Google. The world’s number one search engine. But it’s far more than just a typical web search now, today I stumbled across a lot of features after spending the best part of a couple of hours browsing google.com and all it has to offer (yes, i know, but I was bored!)

Recently Google introduced Image Search and Google Groups has been improved countless times and of course there’s the infamous Gmail service. But everyone knows about these…

I’ve been looking most recently at

• Google Suggest
• Google Maps & Directions
• Google Local
• Google SMS

And not only how useful these services are but how they make an amazing use of web standards like HTML and the DOM to provide interactive pages that feel like purpose built applications (ever found another website where you can drag things around on your own personal homepage to rearrange them)

Google Suggest, starts executing your query as you type (much like Spotlight in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger) and displays a summary of suggestions for alternative searches and also the number of search results for each before you even submit the form.

Google maps and directions is incredible, and now seems to work with all of the UK as well. Again the interface has to be seen to be beleived - maps scale in real time, pop up “bubbles” showing mini maps of each stage of your journey etc…

Last but not least, Google SMS, which in it’s simplest form is a new interface to the search. But can also be a free yellow pages directory enquiry replacement… Just text “ASDA.Glasgow” to 64664 and you’ll get a text back with the address, telephone number etc…

You can even ask Google SMS things like “3 pints in litres” and it will tell you (1.70 if you’re at all interested :P) or just a vauge question like “telephone inventor” and it will reply..

Google is taking over the internet, and it’s rather incredible what they’re doing Now, let’s just hope they dont turn their minds to AI…