Google offers free online course to turn you into a 'power searcher'

Everyone knows how to do a simple Google search, but do you know how to read pages in languages you’ve never studied or track down the location of a friend’s picture they took on vacation ages ago?

Google wants to show you more tips on how to get the most out of its search results.

The search engine giant will be offering a free online, community-based course starting on Tuesday that teaches people different search strategies to find what they need faster and more efficiently.

Google — which first opened registration for the class in June — will offer six different 50-minute courses called "Power Searching with Google” over the next two weeks. Classes can be taken at your own leisure within that time period.

The lessons, which will be led by Google Senior Research Scientist Dan Russell, will show attendees how to improve their search skills and use of various tools, including Google Groups, Google+ and Hangouts. 

“This is open to everyone, from beginner searchers to people who already know some of the tricks of the trade,” Russell told that “For example; you can use the search box as a calculator or filter for images by color. This course is aimed at helping people to learn new search techniques so they can find what they need faster, no matter how they currently use search.”

Those that finish the course will receive a printable certificate of completion emailed to them.

“Sign-ups have been great so far, but we hope more people will continue to register,” Russell said.

“We will be using lots of different Google technology to provide a rich, social, educational environment that should be a great learning experience.”

The company has recently been relatively candid about how a Google search works. In April, a Google software engineer head detailed in a YouTube video how Google scours the web on a daily basis to provide the most up-to-date results to users. 

In May, it released an infographic about how a Google search travels around the world to bring the latest results.

Most recently, it launched a video discussing how startups can master SEO in under 10 minutes.

Will you attend Google’s free online courses? What would you want to learn from the company? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft: Windows 8 shipping at the end of October

Microsoft has finally set a date — actually a couple of dates — for delivery of Microsoft Windows 8 to customers. The eagerly anticipated operating system overhaul is set to “RTM” (Release to Manufacturing) the first week in August and then ship at the end of October.

These dates are not particularly surprising, since the Redmond software giant typically delivers operating system updates in October. Still, there was always the worry, especially among Microsoft partners that are anxious to bundle the latest OS in their new computers and tablets that the Metro-design-sporting update could ship too late for inclusion in holiday-buying-season systems. Microsoft revealed its schedule during its annual Windows Partner conference in Toronto, Canada.

Not only will Windows 8 ship on partner devices in late October, but the company revealed that Windows 8 will, at the same time, ship in 109 countries and 231 languages.

With almost four months between now and the Windows 8 ship date, though, Microsoft is trying to ensure that people don’t stop buying Windows PCs and announced that any Windows 7 PC purchased between now and October is eligible for a $14.99 upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. This is the second upgrade deal Microsoft has announced in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Microsoft introduced a $39.99 upgrade program for Windows versions going back to Windows XP.

What’s unclear right now is if Windows 8′s new delivery timeline also includes the tablet-friendly Windows RT edition. That timing will also likely trigger availability of the Microsoft-built Surface Tablet.

Microsoft also revealed Monday that the Commerce Engine for Windows App store goes live at RTM in August, which means developers can sell and consumers can buy apps in the app store.

Now that you know the timing, are you gearing up to buy Windows 8? Perhaps you were planning on buying a back-to-school PC. Does the $14.99 upgrade deal appeal to you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.