Google Products Are Taking Over Our Lives. Can You Live Without Them?

Google. And I’m already speechless over how to express the way it’s taking over our lives. The phone alarm that ticks off is powered by Android, finding a client place is so easy with Google maps, still waiting for people to arrive to the meeting, catch up on live telecast on YouTube, share the office content on google drives in the meeting, find the nearest best restaurant for a bite using google search and this is just half of the day!

For most of us, life can be miserable if Google ceases to exist.

In a decade of it’s existence, it has stamped its authority over the internet. Recalling some of the most memorable Google’s life hacking inventions, we almost can’t remember life before Google.

Let’s have a look at few of the Google products and services, we just can’t do without…

Google SEARCH

Forgot how to spell “rendezvous”, or pronounce “croissant”, Google Search is the most trusted destination. Even without having completed a part of a proverb, Google search gives your answer even before hitting Search. It customizes your search and brings up related results. You don’t know answers to a certain question, all you have to do is “Google it”. Today Google is a verb more than a proper noun.

Google Translate

Thanks to this tool, now you can speak languages you didn’t even know existed. With English as the base, you can learn to acquire the accent of the language you seek to learn. Google Translate also has audios that play the correct way of pronouncing too.

Youtube

Google’s one of the biggest acquisitions is the video giant, YouTube in 2006. YouTube is the Google for everything videos. Creating a monopoly for itself, YouTube had established itself as the most visited website for videos. Now after the acquisition, Google has integrated YouTube with its other products further increasing the views to the video hub.

Gmail and Google Drive

Gmail has come a long way since it first started around 10 years back. Today they offer more features and more free storage capacity than any other provider (and it is increasingly constantly). It’s hard to come across people without a Gmail account (atleast here in India). The signing up process takes less than 10 minutes and with the same account you get your Google drive account too. Google Drive is another upgrade to cloud. Who thought that you have your files, pictures and documents even without carrying them physically!

And, it is just not about storage, you can edit, update or create your presentation without having anything locally on your computer. Sometimes we just forget how easy Google has made everything for us.

Chrome Browser

When Chrome browser was born, it was not just a better browser, but it introduced features that veterans like Internet Explorer or Firefox did not have. The youngest of all the browsers now has largest market share, that too by a fair margin. With Chrome, connecting to Google products is dead easy and fast. But it is also creepy as Google can track your minute by minute activity online.

Google Maps

Google Maps has given way to a better Navigation system. Access to different locations via different transit systems, Google Maps is the most convenient medium to find your way out. Google is planning to invest $1billion to launch satellites to seal connectivity in places it has not much access to. So we know Google can track you down faster than the cops!

Android

Majority of the smartphones today run on Android. Google took over our PCs through Chrome and has taken over our Smartphones through Android. Infact, according to some estimates 3 out of four smartphones in India now run on Android. Though iOS and Windows phone have a stable market, the market for Android phones is ever increasing and user interface is now evolved to be much user friendly than the others.

Google play

The Google play store has become the de-facto home of apps. With growth of Android phones, the play store has become a place which is visited by every Android smartphone user for any app requirement. It is home to over million of apps!

Chromecast

It is the device that makes your Television smart. Since it’s launch couple of years back, millions of users across the world have bought Chromecast and it has become an important device for them to consume multimedia content from your smartphones, PCs and Internet on large TV screens.

What’s more you can control the Chromecast device with Google wearable devices and android mobile.

Google+

Google’s foray into social networking has not been as successful as they would have hoped, but the activity on their social platform is steadily increasing. Being integrated with the Google account, the users can’t help, but sign up for it! Though it’s future is still debatable!

Now here are some Google products that hold great promise and may go mainstream. These devices will extends Google reach from our PCs, laptops and mobiles to our homes and vehicles. Keep a close eye on them as well

Google Glass – A wearable device that you wear like spectacles but does more than mere power glasses. You can record videos, take pictures, translate, get directions and all this and more, handsfree! Though very few actually bought it, it’s still an invention to be talked about.

Android Auto – Sync your android powered smartphone and your car to control the music volume, speakers, directions without hassles. With self driving cars, driving people around premises in Mountain View, Google doesn’t need much brains to automate your car through your phone.

Google Fit – One of the latest inventions that tracks your health and keeps your data intact for future references. It is a health kit that monitors your sleep patterns, walking, and heart health and just about anything that has to do with your body with fed in data of many diseases, you can fight the minute, it warns you about. Working with Nike, Adidas, Motorola and many other companies, Google Fit can be used on different platforms.

Google Nest – Google acquired this startup recently that helps people control the temperature in their homes. Smart homes are not far away with these kinds of innovations being triggered by Google.

Looks like Google wants to be everywhere and be involved in everything you. Is it making our life easier or making us further lazy is a subjective question. But going a day without Google is certainly a herculean feat for many.

The question is – Can you live without them?

P.S: And yes, we know we have not listed a few here, but the ones above are (or will be) the products we will miss sorely if they are not available!