Google has a perpetual habit of experimenting with new things, for which they have their very own laboratory: Google Labs. There are many products out there that are still in their beta stage, but every now 'n then Google decides to pull out some refined products from their beta stage and launches them officially. Google also likes to acquire innovative services, websites, or applications and brings them under their umbrella to make them a part of its family, culture and ideologies.
We found many such interesting services and products, here are some more of them:
PICNIK
Picnik is an online photo editing service that offers simple yet incredible photo editing options. Not only can you edit these images from your browser, but also grab your images from photo sharing sites like Flickr, photobucket or Picasa. Extensions/Add-ons for different browsers are also available. Picnik, a basic and hassle free service that was a startup from Seattle, and was acquired by Google in 2010.
AARDVARK
Aardvark is one of my favorite question and answer site that manages to bring answers to your questions within minutes. You simply need to register, choose your areas of interest and start posing questions or answering other's queries. Their functionality is simple, you pose a question and they send an email to appropriate people who might know the answers, and similarly you will also receive questions related to your area of interest via email. It is also available via instant messenger, Twitter and iPhone. Aardvark was founded in 2007 and acquired by Google in 2010.
GOOGLE IMAGE LABELER
We all look for images in Google, these images are indexed on the basis of labels. In order to bring quality in Google images search, Google launched Image Labeler where you are presented with a random image and all you need to do is add as many labels you can think of.
To make this a little more fun, Google pairs you with a partner who could be anywhere in the world, and you have to in a way compete with this partner and guess more labels then him/her...all this within 90 seconds. You can do this as a guest, without providing any email id or username. Also if one of your label matches with your partner, you will be taken to the next image...in the end you can view the points that you've earned.
GOOGLE SKETCHUP
Google SketchUp is a 3D modelling software that helps you create 3D models right from scratch. You can design interiors, games and landscapes; quite a handy tool for engineers, architects and creative people.
"We believe powerful software can also be a pleasure to use - the secret is intuitive tools that work the way you think they should." shares Google. Here's a tutorial video for Google SketchUp first timers:
YOUTUBE 3D VIDEO CREATOR
YouTube 3D creator is a tool that lets you create 3D videos by using two cameras simultaneously. A sophisticated editing software that also controls video shake and combines clips shot side-by-side to convert them into three-dimensional video.
Quite a killer tool that I wasn't aware of until researching for this post. In order to convert two videos into one 3D video, Google, uses its time sync feature and vertical alignment feature to reduce the vertical shift between two videos taken from two different cameras. You will have to wear your 3D glasses to view three-dimensional figure, unfortunately one cannot embed these 3D videos, so you can have a look at an example here.
GOOGLE ART PROJECT
Google Art is a recent project by Google that can be wonderful experience for all those art lovers out there. It brings museums from around the world to your computer screen. You can get an up-close view of hundreds of legendary and iconic artwork. Works pretty much like Google street view so that you virtually roam around any museum that you like. You can even create and share your own collection of masterpieces.
If you know of some more interesting projects or services by Google, then do share them with us in the comment section below.
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