5 Super Quirky Google Apps You’ve Never Heard Of…

While waiting (not so patiently) for Google + to open up so I can come in and play… (I got very close one time — it asked me to sign in — but then it just booted me out to the keep me posted page), I decided to visit the Google Labs page to see if I could find a sneaky back door to Google +.

No sneaky back page found.. but I did find some interesting experimental apps that might be worth trying out (of course, these are all *experimental* so use at your own risk…)

1.  Shared Spaces I think is is part of Google +, but if you need to do a joint mind map, yes/or no chart or event plan right now – Shared Spaces might be for you. There are over 50 different types of gadgets you can share.

2. Google Books Ngram Viewer This app shows you how often a certain phrase appears in world literature over time.  You can even enter multiple phrases and compare. Just for kicks I did a search on “Meredith”.   Apparently, my name peaked in literary popularity around 1923.

3. Fast Flip Want a birds-eye view of the news headlines?  Go to fast flip and get the current front pages of 100′s of publications.  If you are a copywriter looking for a swipe file this is a gold mine.

4. Google Reader Play Can’t find anything good to read?  Let the magical “librarians” at Google play stock your Google Reader account with articles they think you might like.

5. Open Spot I’ll be honest — I am not particularly parking-challenged in Albuquerque, New Mexico — but… if I were … this parking spot exchange application would be a dream come true.  Open Spot allows you to signal someone waiting for a spot (with an Android phone) that you are about to give yours up.  You get karma points for pointing out the spo

Leave a comment and let me know your favorite quirky google app…