Since it’s inception in 2005, Google Maps has evolved to such a stage where it is now the defacto way to search for locations and directions on the web.  It has spawned countless mashups, shaken up the GPS industry, and through further innovations like Streetview – have changed the way we explore our surroundings.

One of the key factors to Google Map’s phenomenal success was their willingness to open up their API so that all kinds of interesting tools could be developed, to push and innovate the product further.  Here are 4 such tools that will take your Google Maps experience to the next level.

1. How to use Google Maps without an Internet connection

Going somewhere where you know you can’t get online?  Google Map Saver is a handy piece of freeware which allows you to save Google maps (even large areas) into images.  This means you can view the image from an offline connection, or even throw it onto a mobile device which can view pictures, and you’re all set. 

The best part is that GMS is light (only ~400 KBytes) and is very easy to run since it does not need to be installed before use.

2. How to send Google Maps directions straight to an iPhone

The desktop version of Google maps is inherently more powerful and easier to use than its mobile counterpart on the iPhone, so there may be times where you may want to plan your navigation on your desktop then send the directions straight to your iPhone. 

The easiest way to do this, is to use iPhoneSender which can instantly email a link with directions and locations directly to an iPhone.  The receiver can then open your link and have everything instantly mapped out on their iPhone.  Also useful for sending exact locations to friends who are lost.

3. How to use Google Maps to print out large maps

Printing large scale maps which are readable using Google Maps is no easy feat.  Without any aid, the only way to pull this off would be to stitch together multiple screenshots which is both painful and horribly time consuming.  Google Maps Buddy is a free tool which allows you to do this quickly so you save the hassle should you need to print out readable maps of a large area.

4. How to instantly map addresses on your browser

Minimap was the winner of the 2nd Extend Firefox contest organized by Mozilla.  One of the best Firefox extensions you can possibly use in terms of maps, this extension comes with three mapping components, the main and most powerful one being a minimap sidebar. In this sidebar you can drag and drop addresses or locations you find on web pages and they will be automatically located, and added to your saved address list.  You can even do this with multiple addresses so you can see all the locations at once.

It also integrates with mapping and mapping capable services such as Flickr, and even other mapping services like Yahoo & Microsoft maps.  An absolutely essential extension if you’re on Firefox.

What other Google Maps tools do you use?  Tell us in the comments :)

Whether you’re doing research on any given topic, or just want to discover new websites which are similar to your favorite one – here are 5 free and useful ways to find and discover related websites.

1. How to find websites which Google thinks are alike

If you add “related:” to your search term, Google will return sites which are related to your query.  For example, “related:friedbeef.com” would return sites which are similiar to friedbeef.com.  Note there can be no space between the "related:" and the web page url.

2. How to find related sites based on what other people visit

Alexa, the service which provides free website information works through a toolbar which tracks all your browser traffic. 

By tracking users across websites, Alexa is able to come up with a list of related sites fairly accurately, as they can deduce relationships between Web sites based on visit patterns.  All you need to do is search for any website and click on the ‘related links’ tab.

3. How to find related sites based on community votes

Siteslike is a service which provides you related sites, and also allows you to vote and determine how similar those sites really are, so you can help others in the future. 

4. How to use Google trends to determine related sites

Just like Alexa, Google Trends for websites also tracks web browsing patterns and can determine what sites are related based on what people have visited.  The advantage here is that you can also filter results by country and get a more granulated result.

5. The most convenient way to find related websites

Among all the items described in this post, Similar Site Search provided the best and most relevant results during testing. 

Not only does it give the most accurate results, it also gives each site a score citing how relevant it is.  For convenience it also comes with a firefox extension and a bookmarklet as well, so all similar site searches can be done on the fly.  Highly recommended.

Do you search for related websites?  Tell us about it in the comments :)

I got this in my Google Wave mailbox today:

“Invite others to Google Wave

Google Wave is more fun when you have others to wave with, so please nominate people you would like to add. Keep in mind that this is a preview so it could be a bit rocky at times.  Invitations will not be sent immediately. We have a lot of stamps to lick.

Happy waving!”

So what is Google Wave?

Currently an exclusive invite-only service, Google wave is a whole new way of communicating online!

“Google Wave is an online communication and collaboration tool that makes real-time interactions more seamless — in one place, you can communicate and collaborate using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

A wave is a conversation with multiple participants — participants are people added to a wave to discuss and collaborate on its content. Participants can reply any time and anywhere within a wave, and they can edit content and add more participants as a wave develops. It’s also possible to rewind waves with the playback functionality, to see what happened, and when.”

via Google Wave Support

Here’s a video do you get a better idea of this cool service:

Anyhow, Google Wave is currently under development, and they’ve released a limited number of private invites to their fully usable preview edition.

Want a free super exclusive private invite to Google Wave?  (CLOSED)

Just drop a comment on what your favorite Google Wave feature is, and how you would use it, and I’ll pick 10 lucky winners by the end of this week!

Update: here are our 10 lucky winners, and why they want to use Google Wave!:

1. Rebecca

I am a math coach at an elementary school, and I am really intrigued by the real-time communication tool, especially with the translator robot. I spend a lot of time discussing solution strategies with my students. Instead of watching me solve a problem, they collaborate with each other about how to solve problems. This practice helps them build real-life problem solving skills. There is a lot of talk in education today (especially in math) about comparisons between US students and students from other countries. I would love to be able to bring my students into this conversation by allowing them to share their solution strategies with students from other countries! I think this would be a powerful use of the technology, and one that would really drive home an important social concept to my math students.

2. byflipper

Due to multinational projects I am leading, i often need to communicate with people speaking other languages than my own. So, that instantly translating service of Wave amazed me with one word! I’d be pleased to be invited and be a part of this revolution!

3. cho

i really love the fact that it will enable better communication within members of group projects. I have been apart of multiple group assignments where there was a mess of the emails passed back and forth whilst certain members missed out on important information altogether. That’s why I’m really excited about Google wave since it changes the way we collectively communicate and recieve information ( and real-time adds a factor of cool) and that was my mini essay…

4. Jessie

I’m a student journalist, and my college newspaper is working on developing its online presence. As a leader within the newspaper, I would like to be able to collaborate with other students at my paper, along with other journalists, to discuss the future of journalism and how the web plays into it. However, none of the people using Wave at my newspaper received any invitations, so I can’t join their conversation. :( It would be beneficial to me and our newspaper if I could join in the discussion!

5. Ron

As a pastor, I’m always sending emails, documents and spreadsheets to others for worship planning. With input from several staff people, our Admin. Assistant cobbles together the Sunday worship bulletin. I think Wave will make our lives easier and our communication better.

6. Claes

I want to get a head start on using Wave to help edit stories. I would post a document and have all the people who need to comment it or edit it to do it without having to send different versions back and forth in an average of 10 emails for one story! It is very frustrating and confusing and wastes lots of time.

7. Daniel Coopsammy

I would like a chance to start using Google wave because i have a lot of team project for college that require team members to share information, a lot of the times requiring us to edit the same document multiply times. Google wave seems like a perfect fit in terms of giving us the ability to share information real time and without the need of sending 30 different emails for the same project.

8. Mrs Banka

As a math teacher, I think Google Wave could revolutionize group projects by lowering the classroom walls so that students can converse with students all over the world. The real-time display of typing will only be pertinent for those students in relatively close time zones, but think about a group of students set up to solve a common, real-life problem. I’d also like to see how the Wave would boost the digital PLN. I just graduated in May with my B.S. in Math Ed and am currently in graduate school for Curriculum and Instruction… but I can already tell, I want to be a change agent in the schools. And what better way than to already be armed with the technology experience to incorporate in my classroom. I want to make math real, meaningful and understandable and I think group projects with students outside of the classroom would be phenomenal!

9. John Lombaerde

I think that education and training is one of the greatest applications for Google Wave. I deal with complex technology subjects on a regular basis, and I always try to use layman’s terms in my explanation, but sometimes the written or spoken word is just not enough. The Multimedia drag and drop capabilities of Google Wave seem to have great potential, as well as the playback feature. These would both be very valuable in a technology training session. The asset Google Wave could bring to online education is very significant, and one for which I would have an immediate use

10. Patrick

I’m currently getting my masters in multimedia and am looking at using Google Wave heavily within my graduate project. I plan on incorporating it into an online educational model aimed towards kids with learning disabilities. It is such a cool and useful tool.

For all those who didn’t win, thanks for participating – and if I do get another bunch of invites, I’ll post them up online again!

Google, in its venture to expand its empire beyond search has a project that allows users to try experimental applications known as Google Labs. This revolutionary, hi-tech virtual playground for exploratory users feature some of the most creative and useful applications around. Here are some of my personal Google Lab favorites.

1. How to find out what people are searching for

The Google Trends tool, with its recent enhancements has been developed to provide an insight into extensive search patterns of what people are presently searching for, such as what they’ve searched for in the past. The interface of this Google Labs tool is exceptionally simple, and enables you to compare up to five multiple search terms.

In today’s fast paced and changing world this tool may be valuable for advertisers and search engine optimizers looking for ways to judge how best to position their ads and websites, and to track buzz in general.

2. How to find similar images

Google Similar Images is an experimental service consists of the ability to upload an image and then search for similarities. Now this is truly something that can appeal to users who may not quite fancy searching up for things the conventional way using keywords, as sometimes using keywords can be a little tedious when many other links unrelated to what you are searching for pop up.

What makes this Google Labs app cool is you can just click on the link of an image you like and it narrows down the image search results to exactly what you’re looking for. So for those in the creative industry like arts, designs or even those who just want to have fun with images, this may stand out as an awesome search tool.

3. How to track a news topic over time

Google News Timeline is a handy research tool for online scribes. It presents Google news information in a graphical and chronological timeline. This timeline incorporates a number of different sources, including new and archived news, blog posts, and media.

It is a great search and sorting tool that gives you the ability to sort results by day, week, month, year or even decade.  The snapshot of this Google Labs tool is constructive and gives one the access to easily see how a story or event has been progressing in the news.

4. How to create a set of items from a few examples

We often use keywords on typical search engines, so how does Google Sets differentiate itself from the rest of the crowd? Well, instead of looking for related links, the tool focuses on related words. It takes your initial keywords and suggests others that are related in meaning.

If you are looking for synonyms or new alternatives in campaigns, Google Sets is a brilliant tool that will bring much success and difference.

5. How to search for audio using Android

With Android appearing on the scene as Google’s new mobile platform, it was inevitable that Google Labs would try to break ground on it. Its prototype software is Google Listen. It’s fundamentally a way of searching and organizing pod casts and other online audio content.

If you happen to be a music junkie who owns an Android handset, you can look up for your favorite shows and stream it immediately or add it to your listening queue for later utilization.

6. How to turn your Android phone into a Sky Map

“Awesome” is an understatement for this amazing application. You don’t need to be an astrologer to download this application and have some serious fun. What’s so great about this tool? It’s a star map that uses Android’s GPS capabilities to display planets, constellations and other celestial objects in an area of the sky.

Once you have this application installed on your Android hand phone, just face the phone towards the sky and be amazed by the mesmerizing display on your screen. With Sky Map, the sky is not the limit anymore.

7. How to Index the Audio WITHIN Video Files

I used to see stuff like this on CSI and always wondered if it was possible to get my hands on it. After seeing Google Labs’ revolutionary product – Google Audio Indexing, I guess its close enough. Google has started indexing what is being spoken in its video and YouTube clips to enhance search results for video.

Using speech recognition technology to convert audio into words, they are then indexed into Google search so that you can look for a particular video clip by merely entering keywords into the search engine.

8. How to Turn Your Android Phone in to a Places Directory

Places Directory is a handy tool that runs on the Android platform and is Google’s version of a help mobile. If you are on the road and want to know what’s hot and what’s not, download this application on your Android phone and follow the link. Based on your phone’s current location you will be able to obtain a directory of nearby places.

You can then browse through the various categories to look for hotels, banks, shops, etc, see their distance from you and even pull up their locations on Google Maps. For backpackers and active travelers or even for those who just hate to stop and ask for directions, this may be the application for you.

9. How to Track Routes on Your Android Phone

If you love the outdoors, then this is one Google Labs application you might want to try. It pretty much depends on how it works for you. My Tracks is an application that is available to Android users everywhere. It empowers users by recording precise route using GPS tracks and visualizing live statistics while you are running, biking or hiking.

These include aspects such as speed, distance and elevation, essential pivotal information to any outdoor activity. Once you are done, just stop the recording and you can quickly and easily review your route map, elevation, profile, and workout stats.

This post was written by Aaron Pek.  Join our writing crew to share your knowledge too!

Do you use Google labs, or any of the apps above?  Tell us about it in the comments!

What RSS (Really Simple Syndication) technology allowed me to do was to see what’s on all my favourite websites from a central location, instead of visiting each website individually.

In the example pictured below, I can see the updated stories on four websites at a single glance.

Because my favourite websites were coming to me, instead of me going to them:

I was spending time reading articles I want, rather than spending time finding the articles to read.

Which sites can this work with?

Most of the major websites are RSS friendly (CNN, BBC, WSJ, Wired, Fortune, Forbes, NYT etc.) – even this website has RSS feeds!

How do I subscribe to a feed?

I will quickly go through 4 methods from easiest to most difficult.

Method #1: Live Bookmarks (Requires Firefox Browser)

If you’re using Firefox, you will see this orange symbol on the top of your screen, when you visit an RSS compatible site. Click on the button to subscribe via Liveboomarks (built into Firefox).

Method #2: RSS Reader Chicklets

On some websites you may see a number of mini banners called chicklets.

Once you have signed up for an RSS reader, click on the relevant chicklet to subscribe to the website. While this one click solution is easy, not every site supports them.

Method #3: Copy and Paste the RSS Address

This is the original, failsafe method but takes the most number of steps to accomplish. Look out for just a text link saying RSS, on a webpage.

Just right click the icon, copy the link location, and just paste it into your RSS reader where it says something like “Add feed address”.

RSS Reader Recommendations

It’s hard to recommend any single RSS reader because it all depends on what kind of user you are. In any case, if you just want to try out something quickly, I recommend Microsoft Live.com or Google IG

I have picked six of the RSS readers I’ve had good experiences with, and I have prepared a quick web-based sheet which should help you decide.

Of course this is just a quick overall evaluation model, and there are other factors that you may want to consider. Livebookmarks for example, resides on your PC browser. Most of the other pages described here, resides in the Internet, where you can have access to your feeds from any computer. Some readers check web-based email (Yahoo, MSN, Google) . Some will provide US stock quotes, weather, etc. Take a look around.

All things considered…

What is described here is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what RSS can do, and I will cover more in a later post. Give RSS a try, and you will change the way you use the Internet forever.

—

This writer is currently using Netvibes.

Related links:

Livebookmarks
Google IG
Live.com
Bloglines
Netvibes
My Yahoo
RSS technical explanations

Search tools in Windows and Outlook have always been suboptimal to say the least. It always bugged me that I was able to search billions of web-pages in seconds, but had to wait considerably longer if I wanted to find something on my PC.

That changed about a year back when I first discovered “desktop search tools”.

Just enter a keyword or phrase, and Desktop Search would instantly retrieve any relevant email or files. In fact, searching my hard disk is now even faster than searching the web… a sharp contrast to the clunky search functions built into Windows and Outlook.

When would I use it?

Aside from finding past emails and misplaced files, I have found it especially useful when I need to organise information.

For example, if I need supporting material for a client satisfaction survey. I just type in “client satisfaction”… and all the presentations, spreadsheets, email, and word documents where my client’s name appears will be retrieved for me. (I can of course filter them by document type).

Why is it faster?

Imagine flipping through an entire book to find what you want (which is what your computer does by default) then imagine how much time you’d save just by referring to the index.

What Desktop search does, is it indexes your email and files so your computer can refer to it and find information faster. Searches that used to take minutes, now take less than one second. Save a few minutes here, a few minutes there… it all really adds up.

Which desktop search tool should I use?

I’ve tried Google, MSN, and Yahoo Desktop Search tools, but Yahoo really stood out to me in terms of terms of ease of use, power, and flexibility.

*Update* : Yahoo no longer offers this service. Do try the the other free services or X1 which is a paid software but worth every cent

Go ahead, give desktop search a try, and take the information on your PC to the next level.

Desktop search links

Google Desktop Search
MSN Desktop Search
Yahoo Desktop Search
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