14 DAY TRIAL // Google just introduced a very cool feature that's going to mean you'll spend a lot less time, or none at all, on unit conversion sites. The Google search page now comes with a built-in unit conversion, triggered by searches for many types of conversions.
If you're trying to find out what the speed limit in the US is in km/h, you'll now see the unit conversion tool.
But, unlike some of the static answers Google provides for various queries, the unit convertor is a complete tool, i.e. you can change the units and the figures via it's UI rather than typing another query.
A unit convertor is hardly a technological achievement, the cool thing about it is that it's built into the results page, meaning less steps to get what you need.
Well, "cool" for the users and for Google, not so cool for websites dedicated to this. And there are plenty of sites solely created as unit converters.
The tool supports all common units, speed, mass, length, temperature, volume and so on. But it also comes with a couple of more interesting ones, like a fuel consumption converter, not the type of unit most tools of its kind include.
This could come in handy in Google Maps, which can estimate fuel consumption for a trip, but serves you the figure in the unit customary to your location, which may not always be what you want.
Another interesting feature is the Digital Storage unit converter, which is rather self-explanatory. Again, it's not something you see included too often and it certainly comes in handy when you're trying to determine how much more you can cram into your Dropbox account, or if your download speeds match up with what your ISP is advertising and what you're paying for.