Google provides shortcuts for finding commonly sought utilities and information, which you may have previously found offline or on specialized sites.

• Want Driving Directions?

  Enter a U.S. street address, including zip code or city/state.

  

  Clicking on a map-provider link takes you to a map showing the location result and links to driving directions.

  

• Need a US Phone Number or Address?

  Just enter a company or person’s name and a city, state, or zip code in the standard web search box.

  On the results page, phonebook listings are next to a telephone icon.

  

  Google’s phonebook feature recognizes the following input formats.

  To find a US residence, enter …	Examples
  First name (or first initial), last name, city (state is optional)	[ Monty Python Oakland ]
  First name (or first initial), last name, state	[ Monty Python CA ]
  First name (or first initial), last name, area code	[ M Python 510 ]
  First name (or first initial), last name, zip code	[ Monty Python 94601 ]
  Phone number, including area code	[ 510-555-1212 ]
  Last name, city, state	[ Python Oakland CA ]
  Last name, zip code	[ Python 94601 ]

  To seek a US business, enter …	Examples
  Business name, city, state	[ Trek Waterloo WI ]
  Business name, zip code	[ Ben & Jerry’s 05403 ]
  Phone number including area code	[ (650) 930-3500 ]

  Google lists up to three results that match your phonebook query.

  To see other listings, click on the “Local results for …” link.

  

• Need a Definition?

  If Google finds any dictionary definitions for your search terms, in the statistics bar,

  • it shows those words as underlined links
  • includes a definition link.

  What do co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and CEO Eric Schmidt mean when they say they run Google as a triumvirate?

  

  Google displays one Glossary definition above your search results when you put one of the following in front of a word phrase or acronym:

  • define
  • what is
  • or what are

  

  When your query includes the “define:” operator (ending with a colon character), Google displays all the definitions it finds on the web.

  

• The Google Calculator isn’t Mathematica, Maple, or Matlab

  Google’s calculator can

  • add up a list of numbers
  • convert from miles to kilometers
  • evaluate some other sorts of mathematical expressions.

  

  Calculate a tip for a meal that costs $93.45.

  Calculate the cosine of 2π.

  Convert from one set of units to another.

  Many commonly used physical constants are built into Google’s calculator.
• More Shortcuts

  The results of the following shortcuts appear to the right of a tag or specialized icon and above your search results.

  	Examples
  Area Code Map	[ 212 ]
  Package Tracking	[ 999444666222 ]
  Flight Tracking Information	[ united 42 ]
  Travel Conditions	[ ewr airpor ]
  Stock Quotes	[ goog ]
  Vehicle Information	[ JH4NA1157MT001832 ]
  Patent Search	[ patent 5122313 ]
  FAA Airplane Registration Numbers	[ n199ua ]
  UPC Codes	[ 036000250015 ]
  FCC Equipment IDs	[ fcc B4Z-34009-PIR ]

For even more shortcuts, visit Google Guide’s cheat sheet or the Google Guide coffee page.

tags (keywords): calculator, dictionary, driving directions, favorite, phone number