Google-branded merchandize shows up from time to time, and we here at Pingdom were kind of wondering where people outside of Google get hold of this stuff. And lo and behold, Google has its very own online store, GoogleStore.com.

There is some pretty neat stuff in there, so here is our (highly subjective) pick of the coolest (and sometimes strangest) merchandize from Google.

(There are no affiliate links or anything in this post. We just thought it would be fun to list the items we liked the most. The links below just go to regular product pages at the Google Store.)

Google flashing yo-yo

Who doesn’t like yo-yos? Especially ones lit up by flashing lights…

Google crank flashlight

An emergency flashlight with an FM radio, siren, and cell phone charger. The whole thing can be charged by cranking it.

Google lava lamp

The classic Lava Lamp, Google style.

Google bike stereo speakers

Portable speakers you can place on your bike, which will of course also carry your MP3 player.

Google sonic rocks

Two powerful magnets to play around with. Seems like fun!

Google bean bag

It’s apparently exactly the same kind as the ones in the Googleplex.

Google tumbling tower wooden block game

Build that Google tower as high as possible before it tumbles back down.

Google baby blanket

Want your toddler to get Googlified as soon as possible? Look no further than this.

Want to see how your favorite US sports site is doing, if it has a perfect 100% uptime score or not? If you want to check the latest scores and it isn’t working, could it be a problem with your computer or connection, or the site? We’ve got the solution for you!

For some time now we’ve been monitoring 34 major US sports and news sites related to sports. Our recent articles on the Super Bowl are a result of that monitoring.

Now you can look at how these sites are doing yourself on the public reports page for this list of US sports websites.

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Who has not used Google Maps? Raise your hand! Since the launch 7 years ago, Google Maps has become the de facto map service that users around the world go to for all their mapping needs.

As we say Happy Birthday to Google Maps, read on to find out some of the critical milestones in its history, and some amazing numbers and statistics.

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In 2010, there were just over 1 million secure Internet websites worldwide. Almost half of those, or 446,992 to be exact, were located in the United States.

But in which country can we find the most secure websites in relation to population? The answer may surprise you.

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The New England Patriots held what seemed to be a commanding lead (17-15) with five minutes left of Super Bowl XLVI last night. But the New York Giants came back and managed to win with 21-17.

As exciting as the game sounds, we missed the whole thing, instead spending our time watching the Superbowl.com website.

It turned out to be a rather dull thing to do because the site held up well and there was no downtime at all. The response time also didn’t give away anything significant in terms of online Super Bowl traffic.

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As Super Bowl 46 is approaching, fans will flock to the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, and to TV sets around the world to follow the New York Giants battle it out with the New England Patriots.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30EST on Sunday, February 5, and we’re already monitoring Superbowl.com to see how the site will handle the event.

What team will win Super Bowl 46? How will the site cope? We can only wait to find out.

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