I am using Google applications in many of my daily online activities and todays post is about providing you with what applications I am using and how this might help you as well depending on what you do online and how you use the web.
First step for everyone will be to create a Google Account. I know that we have too many accounts online these days. But this is an absolute necessity to have in my opinion. If you are looking to utilize the best online tools, etc there is no way without a Google Account. To create an Google Account just go to Google.com and click on the Sign In link on the top right hand corner.
These are the Google applications I find most useful and I am using currently:
Google Mail (Gmail)
Gmail has some amazing email features and is really useful for managing all of your contacts as well. But make sure to back up the contacts into your spreadsheet to always have them secure as well. It is also fully iPhone compatible and you can use Gmail offline or add it to your email client. Either way. Having a gmail account is a must in my opinion.
Google Docs
Google Docs is the ideal solution for sharing documents with others and for working on the same documents at the same time while being online. Here is a short video of how to use Google Docs as there are so many features for this post:
The Google Reader:
This is my central application for gathering information, news and the only way to stay on top of my blog subscriptions (250+). I found that this is the best way to manage your RSS feed subscriptions. There are many other applications that build on top of the Google Reader but the original still works the best for me.
Google Calendar
This is the application I use to manage my schedule/calendar. This calendar is fully integrated into your account but can be accessed many other different ways. I use this calendar on my iPhone and my mac and it just works like a charm. It is also nice that the Google calendar has a full integration of my Remember the Milk task/todo manager.
Google Wave
This is the new kid on the block. It will be a great collaboration tool in the future. Currently in the beta phase and Google still needs to add a lot more functionality, etc to make just right. So stay tuned. Currently you need to be invited to use Google Wave but I usually always have invites left so let me know if you need one. Here is the introduction video for you to have a first look:
These are some of the Google applications I use but there are many more to choose from. This is where to find them all: All Google Applications
Note: I am not associated with Google by any means. The intention of the post is to be helpful and useful to you the reader. Nothing more and nothing less. 
Picture Credit: adria.richards