Search Engines as a Non-search Tool
I just received an email newsletter I subscribe to that included a section on the often unused capabilities of search engines that I found interesting. Sure, you can search a term to find a related website and then leave, but Google and other search engines can actually do a lot more that you may not even know about. A listing of Google functions can be found here. Did you know that you can type in “5*912+508/76″ and Google will return the calculated answer (4566.68421)? Or that you can type in “589 kg in pounds” and Google will tell you the answer (1298.52272 pounds)? You can also directly access stock data by simply typing the stock listing into the search box or get local weather just by asking for it.
As always, I have shown my affinity for Google, but other search engines can be just as useful. Bing and Yahoo offer similar features. I actually prefer Bing’s dictionary function over Google’s. I found the definitions provided by Bing to be more relevant and complete. I encourage you to try them all, see what you like best and use them as a handy time-saving tool that is very underutilized.
Can’t Choose a Search Engine? Then Don’t….
I am, and might always be, a Google junkie. I continue to get the most relevant search results from Google, all presented in a stripped down, efficient interface. However, with the advent of Bing, I was obviously curious to see what Microsoft was up to with their highly advertised search engine. It’s nice, but will always be a Google junkie.
For those who haven’t tried Bing, why not give it a test drive. And while you’re at it, now you can compare the results side-by-side with Google through a new site: Bing vs. Google. From a developers perspective, this site is such a simple, well conceived idea – it probably took about 30 minutes to code, test and deploy. Of course, the first thing I thought when I saw it was “why didn’t I think about that,” but I end up saying that alot these days.