10 awesome Google features you should be using

BY Varun Raj

The reason the Google home page is so bare is that, way back when it was just starting out in a Silicon Valley garage, no one working there knew how to program a web page to make it look pretty.

In fact, even the word Google was a mistake. The founders really wanted “Googol” – the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes.

Of course, Google is now a noun, a verb and a massive global company loved as much for its innovation as it is hated for its user tracking. It has many tricks and products that you don’t need to spend money on, some of which will make your life easier, and others that will just blow your mind.

Let’s take a look at 10 of them:

Google Flight Search

Need to find the best price on a flight? Google Flight Search is one of the easiest price-comparison sites around. Pick your start point and destination – or destinations – on the map, and then pick your dates. When you pick the dates, be sure to pay attention to the prices on each date and Google's graph of days with the cheapest tickets.

Then you can filter the results by flight length, airline, price, stops and more. When you find a flight you like, you can book it directly on the airline's site. Click here to learn three more secrets to getting the lowest airfare.

Atari Breakout

Need to take a quick break? Thanks to Google, you can play a version of the classicAtari Breakout game on your computer whenever you want. Simply go to the Google Image Search page – www.google.com/images – and search for "Atari Breakout." Then wait for the fun to begin.

Google Public Data Explorer

Google's normal search site is great for most searches, but Google has more specialized search sites as well. For example, the Google Public Data Explorer is a treasure chest full of information on public statistics.

Go to the Google Public Data page and type in a topic. Keep your searches simple, like "Unemployment in the U.S." Google will return results from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You'll end up with an easy-to-read graph, and you can even tweak it with options like gender, age and state.

Google translations

Need a quick translation of a word? Go to the normal Google search page and type in "translate (word) to (language)" in the search bar. For instance, you could type "translate apple to French."

Google will let you know in less than a second that "pomme" is the French word for apple. It also includes a small speaker icon that will let you hear the word if you aren't sure how to pronounce it. For longer translations, check out Google Translate.

Google nutrition comparison search

What's healthier, an orange or a banana? Type "compare" into Google's search bar, along with the foods you want to look at, such as "compare broccoli and asparagus." Google will do the rest.

Google definitions

When you don't know what a word means, don't reach for the dictionary. Type "define (word)" into the Google search bar, such as "define tintinnabulation" and you'll have the definition instantly (it's "a ringing or tinkling sound," if you were wondering).

You'll also get pronunciation and part of speech, and you can click the gray arrow for more information, including word origins.

Google Conversions

Whether you're cooking or helping your child with math homework, odds are you're going to have to convert units of measurement. On the Google search page, enter a search like "convert eight ounces to cups" or "convert 10km to mi." You'll have your answer instantly, and you can even tweak the numbers and units after the fact.

Google nGrams

Google nGrams is a great research tool that lets you search how many times specific words occur in more than 5 million books written since 1800. You can see how words get more or less popular over time.

You can put in multiple words separated by commas to compare two or more words at once. Google lets you adjust the time period and language of the books, and you can see what books contain the words.

Google Sky

If you think Google Earth is great, then Google Sky is going to blow your mind. It lets you search the heavens and see images of stars, planets and galaxies taken from telescopes, probes and satellites.

It includes infrared and microwave images as well as a historic map of the stars made by Giovanni Maria Cassini in 1792. If you don't know where to start, the site has some suggestions that you'll love.

Apple Inc. Expected to Release Smartwatch With iPhone 6

Apple Inc. is expected to follow Samsung’s release plan by making the smartwatch, the iWatch, available at the same time was the iPhone 6. Both are expected to be released next month but these are still rumors as the tech giant has still not confirmed anything.

At the end of last year, Samsung decided to release the Galaxy Note 3 at the same time as its Gear smartwatch. This move certainly made sense as the two were designed to work with each other. Some people were even excited about the idea and pre-ordered the two together. It is a move that the company is expected to continue with the release of the Galaxy Note 4 and the Gear Solo later this year.

The iWatch from Apple Inc. has been long awaited for. There is constantly updates with rumors, but there has still been nothing concrete about it. According to Apple enthusiast, John Gruber, the name has not even been finalized yet. The smartwatch has just been dubbed the iWatch to work with the iPhone and iPad naming.

It does seem like the new wrist wearable will be mainly for those fitness enthusiasts. This will certainly make sense as the iPhone is reportedly getting larger. People want something that is small, that they can communicate with and play their music from while they are moving around; especially while they are training.

The news that Apple Inc. is expected to release the smartwatch with the iPhone 6 comes from Gruber. He continually looks into the different companies to see what they are up to and how Apple will be able to respond. He looked into the chances of the iWatch being released because Motorola is expected to release its own smartwatch, the Moto 360.

Gruber is usually correct with his predictions for Apple products, so many expect him to be correct with this. However, there have been times in the past that people who have been correct before are suddenly completely wrong. Google Nexus devices were continually expected over the course of the end of last year and the start of this year, and predictions came from tech bloggers that are usually right. So far, nothing has been released.

These recent predictions contradict others that have come before Gruber. Re/Code is another site that continually predicts Apple Inc. news well, but has already said it expects the iWatch to make an appearance in October rather than September. This will give the company more time to hype up the new device, rather than possibly overshadowing it with the iPhone 6. The new smartphone is already highly anticipated.

Some have even speculated that the device will not be available until November. There is also no guarantee that the iPhone 6 will be released in September. Some speculate that the smaller version of the phone will be released then, with a larger version not available until the very end of the year.

An iWatch is expected but the tech giant is still staying quiet on a release date. Right now, bloggers expect the watch to be released by the end of the year, with one expecting Apple Inc. to release the smartwatch with the iPhone 6.