Google recently announced that it will terminate its Google Labs project — a Web site where the public could test early-stage projects for possible development, says Technology Review's Kristina Bjoran. Some of Google's most successful features, like Google Maps and Gmail, have come out of Google Labs. On the other hand, Bjoran says, the recently terminated Google Health was also a Labs project. Most of the 56 projects "left hanging" on Google Labs will likely fade away, she adds, though some few interesting ideas may be developed.
Of the more interesting projects are Google Body — which gives users 3-D access to the human form and allows them to peel away anatomical layer by anatomical layer and zoom into specific body parts and organs — and Google Public Data Explorer — which allows users to work with and manipulate large data sets and visualize the information with charts, graphs, and with other means, Bjoran says.