Google Labs—Home of New Google Apps

Find and Participate in Creating Google Applications of the Future

Oct 7, 2009
Joe Nowak

Searching the WWW - Microsoft

In the beginning, there was Google, then Google Images, Google News, and so on. Where did they all come from? Many came from Google Labs and more are yet to come.

Unlike many of the Google applications, Google Labs has its very own identity (unique URL). This is the location where the Google engineers try out their pet projects.

They have ideas of their own or have received them via communications with users. Some will be in the labs and under development for a long time. Others will seem to disappear overnight. And a very few will find their way onto the Google menu choice marked “more” or “even more.”

What’s Cooking in Google Labs?

Currently there are 25 experiments going on in Google Labs. That number could go up or down next week, tomorrow, or in the next hour. At this time there is a great deal of experimentation going on with Android applications. There are seven of those. The only category with more is Search with twelve. Here’s a quick rundown.

Android (7)
Apps (4)
Communication (3)
Maps (5)
Search (12)

Since the numbers add up to more than 25 there are obviously some experiments that crossover into more than one area.

The Push is on for Android

Google designed Android as a software platform for mobile devices. It uses a Linux kernel. What are some of the applications?

Android Scripting Environment (ASE) allows editing and execution of scripting language routines. Some of the languages supported are: Python, Perl, JRuby, and more are currently supported.
Google Listen allows the user to create a personalized audio news magazine that will be filled with interesting material at the instant it is turned on. Much of the information comes from audio files currently indexed by Google.
Finance for Android provides real-time quotes in streaming format and will synchronize with Google finance portfolios and allows quick access to charts and provides latest company news.

Two Mac Applications

Google is making inroads into the Macintosh environment by creating tools for these Apple offspring as well.

Picasa for the Mac. Those using Windows PCs are already familiar with the free Google photo-editing program called Picasa. Now there is a Mac version in the labs and it is available as a free download. This is a great tool for simple photo editing.
Google Dashboard Widgets are a collection of mini applications that can be loaded and installed in Dashboard on the Mac. These are not available via Apple—only from Google.

Other Things Cooking in the Lab

To attempt to describe all the experiments is not possible but here are a few more that hopefully will become a mainstay in the Google arsenal of online tools.

Google Squared finds and builds a table of facts from the web. The user can add or subtract information from the table at his discretion. Samples of tables might consist of novels containing a particular detective or U.S. Coins. If Google cannot determine what it is the searcher wants in the table, it will ask for several samples and then determine what sites fit the criteria.
Chrome Experiments represents a collection of using JavaScript and web browsers. Google is actually seeking submissions for this set of experiments. Visit the collection before submitting anything so an accurate idea of what Google is looking for in this area.
In Quotes compares the statements of a number of politicians on a variety of topics. Users can compare statements made by President Obama and former President Bush on a number of topics such as education, health care, Iran, and more.
Google Trends is a tool every marketing and advertising professional must access. When do people first start thinking about Christmas gifts? Using data from the millions of Google searches all year it graphs the searches throughout the year/s for “Christmas gifts.”

Feedback for Google

Google does not operate in a vacuum. The popularity of Google comes from listening to the users of their products. When sampling these lab experiments if something is very good or very bad, Google wants to know. Based on the comments they receive, changes are made that will reflect the needs and desires of the end users. Searchers should send their thoughts to Google.

The examples above represent only a small portion of the experiments found in Google Labs on a given day. The list changes and it’s a good idea to visit at least once per month to see what new ideas are finding their way into the Google of tomorrow.