Google Toolbar v.4

SpecialSauce writes "Google's gone and released v.4 Beta of their toolbar. Updates include: customizable buttons, smart search box, a bookmark feature that's tied to the users google.com account, and a send to SMS/Blogger/gmail button." Doesn't look like the mac version is updated yet, although the shared bookmarks thing creates unholy lust in my heart. Now if only it would allow you to search multiple search engines like Firefox's built in search.

Comments

firefox left out for now

[jgionet]

I'm really disappointed a Firefox version wasn't released at the same time.

mmmm, IMDB

[BlogPope]

I'd love to be able to search IMDB of Gracenote from google toolbar

Re:mmmm, IMDB

[tpgp]

I'd love to be able to search IMDB of Gracenote from google toolbar

You can search both of those using Firefox's search engine add-ons (along with thousands more)

Not that google's tool bar isn't nice and all - but its much better to use something open source that doesn't censor results for opressive regimes

Re:mmmm, IMDB

[Tx]

I'd love to be able to search IMDB of Gracenote from google toolbar

I find quicksearches much better for specialized searches. I just type "imdb " in the address bar, and hey presto, less clicks than using a toolbar.

In case you don't know about FF quicksearches, you just create a bookmark with e.g. "http://us.imdb.com/find?q=%s" as the location, and "imdb" as the keyword.

Re:mmmm, IMDB

[Tx]

Oops, that should have read "I just type "imdb ", guess I made an accidental tag.

Re:mmmm, IMDB

[arivanov]

"According to the local laws, regulations and policy, some search results are not shown."

As someone who has grown up in a country which was behind the Iron Curtain I can tell you that this is more effective in seeding discontent than showing the results. I am rolling on the floor laughing if this is the consession made by Google to the Chinese. The Party has scored an own goal. Several times. I am still laughing... This definitely made my day...

Re:mmmm, IMDB

[avanspronsen]

You can :-) With the toolbar installed go to the imdb site. Right click in the sites search field and select generate custom search. You will get a custom button and imdb will be added to the dropdown list of the google search box on the toolbar.

Re:mmmm, IMDB

[poot_rootbeer]

its much better to use something open source that doesn't censor results for opressive regimes

Which would be whom, exactly?

ALL SEARCH ENGINES that do business in China are filtering results there as per the local laws. The reason Google is being singled out for doing it is because their motto is "Don't Be Evil". We EXPECT evil from the likes of MSN and Yahoo.

Re:mmmm, IMDB

[DirtJeans]

I believe you're thinking of the Context Search extension. Very handy.

Great idea!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Now if only it would allow you to search multiple search engines like Firefox's built in search.

Yes, I think Google will get right on that.

Re:Great idea!!

[_Sharp'r_]

The funny part is that it let's you do it already. Those "customizable buttons"? You can make them do pretty much whatever you want, URL-wise, including take the text from the search box and insert it into multiple URLs to grab as keywords for searching them.

All it takes is a tiny bit of XML.

unholy lust?

[NiteShaed]

"although the shared bookmarks thing creates unholy lust in my heart"

dear god do you ever need to get out more....

Re:unholy lust?

[digitaldc]

"although the shared bookmarks thing creates unholy lust in my heart"

dear god do you ever need to get out more....

Nah man, its cool - some bookworms have an understanding about sharing, and prefer not to be in a binding relationship.

Re:unholy lust?

[jayhawk88]

Look, I know that you'd probably be very embarrassed if your friends and neighbors found all your searches and bookmarks for "post-op Asian trannies eating cheetos", but trust me, Google has seen worse.

Undocumented Feature

[Jumper99]

And since everything can be tied to your Google account, Google promises not to share any information gathered with the US Government. They will, however, send all your data to China.

Software Tie Ins

[hamlet2600]

For all of Google's amazing technology they don't do a very good job of linking things together. They have "Pack" which has Firefox in it, yet they don't update the toolbar for it! How can you support something in one area, then not integrate it into your existing offerings?? duh.

Other Search Engines

[The MAZZTer]

Now if only it would allow you to search multiple search engines like Firefox's built in search.

Actually, according to Google, custom buttons can be easily made to use whatever search engine you want. Even if one isn't in the online gallery, Google claims it only takes about 3 lines of text to create a new button.

Do people actually log-in when searching Google?

[mrfett]

Given all the coverage of the myriad ways in which governments have begun collecting data on their citizen's internet use habits, does anyone actually use these features and log-in to Google.com? You couldn't pay me to use their value-added features. I'm surprised anyone cares about the bookmark feature, as I'm under the impression it only works when you're logged-in.

It's bad enough they can trace your quasi-anonymous browser. At least they have to work for your identity in that case. I'm not willing to make it any easier for big brother than it already is.

Re:There's a Mac version?

[Tx]

Since when was there a Mac version of Google Toolbar?

Since many moons ago for Mac Firefox users. Why would the official Google Toolbar for Firefox" be unblessed?

64-bit windows

[Jarlsberg]

Hmf. Doesn't seem to work well with the 64-bit version of IE. (Not that they claimed it would)

Installing works fine, but it's gone when I restart the browser, and there's no sign of it in the View->Toolbars menu. Bummer :(

Re:Do people actually log-in when searching Google

[friedmud]

Some of us don't have _anything_ to hide. I would gladly give all of my surfing data to whomever wishes to have it....

If they will use it for serving me ads that are about things I like then to me that's a plus.... but I guess that's just me.

Why all the paranoia? What is everyone doing on the web that they don't want others to see?

Friedmud

Re:Do people actually log-in when searching Google

[Zathrus]

does anyone actually use these features and log-in to Google.com

If you use gmail or Google Talk then you're logged in. Some people also use Personal Google which requires you to login to be of any use.

I'm unsure if Google News customization uses cookies or just login. I know it can use login -- if you're logged in then your customizations will be shared to any browser that you login under. I think it used to remember customization by cookies though (and may still if you're not logged in).

I'm not willing to make it any easier for big brother than it already is.

And yet you logged into /. instead of posting as an AC... your tin foil hat is slipping.

I haven't bothered looking at the new toolbar since it's IE only, but one think I've always looked for in "shareable bookmarks" is the ability to partially share -- to either mark some bookmarks as "do not share" or (better) different groupings that can be shared independantly. I know that there's some bookmarks on my home machines that I simply don't want coming anywhere near my work system. Ahem.

And more soon?

[lovebyte]

Soon, we will be able to download music from the toolbar too, probably.

What about a 64 bit Deskbar?

[clustersnarf]

The Google Deskbar doesnt work on XP64 for some reason. Even when installing Google Desktop the deskbar option doesn't work.

I guess that's the price to pay to be on the bleeding edge.

Tutorial: Google Toolbar Custom Button

[Virtual Karma]

I tried adding a custom button for my project and the whole process was quick and easy. Here I have explained what I did. Hope it helps...

Requested feature

[dada21]

I'd love to see Google start to aggregate comparisons of articles. I believe they have this power and it would be very nice to see it implemented.

My most basic description (of a very difficult process, I'd gather), is to have the Toolbar offer an "Originality" rating. If the article is not like any other article, it is rated 100%. If the article is available elsewhere, it is 0%. You should be able to click the rating and be taken to a Google site that lists the similar articles in date format -- who posted first?

This might also work to aggregate comparisons of items, or reviews, or something of the sort.

customization issues

[szembek]

I just installed the toolbar and it went well, I for one like the send to Gmail feature. I have however noticed some issues which I hope they change before finalizing this release. The first is that it adds 8 items into the IE context menu with no way to customize which items are there. I personally don't have any desire to access any of these features from the context menu and I would prefer to clean them up out of my context menu. Similarly I would like to remove 'Blogger' and 'SMS' from the Send to drop-down menu because I will never use them.

(oh and I also used the Google toolbar spell check to correct 3 words in this post before submitting it!)

what?

[lonasindi]

Now if only it would allow you to search multiple search engines like Firefox's built in search

What? It's -google- toolbar....

Re:Do people actually log-in when searching Google

[michrech]

Why all the paranoia? What is everyone doing on the web that they don't want others to see?

We are exercising our right to privacy in our own home is what we are doing. If you, as you put it, would "gladly give that up", what other rights are you willing to give up?

"Shared bookmarks creates unholy lust in my heart"

[Ythan]

I use the Bookmarks Synchronizer extension. Saves and loads from any FTP.

This is all well and dandy,

[edmicman]

but, well, I already use sites like delicous or an FTP bookmark synchronizer. I do have some bookmarks on my google/ig page, which I've used as my start page, but what does this toolbar really gain me? Where the heck is the google calendar so I REALLY organize my life around google? Seriously, that's the one thing that's lacking - gmail's got the email covered, the start page works as a suitable portal (for the most part), but I still am either tied to Outlook through work, or the crapulance that is Sunbird, or trying to integrate my own (webcalendar).

Yeah.....

[doogieb]

Now if only it would allow you to search multiple search engines like Firefox's built in search. Yeah, like there are other search engines!

"Custom Buttons"

[utexaspunk]

You can already create buttons that function like those in this toolbar using Firefox. You can also move them up to the menu bar to save space. See the bottom of my tutorial on optimizing Firefox.