Google Desktop 2 review

Google Desktop 2 organizes search, news, maps, apps, and weather, as well as your recently accessed files and Web visits into a tidy package of miniportals on your desktop. Third-party programmers have already added dozens of useful tools to Desktop, with more sure to come. This personalized desktop portal is well organized if you spend some time getting used to it and setting your preferences. The privacy-minded should appreciate the level of control. While we were puzzled by some of the automated, dynamic content displays, we found this tool fun to play with and easy to adjust to our liking. We recommend Google Desktop 2 for people who want to easily access shortcuts to their most-frequented files, Web pages, and applications from their desktop, especially for those seeking an alternative to the clunky navigation of Windows XP.

Installing Google Desktop 2 on our Windows XP computer went smoothly and took less than five minutes in our tests. If you're ultraconscientious about privacy, scrutinize the Preferences page via the Sidebar's top drop-down menu, which lets you choose what to hide or reveal to Google.

Google Desktop 2 may not please you if you feel too uneasy to entrust your computing and surfing habits to an outside party. Still, Google's privacy policy insists that "without your explicit permission," it won't collect your name, address, or the content of your computer. Therefore, uncheck Advanced Features if you don't want to send Google data about the Web sites you visit. From Preferences, you can also block specific files, folders, e-mail, and Web sites from being indexed. The Google Desktop 2 Enterprise edition gives network administrators full control over settings. See the user guide for more on encrypting your files. You may find Google Desktop 2 only minimally useful with Advanced Features turned off. For example, enabling Advanced Features allows the app to display personalized news and photos. We liked that this program didn't ask to reset our browser home page or add desktop icons.

Once Google Desktop 2 is open, the Sidebar appears in a narrow column within the right-hand edge of your screen. The gray interface is subtle and sparse, given its bevy of content. Modules include Photos, Maps, Google Talk, Email, News, Web Clips, Scratch Pad, Stocks, and Weather. To date, you can pick from hundreds of plug-ins to add more panels that display a PC system monitor, a calendar, content from iTunes, your American Express transactions, and more. Click any panel to expand details to the left of it. Click Maps to extend a miniwindow, where you can type in a search that opens a browser window to Google Local. To hide the Sidebar, click the top drop-down arrow to display the search box either as the Deskbar on the bottom of your screen or as the Floating Deskbar.

Desktop 2 lets you reject Sidebar features that might betray your secrets to passersby who glance at your screen. For example, Sidebar shuffles through recent photos, which could embarrass you, say, if snapshots of last weekend's costume party from your friend's Flickr account pop up at the office. To hide the Photos panel or other potentially sensitive portals, such as Email, just open the Add/Remove Panels window from the Sidebar's uppermost drop-down menu. You can also visit Options to filter content--helpful if you want to keep the Email module open but want to block certain messages from appearing.