things you may not know you have with Google

a lot of people out there are being forced to get a Google account (usually @gmail.com) because of their use of Android based devices.  however, i've been realizing lately that most people have no idea all the various options available to you with a Google account.... so i thought i'd mention a few i use regularly.

it's more than searching the web and getting email, and i highly recommend people check out the services available, and make use of them no matter where you get your email, or what kind of phone you have.

first: email.  most people think of Google email as being email@gmail.com.  but if you own your own domain (like my axxiscorp.com) you can move it's mail services to Google Apps - and do this for FREE for up to 10 users.  even the regular version @gmail has proven to be the most powerful of all the various options and i recommend everyone have one if only as a backup.

with any account comes contact management, everyone should make sure to use this.  with this enabled on your phone, you could lose your phone every week, and never lose a contact.  also, your contacts would be available to you from any computer via the web as well as sync to your Linux and Mac address books.  this would be considered use of the Google 'cloud'.

like contacts, each Google account comes with its own calendar system.  you can create multiple calendars, and share those calendars with other people.  and like the contacts, these calendars are accessible from any computer via the web and will sync to Outlook, Linux, and Apple's iCal.

so - that's the basics, Mail, Contacts, and Calendars.  if you're using an iPhone, make sure to search for the instructions on how to set up your Google account as an EXCHANGE account to make use of this system properly on the iPhone.  this way, your contacts are backed up properly.

from there - Google Books.  a lot of people don't know that Google has been creating a digital archive of books literally by the truckload, and subsequently books are available from Google.  with that, the Google Books reader is available for iPod, iPad, iPhone, and all versions of Android.  http://books.google.com

then when you go to write your own book, a full word processor is available from Google.  actually an entire office suite including a spreadsheet, basic graphics editor, and presentation creator is available via the web and Android app.  everything you create is saved to the Google cloud so accessible from anywhere in the world - BUT - there is some really odd fine print to the EULA that you agree to when you use the system, so don't put anything top secret or super valuable on there.  http://docs.google.com

after documents, there's pictures.  the Google system provides Picasa as a competitor to the Apple iPhoto application, which then stores your pictures online via Picasaweb.  this allows you to store your pictures in albums, on the Google servers.  IMPORTANT THOUGHT:  store your pictures on Picasa, then never have to worry about making sure you have your pictures safely backed up.  the Picasa system comes with 7gb of space at no cost, and can be expanded at little cost.  also, each album you create can have it's own security settings that allow you to share your pictures online, or keep them to yourself.

Google made a run at competing with Facebook with it's Google+ system last year.  the service is not doing well in it's fight, but it's mobile app has an awesome feature called Instant Upload.  with the app, every picture you take with an Android based phone is instantly stored online, making it so you would theoretically never lose a picture.  the iPhone app will upload your pictures as well, but you may start the process by periodically running the app.  i use this system in tandem with Apple's PhotoStream, because the PhotoStream only holds photos for 30 days or 1000 pictures, where the Google+ system places my photos into a secured photo in the Picasa system.

mobile users of any kind should also check out Google Latitude.  the Latitude system is a location service that sends your location to the Google servers and then lets the users you approve see your location at any time.  in my family we use it with teenagers, and i have some friends who will use it with their spouses simply to know when its a good time to call.  the system is completely secure, and depends on granting permission to each person you add to your list, which can be limited in many ways for any of you paranoid about being caught in places you shouldn't be.  and unlike Apple's 'Find My Friends', the system doesn't require you to constantly log in, or like with marketing based systems like 'FourSquare', you don't have to check in places for it to work.  and unlike most 'Family' systems, it's free.  i just think its cool to see all your friends and what they're up to worldwide in real time.

when you're back home, and you realize that you've got something to share, Google provides the Blogger system - which is actually how you're reading this now.  a BLOG?  most people think a blog is for newscasters and info sources, but that's not the case.  anyone can use a blog for many purposes, i recently saw a blog run by a woman who posted about her life so her serviceman husband overseas could read up on what she was up to.  many people have their passions, from hobbies to politics to random ramblings like mine, a blog can be a place to send a message, serve a purpose, communicate, market yourself, or simply flush out your head, and Google provides a blog server that can host as many blogs as you'd like to work on.

after you write your blog, make sure you get it on tape, then put it on YouTube.  yes, YouTube is part of Google.  i know very little about video blogs, but, everyone knows YouTube, so i'm putting that out there.

and of course, then there's Google Sites.  with Sites, Google allows people who need a website to create one based on their design system which is packed with an amazing amount of templates.  within the Google Sites system, you can feed your blog from Blogger, your YouTube videos, your Picasa pictures, and so on.

and, as I stated earlier, all of these systems are available to businesses via the Google Apps system.

i would highly recommend everyone check these systems out - set up your schedule on Google calendar, learn how to store your photos online, and add me on Latitude to see where I'm running around.  all these services are free to use, and give the every day user a system equally as powerful as large corporate networks that when properly configured can be used on any computers and will move with you from phone to phone as you grow and times change.