These items are from the latest GoogleFriends newsletter (hosted through Yahoo!'s online groups). Enjoy!

Google does lots of little tricks. You probably know already that you can enter ticker symbols to get links to stock quotes, street addresses to get links to maps, and numeric expressions to use Google as a calculator. Here are a few new features that you might not have tried yet.

• Area Codes
  With the proliferation of U.S. area codes, it's not easy to figure out who's calling from where these days. Now you can enter a 3-digit U.S. area code into any Google search box for a link to a map of that area code's location.
  Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=650
• Universal Product Codes (UPC)
  Is your checkout scanner on the fritz? Find out more about a product by entering its UPC code into the Google search box. The UPC code is the number on the bottom of the zebra-striped bar code displayed on most product packages.
  Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=073333531084
• Flight tracking
  Attention, travelers (and those picking you up): find the status of a U.S. flight without delay. Just type a flight number into the Google search box (for example, USAir 50) to see a direct link to that flight's status information.
  Example: http://www.google.com/search?q=usair+50
• Vehicle ID (VIN) numbers
  Want to learn a little more about that car you're about to buy? Check the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), then type it into Google for a link to a page with more information about the year, make and model of a specific car.
• Package tracker
  Eager to find out what happened to that fruitcake you ordered last December? Enter a tracking number for any package from UPS, Federal Express, or the U.S. Postal Service in any Google search box and you'll see a direct link to information about the delivery status of that package.

All of these new search features are available now for English language users on Google.com throughout the world. (International versions will be available in the coming months.)

Learn more at http://www.google.com/help/features.html

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