Most of us have heard of Google’s well-publicised moonshots: Self-driving cars, smart contact lenses, internet-beaming balloons, and more.
While those products and services sound amazing, most of us can’t use them just yet. But the company actually has a bunch of other ones that are incredibly useful that you might not even know existed. For example: Did you know Google has a massive free library of fonts?
Here are some of the under-the-radar services Google offers.
- Google Keep is a killer notes and reminder app that works across both desktops and smartphones.
- You can set a timer on Google (and get an alarm to sound when time is up) by Googling any amount of time followed by ‘timer’ in the search bar.
- Google.com/sky lets you explore the far reaches of the universe using images from NASA satellite, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Hubble Telescope.
- Google Books nGram Viewer is a fun tool that lets you search for words in 5.2 million books published between 1500 and 2008 so you can see how they have been used and changed over time.
- Intimidated by huge numbers? Google will help you figure out how to pronounce that 12-string behemoth if you type ‘=english’ after it in the search bar.
- There’s a ‘Manual’ feature in Google Translate that lets you draw characters or symbols.
- Similarly, Google Input Tools lets you type in over 80 different languages without having to download a special keyboard.
- Find a gorgeous font that you can use for free (fonts.google.com).
- Get your culture on by using Google Arts & Culture to check out super high-res photos of artwork from the world’s greatest museums. Or, use the Google Art Project Chrome extension to see a new piece of art every time you open a new tab.
- Think with Google is a ‘digital cheat sheet’ for marketers where it uses its data to glean what’s on deck for the industry.
- Want to get a pulse on what people care about at any given moment? Google Trends shows the most searched terms every day.
- You can even plot how different search terms have waxed or waned over time.
- The Google Sound Search widget works like Shazam to help you identify songs you hear. It will also link you to buy each track in the Google Play Store.
- Google has a catalogue of animal noises that you can easily find by typing in ‘animal sounds’ or by typing in the name of a specific animal. Hot tip: Whip this one out while babysitting and it will keep kids entertained for a long time.
- Gboard is an app for iPhone and Android that enables Google search right in your keyboard, eliminating the need to hop back and forth between apps.
- If you can’t decide between causes to donate to, or have trouble finding a reputable charity, Google’s One Today app makes it easy. The app shows different charities, gives a short description, and lets you know how you can help.
This story originally appeared on Business Insider.
Comments