Google on Monday unveiled a new version of its toolbar, and introduced an entirely new toolbar specifically designed for enterprise users. The beta versions of both are open and customizable, with new features that allow users to tailor their search results and share information with friends.
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The new Google Toolbar has been updated with customizable buttons, online bookmarks, enhanced search features, new sharing capabilities, and an open application programming interface (API) to give developers the ability to write software that can interface with the toolbar.
"Now we're putting the tools of innovation in the hands of our users," said Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience at Google. "We've opened up the Google Toolbar to enable them to create their own features and customize their search experience."
Tool Box
With the new version of Google Toolbar, users can personalize the offering through the addition of "custom buttons," which enable them to run search queries directly on any Web site, or subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds.
Users also can create, label, and manage bookmarks from a site with a single click. Bookmarks are saved to a user's Google Account, and can be accessed from any computer.
One benefit of this system, the company noted, is that if a user finds an interesting article at work that he or she wants to read later, the new toolbar can put it in a Google account to make it accessible from home.
Other product enhancements include expanded search functionality that offers users query suggestions and spelling corrections, and enhanced sharing capabilities that allow for sharing Web page content via e-mail, text messages, or blogs.
Business Minded
With its Google Toolbar for Enterprise, the search company is attempting to make bigger inroads into corporate environments. Google already has had success gaining a more prominent position in enterprise markets with its search appliance for large companies and small-business-focused search application.
The enterprise toolbar has many of the same features as the updated toolbar, including the same level of personalization and customization. But an added incentive to adopt the enterprise version is that Google has included a group-policy management feature for administrative control, as well as a Microsoft System Installer for faster corporate deployment.
It is likely that other players in the desktop-search market will imitate Google's innovation, analysts have noted. "The whole desktop search arena gathered steam when Google entered it, and that hasn't changed," said IDC analyst Sue Feldman. "When one innovates, others follow."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060130/tc_nf/41282
ADVERTISEMENT
The new Google Toolbar has been updated with customizable buttons, online bookmarks, enhanced search features, new sharing capabilities, and an open application programming interface (API) to give developers the ability to write software that can interface with the toolbar.
"Now we're putting the tools of innovation in the hands of our users," said Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience at Google. "We've opened up the Google Toolbar to enable them to create their own features and customize their search experience."
Tool Box
With the new version of Google Toolbar, users can personalize the offering through the addition of "custom buttons," which enable them to run search queries directly on any Web site, or subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds.
Users also can create, label, and manage bookmarks from a site with a single click. Bookmarks are saved to a user's Google Account, and can be accessed from any computer.
One benefit of this system, the company noted, is that if a user finds an interesting article at work that he or she wants to read later, the new toolbar can put it in a Google account to make it accessible from home.
Other product enhancements include expanded search functionality that offers users query suggestions and spelling corrections, and enhanced sharing capabilities that allow for sharing Web page content via e-mail, text messages, or blogs.
Business Minded
With its Google Toolbar for Enterprise, the search company is attempting to make bigger inroads into corporate environments. Google already has had success gaining a more prominent position in enterprise markets with its search appliance for large companies and small-business-focused search application.
The enterprise toolbar has many of the same features as the updated toolbar, including the same level of personalization and customization. But an added incentive to adopt the enterprise version is that Google has included a group-policy management feature for administrative control, as well as a Microsoft System Installer for faster corporate deployment.
It is likely that other players in the desktop-search market will imitate Google's innovation, analysts have noted. "The whole desktop search arena gathered steam when Google entered it, and that hasn't changed," said IDC analyst Sue Feldman. "When one innovates, others follow."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20060130/tc_nf/41282
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