Specialized Google Search Engines

"7 Almost Unknown Google Search Engines You Should Use"
makeuseof.com (December 22, 2008)

"Last week we covered some fun Google Easter Eggs, that you can find while browsing the site. This week, to take a more academic approach, we are going to cover 7 almost unknown specialized Google search engines that can be used for specialized consumer and academic research.

"Also included in this realm, but not within this post are Google Video, Pictures, News and Blogs which most users will already be familiar with...."

The features include Google Patent Search, Google Scholar, and US Government Search. I agree with the author: Google is probably working on similar services for other countries.

They're specialized, so they're not for everyone - but that's the whole point. If you need to do a focused search, one of these search engines might save you a lot of time.