Ten things you probably didn’t know you can do with Google

1. Fill in the blank
Did you know Google will fill in some blanks for you? It will. Try this: Thomas Edison invented *

2. Plus is a plus
Google ignores common words and characters such as where, the, how, and other digits and letters that slow down your search without improving the results. If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can make sure we pay attention to it by putting a “+” sign in front of it.

3. What time is it in Auckland?
Google tells you the current time anywhere in the world. Just type in: time Auckland – or whatever city you want.

4. Track a package
Did you know you can track packages by typing the tracking number for your UPS, FedEx or USPS package directly into the search box? You can – and you’ll get back all the information about your package instantly.

5. Where did that call come from?
To see the geographical location for any U.S. telephone area code, just type the three-digit area code into the Google search box and hit the Enter key or click the Google Search button.

6. Airline flight status
Did you know you can check the status of any U.S. domestic passenger flight using Google? To see flight status for arriving and departing U.S. flights, type in the name of the airline and the flight number into the search box. You can also see delays at a specific airport by typing in the name of the city or three-letter airport code followed by the word “airport”.

7. Currency converter
Yes, Google is a currency converter too! Just enter the conversion you’d like done into the Google search box and get your answer directly on the results page. Try it: Type 100 AUD in USD. Right now, $100 Australian dollars equals $84.19 U.S. dollars. Exchange rates are real-time on Google.

8. Movies playing near you
To find reviews and show times for movies playing near you, type movies + your zip code. For instance: movies 49333. Try it! You’ll get a listing of all the movie theatres near you, what’s playing, showing times, and reviews. Much better than looking in your local newspaper!

9. Synonym search
If you want to search not only for your search term but also for its synonyms, place the tilde sign (~) immediately in front of your search term. For instance: ~crepes.

10. Dictionary
Use Google as a dictionary. Simply type “define” in front of the word you want to look up. For instance: define odious. No offense, EB!