5 reasons to love Google
A new Fives list for you. This week: 5 reasons to love Google!
5) Searchmash
Google’s newest search engine, outfitted with ajax. Very smooth and easy to use.
4) Picasa
A simple, easy to use picture editor and organizer; allows you to order prints easily or post to a blog. More powerful than the software that came with your printer and it’s free!
3) Blogger
Still one of the most popular and simple blogging platforms on the web, with a new version out of Beta. Some (like Wordpress) have more features and a smoother interface but if you use Google’s services, Blogger is very convenient.
2) Gmail
The best free email service on the web. Easy to use and integrate with email clients; great spam filters and massive storage - you’ll never delete a message again.
1) Google Docs & Spreadsheets
Google Docs is a free WYSIWYG document editor. For the average user its functionality is similar to Word, although not quite as detailed for advanced users; what makes it great, though, is its collaborative feature. You can work on a document with other people in real-time. Google Spreadsheets is the same; for the average user a solid free substitute for Excel, with real-time collaboration.
Dean on 
I love gmail. I have separate accounts for different parts of my online life. They all forward effortlessly into my main account. And I back that up offline through Thunderbird’s POP access.
Spam? Never gets to my inbox. I can’t say the same for Hotmail. More often than not, the few things I use Hotmail for go into junk and the spam goes to my inbox. Yahoo’s spam filter is better. But their new web access is pretty lousy. Couple that with no free POP access…
I’m a happy gmail user. And I’ve been using it since it was invite only.
CJ: I love G-Mail as well, have several accounts set up; particularly love it for subscriptions, it does a wonderful job on spam. That probably would have been my #1 reason, except as a writer I just love Google Docs… nothing quite like being able to edit with my editors in real time - I can see just what they’re deleting and give them a mouthful.