Top 10 Favorite Google Products

It all started with Google Search (lets not forget Blog Search), then I added Gmail and now I'm an official Google fan boy.  Yes, I think Google may take over the world one day, at least until some other upstart starts besting Google in the future.

For now, here are my favorite Google Products, in no particular order.

1. Google News and Fast Flip - If I want to do a quick check of what's going on, I head to Google News.  Now Fast Flip has made the magazine stand nearly obsolete for me!
2. Google Chrome - It's the fastest browser around.  I recommend it to all my friends.  What else is there to say?
3. Blogger - I'm a blogger thanks to Google's Blogger platform.
4. Gmail - I remember when I first started using Gmail, I hesitated.  Now like most, it is my primary email account!  Gmail makes having a single inbox very easy.
5. Google Calendar - I'm ramping up my use of Google Calendar.  Liking it more and more each day.
6. Google Voice - This has changed the way I handle my phone calls.  What else is there to say?
7. Picasa 3.6 - Using Picasa, Google has made organizing and quick editing Photos easy and FREE!
8. Google Maps - I never leave home without checking Google Maps before heading to a destination!
9. Google Docs - I've yet to delve into this much, but I have seen what many people have done using Docs and it makes sharing documents easier than most methods I've seen.  The move away from MS Office is easier thanks to Google Docs.
10. YouTube - You can find entertainment, education, music, and all sorts of things on YouTube!

I'm waiting to add Google Wave, and Chromium OS to this list at some point.  I have not used Google Wave enough to add to this list and Chromium OS is not due out yet.  I'm sure there will be even more products I'll be adding to this list soon.

What about you?  What are your favorite Google products?


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Thunderbird 3 RC Due Out Next Week

Thunderbird is one of the best FREE email applications out there.  It is full of options and it's easy to use.  If you already use it, you'll be happy to know the release candidate for Thunderbird 3 is due out next week.


Some new features are:

New Search with Advanced Filtering Tools: Search results now include advanced filtering tools. You have the option to filter your results by sender, tag, attachments, people, folder, and mailing list. You can also filter your email using the timeline tool.

Smart Folders: The folder pane offers a Smart Folders mode which combines special mailboxes, like Inbox, from multiple accounts. Smart Folders is now on by default.

Improved Gmail Integration: Better recognition and integration of Gmail's special folders such as Sent and Trash including non-English versions of Gmail. Thunderbird also uses All Mail as the Archives folder.

Thunderbird works very well with your GMail account.  If you are new to Thunderbird, you can find out more about it here.

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Free Copy Of TaxCut 2008

It's almost that time of the year again, when we have to file our Federal and State income taxes. To help you deal with your taxes and to save you a pocketful of change, I'm holding a giveaway for H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + e-file. I've used TaxCut software for several years now and it has done a great job for me.

There will be a total of two copies of H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + e-file to be given away (shipped to you free of charge).

Rules for the contest

Rules are simple, just leave a comment on this post stating you want a copy. Would appreciate if you can let me know what you like best about my blogs. Good Luck! Winners will be chosen randomly using Random.org's number generator.

Giveaway will end Friday March 27, 2009.

You must provide me a way to contact you, just email me or send me a Twitter DM so I can let you know you have won. If you do not provide contact information, the prize will go the the runner-up.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC or FrugalTech in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add this to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email.

9 Reasons To Use FreeNAS At Work

Several days ago I wrote about 9 Great Things About FreeNAS. These were some ideas and uses for FreeNAS in general, whether it's at home or work. Here are some more reasons you may want to use FreeNAS, at work!

1. Use existing old hardware - This will run well with your boss.
2. You don't need hardware - Run it as a VM, saves you from having to use any new or old computing equipment!
3. No Monitor needed - Once configured, you probably won't touch the physical box again!
4. Speed up networking - By using it as a Windows Workgroup Master Browser, you can turn off the Browser service on your workstations. Which should reduce network traffic in a workgroup setting.
5. No user accounts to regulate as a public share - One of my favorite features, create one box for anonymous access so you have access to often accessed installs and drivers.
6. Can integrate with AD - I have not tried this yet, but I see an option to integrate it with AD accounts!
7. Can function as a standalone server - You don't need Active Directory or anything else to make this functional.
8. Quick setup for projects - You can set one up as a project server, once over you can easily turn it off.
9. Run it from LiveCD - You don't even need to install it (if you don't need to reboot and save settings). It can function very well off a LiveCD. I have one system running this way for some time now!

Do you use FreeNAS? What features do you like best? Share your thoughts and comments. You can get the current iso of FreeNAS here. Do you have other useful resources for FreeNAS?

You can buy the Learning FreeNAS: Configure and manage a network attached storage solution book if you are looking for a good reference book.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC or FrugalTech in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add this to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalTech by Email.