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Google Program Searches for Space on Computer Desktops

Posted on: Monday, 22 August 2005, 21:00 CDT

Aug. 23--After riding its search engine technology to domination of the Web, Google is now targeting a place on your personal computer's desktop.

The Internet kingpin yesterday rolled out Sidebar, a free program that gives users access to breaking news, weather information, stock quotes, E-mails and other data that can be customized -- all without even opening a Web browser.

"It lets users sit back and watch the Internet come to them," said Nikhil Bhatla, program manager for Google Desktop 2, the application on which the Sidebar feature is bundled.

After downloading and installing Desktop 2, a long vertical window pops up on the right side of the computer desktop. Panels that alert a user to new E-mails sit at the top, along with other panels that provide a heads-up for breaking news and when there are updates at frequently visited blogs.

There is even a "scratch pad" panel that can be used to type up short reminders like "pick up dry cleaning."

For those who find surfing the Web for this kind information too time consuming, the software largely delivers as promised. One glitz found during testing yesterday, however, was that a panel for local weather information brought up the conditions in Honolulu -- possibly since the program is still a Beta version with kinks to be worked out.

Desktop 2 is seen by many industry analysts as a shot across the bow of Google's largest competitors, Microsoft and Yahoo.

The program's search engine, for example, allows users to bypass Microsoft's Windows operating system to search for files on a user's hard drive, as well as on the Internet, or to launch programs. The new version of Google's Desktop also allows users to search for E-mail contacts and other data on Microsoft's Outlook programs.

The program uses RSS -- short for Really Simple Syndication -- feeds already commonly used by Web-savvy surfers to automatically sift through frequently visited Web sites and bring up new previously unread content.

"This is basically creating an operating system and not having to wait on the development cycle that Microsoft has to deal with," said Allen Weiner, a consumer technology analyst at Gartner.

"The Web browser itself is not as viable as it was when the Web first started. ... The advances seem today to be in the realm of the consumer empowerment," Weiner added.

The timing of Google's release of Desktop 2 may have been influenced by papers the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last Thursday for a proposed additional public offering of 600,000 shares, valued at more than $4 billion.

Shares of Google closed yesterday at $274.01, down $5.99.

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Source: Daily News

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