Universal Search Gadget

If you think running a Google search is enough, guess again. There is a Google widget called “Universal Search” that performs a collective search on Wikipedia.com, Dictionary.com, YouTube.com, Amazon.com, Ebay.com, iTunes and many other sites.

Document to PDF Gadget

Know why Google has never spent a penny on advertising? Because ideas like the “Document to PDF Gadget” are so inventive that the Google products speak for themselves. This gadget allows users to convert online web pages or documents stored on your hard drive into PDFs in just a few steps. Upload the document or enter the URL and shzamm — a PDF (http://2tech.org/2009/09/how-to-convert-document-to-pdf-just-in-second/)!

Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus

For all you stumped writers out there, Google’s widget, “Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus” is for you. With this application, users have the ability to search for a keyword. This is not your typical search, however. Synonyms drawn from a 145,000-word database appear in the widget in a map-like form, giving the users a great visual to pick the word they were looking for.

IMO.im Chat Aggregator

Want to talk to your best friend, manager and clients all at the same time through multiple instant messaging programs? Google’s Imo.im widget will surrender every qualm in this area. This gadget works as a chat aggregator, allowing instant messaging services such as AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger, ICQ, Myspace Messenger, Facebook Messenger, and Skype all in the same feed. The service is free and requires no user-registration or sign-up.

Templates

In the past few months, Google has opened up its database of thousands of templates — from resumes to business proposals; and budget spreadsheets and service invoices — all offered to streamline web users efficiency. Here are some of the most unique and helpful templates:

Life Checklist Template

Sure you see grocery lists and daily to-do lists, but this template allows you to take list building to a new level. The Google template “Life Checklist” allows users to document any and every life goal — as it relates to skills, experience, career goals, finance and relationships — then cross them off as you do them.

Job Interviewing One-Sheeter

Google has once again provided tips to encourage professional success with this template — “Job Interview One-Sheeter.” Developed by Jenny Blake, LifeAfterCollege.org contributor, this template serves as a guidebook for your next interview by outlining nine of the most commonly asked questions. The template can be used as personal “Cliff Notes” for your strengths, goals, work-style, ideas, weaknesses and challenges you’ve overcome.

Simple Budget Planner

Track your living and leisure expenses with this automatic budget planner. Starting from your monthly income, this budget planner creates algorithms that show the recommended spending amounts for common categories.

Resume Templates

In a day where hundreds of applicants fight for a face-to-face interview, it’s important that your resume is a showstopper. Google once again has your back, as it offers dozens of resume templates that allow you to organize your core competencies, work experience and educational background. Here is my favorite example (http://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=0AQ1tTk-hkwjdZGQ4bm45N21fMTEyZzZtODVmeGo&mode=public).

Project Management Schedule

Whether you’re a group project leader for a college course or an entrepreneur trying to keep tabs on a specific task, this template is super handy for getting your project off the ground and keeping a beat. With useful columns like project status, start date, owner, difficulty and notes, this template allows project managers to maximize productivity and organization.

Google Tournament

Attention sports aficionados: Google has the perfect program for you. Google Tournament is a Google document that allows sports lovers to input and track NCAA Division I Basketball Championship games. This template allows users to create their own brackets then view your predictions evaluated in real time as results from the games are returned.

Google Translations

For all you foreign language lovers and bilingual bookies, this Google document feature is for you. Google recently announced two functions to Google spreadsheets that add translation and language detection functions. The first field should be the text you want to translate, the second is the two letter language code of the text you want to translate — and the third column will show the automated translation. If you having a hard time understanding how the spreadsheet works, follow this link.

Google Voice

Google Voice recently launched last spring to help web users manage their voice communications. Google Voice can make automated transcripts of your voicemail and can host your sent and received SMS text messages. You can also use the service to make affordable international calls and easily access Goog-411 directory assistance.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is a FREE service (are you seeing the trend here) that allows web users to organize their tasks, appointments and dates into one conglomerated tool. From color coding your schedule, to syncing your calendar to a mobile device, Google Calendar is an obscure tool provided by Google that promotes efficiency and organization. Mashable offers a great tips on how to effectively use G-Cals here.

Google City Tours

Google’s calculatingly keen engineers have created a new Google Maps application called Google City Tours. The service helps Google users identify points of interest and plan multi-day trips to most major metropolitan areas. Specify the destination and the length of the vacation and Google will map out an itinerary for you (with around 10 automated activity suggestions per day). The program even provides suggested timetables and times walking distances between attractions. Still a little uncertain of how this Google application works? Take a virtual look at a San Francisco City Tour here.

Google Mute

Ever find yourself between an email chain of hundreds of pointless comments? Well Gmail has created a nifty trick to mute those annoying conversations. The Google Mute option is available in Gmail’s standard interface simply by using the ‘m’ shortcut key. New messages added to the conversation bypass your inbox so that the conversation stays archived.

Google Video Chat

From within Gmail, you can have an actual conversation with someone (seriously, out loud), or even chat face to face over video. Google Video Chat, which launched in early 2009, allows web users to video chat right from Gmail and iGoogle. The service provides high quality audio and video. All you need is a webcam. Find out more on this cool Gmail function here.