Google Desktop 5: Now with more Vista
A better-looking sidebar
Yesterday Google quietly updated its desktop search and widget product, Google Desktop. Users who download the updated product (available at Google or here at Download.com) will notice two things. First, the widget sidebar is now flashier. Instead of using Google's traditional style (flat and boring), the sidebar now looks like it belongs on a Vista desktop (just like Microsoft's own sidebar). It looks good on XP, too. Google updated the graphics on many of its widgets to match.
Functionally, the big improvement is that desktop searches now get previews in the browser window. All results have little plus-sign expansion options, which, when clicked, pop a content window onto the page below the search results. It's much better than previous version, which only displayed search results in separate windows. However, for desktop search, I'm still partial to products that employ a good desktop interface. Google's browser-based approach makes for user interface consistency with its Web search engine, but at the expense of utility.
Google also added antiphishing technology to its desktop search. In our quick tests, we did not trigger any warnings or alerts. There's a bit more info on the Google Desktop blog.
Individual search results can now be previewed.
(Credit: CNET Networks)What's unchanged: As far as we can tell, the Google desktop search technology itself is unchanged. The indexer is relatively fast and accurate, although I have had problems getting it to stay current on very large Outlook archives. The search-as-you-type pop-up results window remains, and it performs very well. Widgets can be dragged out of the sidebar and reside anywhere on your desktop.
But Google does not make the only good desktop search tool. My favorite alternatives are Yahoo's (the company bought the desktop search company X1). Recently I've been using the desktop search that comes with Office 2007. It's good, if not blindingly fast, and it integrates well with Outlook. If you're not going to use Google Desktop (or Vista) and still want desktop widgets, I recommend Yahoo Widgets.
Rafe Needleman writes about start-ups, new technologies, and Web 2.0 products, as editor of CNET's Webware. E-mail Rafe. 
http://desktop.google.com/en/
the normal desktop.google.com does not work for latest version. do /en
http://desktop.google.com/en/
the normal desktop.google.com does not work for latest version. do /en
- OSX rip-off
- by rodd_berry March 9, 2007 11:17 AM PST
- Hmm... Can anyone say Mac OSX widget rip-off?
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- mac fanboy,
- by bum bum March 9, 2007 3:18 PM PST
- typical mac users. just like xbox fanboys, if its not on your system then its inferior and a rip off. Ya the idea may have been popularized on mac osx and it is a good idea, thats why it has been made into a product that everyone can use.
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- Mac fanboy
- by Fil0403 March 13, 2007 4:59 PM PDT
- Hmm... Can anyone say ignorant Mac fanboy?
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- sorry to burst your bubble
- by ctk76 March 18, 2007 11:30 AM PDT
- I love Macs and they're great, but the first time I saw a Widget was with Linux on RedHat 6.2 back in the 90s.
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(9 Comments)guess what, ford made the automobile and assembly line into a great thing, does that make all other cars rip-offs? get over yourself and your expensive computer. everyone builds off of everyone else, if we didn't then people would never get anywhere.