The first Google tool that I chose to explore for this exercise was Talk. I've heard of Skype before and thought that it sounded cool, but I don't know anyone who is actually using it. So, when I saw Talk on the list, I was excited to learn more about it. Talk is a free computer to computer voice and video chat through your Gmail account, which is also free and easy to set up. There's a video and voice plug-in for PC's and Mac that you need to install and after that you can talk with your friends and family face to face with just a few clicks! Obviously, everyone has to have a web camera in order to take advantage of the video, but even if your friend doesn't have one, you can still have a voice chat or one-way video chat. I am already pricing the web cam's to send as gifts to my family in Pheonix, and I can't wait to get started!
The other tool that I investigated was Google Images. I've been using Google Images for awhile now and I love it. For the library, I use it mostly to create new music CD and DVD jacket covers when items in our collection need to be re-boxed. But, it's also great for creating signs and posters as well.
I already have my igoogle homepage set up and customized, but I did add a couple more gadgets and changed my theme. I've learned that if you choose an animated theme, it can slow the system down significantly, therefore I try to stay away from those. I like changing the theme to match the season and I check the weather daily using the weather gadget that I have installed. I also use the date & time gadget as well as the Google news to view the headlines and stay current.
I saved all of my changes to my igoogle homepage because I'm pleased with the gadgets that I've chosen and I think it's nice to have your homepage look and feel the way you want it to. It just makes it a little more personal and comfortable to use.
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