Google Labs was Google's special section to test drive new apps and functions. Some, like Google Trends and Google Reader, have graduated to everyday use; others have disappeared in the annals of Internet fiction. Here's some of the notable Google Labs experiments. Sadly, there's no word on the future of most of the projects.
Google does a Body good
Google Body allows you to take a 3D look inside the human body, "Magic School Bus"-style. (Well, minus the magical shrinking bus and magically shrinking people.)
Lost in Transliteration
Ever wanted to type in Hindi and couldn't find the appropriate characters on your keyboard? Thanks to Google Transliteration, you could.
Art at your fingertips
Look at art from 17 different museums without even leaving your computer desk. Plus, those screenshots make great desktop backgrounds.
Flip and you'll miss it
Google Fast Flip shows you multiple front pages from across the web at once. By scanning these headlines, you can get a quick snapshot of what is going on in the world.
For help with that research report
Enter phrases and find out how often they've appeared in books, which are separated by language categories. You get a nifty graph to drop into your report as well.
Flu season
This experiment shows you where in the world the flu bug is dominant so you can avoid that area at all costs. (Or, if you're smack in the middle of it, stock up on DayQuil)
The graduate
Google Building Maker is another one of the experiments that have graduated to real app status. You can create 3D buildings for Google Earth. How awesome is that?
Life on Mars
Forget Google Earth: Google tried to map Mars so we could see what was going on the Red Planet.
Drawing conclusions
By drawing on your Android device, you can search through your smartphone, tablet, etc. and find what you are looking for. If only they developed this experiment for your home computer...
Aardvark to the rescue
Google's friendly Aardvark -- don't ask us why they chose this animal -- will search through the Internet to help you find the person who can answer your question the best.