More Vista features for XP users

Google has just released version 5 of Google Desktop, their all-in-one product that includes desktop search, web search, Gmail access, search security, desktop sidebar, widgets, streaming feeds and more. What catches your eye is the new Vista-like look and operation of the sidebar and gadgets. It’s very attractive, so attractive that XP users might want to use the product just to add a bit of Vista pizzazz (and functionality) to their desktop. I’ve been using the new Google Desktop for about a week and reluctantly admit to being impressed. I’ve always doubted whether there were any real advantages offered by this product over simply having a straight desktop search product but I’ve now changed my mind. If you use Google for web searching Gmail, Desktop Search or any of Goggle’s other products, you’ll find Google Desktop integrates them nicely and improves your productivity and security in the process. Be aware though that this product, like all products with desktop search, can eat up a big chunk of your computer’s resources while indexing your files. Tuning the indexing process helps but don’t bother trying this product on your old P3. Freeware, Windows 2000 SP3+, XP, Vista, 1.7MB.
http://desktop.google.com/

Related posts:

  1. Free Vista features for XP users
  2. More free Vista features for XP users
  3. New from Google: Desktop Search v2 and Google Talk
  4. Add Premium/Enterprise features to XP or Vista
  5. Add ‘business’ features to XP or Vista
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All Windows Secrets articles posted on 2007-12-13: