter the airport’s three-letter code followed by the word “airport” into Google’s search box.
Note: This feature may not work if you search from any of Google’s non-US sites, e.g., google.de, google.com.co, google.ca nor from a foreign-language site.

Shortcut: Search by Number

“Parcel tracking IDs, patents, and other specialized numbers can be entered into Google’s search box for quick access to information about them,” according to the Google Web Search Features page, www.google.com/help/features.html.
Special searches by number types include:

Examples
Area Code Map
[ 212 ]
Package Tracking
[ 999444666222 ]
Flight Tracking Information
[ united 42 ]
Vehicle Information
[ JH4NA1157MT001832 ]
Patent Search
[ patent 5122313 ]
FAA Airplane Registration Numbers
[ n199ua ]