Google Desktop – XP users, another reason to not to make that switch

By: Vincent Z.

To those who are still loyally using their completely dependable Windows XP, I’m sure there were times when you comtemplated about making the switch over to Vista. There are many reasons to this, and I believe one of them is due to the Vista Gadget Side Bar. No doubt, it’s a very convenient and powerful application. But think about it, getting Vista just for the sake of a semi-transparent sidebar! Turns out, there are several software makers offering similar sidebars for Windows XP. And one of them is from the internet giant, Google.

Upon hearing the word Google, the very first thing that should come to mind is quality. Well after days of usage, it truly did not disappoint.

 

Notable Features

Instant Desktop + Internet search
Like the search bar in Windows Vista, Google Desktop provides an instant search bar which automatically “trawls” through the internet and your harddrive for files. It’s literally lightning fast. Another reason to buy Vista for it’s instant search: Down.

 

Extremely Useful Sidebar
It’s exactly the same as what Vista users get. Add gadgets directly from the gallery that can be accessed from the bar itself. Oh by the way, the gadgets available are top-notch, expecially the ones made by Google.

 

Relatively low memory consumption
On my computer Google Desktop used a total of about 13mb of memory, almost the same as Windows Live Messenger. I’ve been told that the Vista default sidebar induces startup lags. But I’m happy to report that Google’s version did nothing of that sort. Boot-up time remained at a speedy ~23s.

 

Intuitive Shortcuts
Say, you have opened lots of applications and you need to view the calendar now. The thing is: you’re too lazy to minimize all open windows. Well, press double [Shift] and the sidebar shows up immediately on top of all windows. Do the same keystrokes again and the sidebar goes back.

 

Beautiful mother-of-all search bar
As with the shortcuts, you can also access the beautiful google search bar by pressing double [Ctrl]. A dark, glossy search bar pops up and you can start searching away now.

 

 

Final Say
Google Desktop is a must-have for all Windows XP users out there! Get all the good bits of Vista without the additional money and lag! Also, for Vista users, it’s highly recommended that you install this and remove the default Vista Sidebar because it comsumes much less memory.

 

Supports
Windows 2000 / XP / Vista, Mac OSX

Official Site
http://desktop.google.com/ (1.75mb)