Bird killer (iGoogle)

Member Name: amullett

Product:	iGoogle
Date:	10/07/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mobile office tool

Disadvantages: some skins aren't fool proof in design

iGoogle is a tool that allows people on the move to operate as they normally would across multiple platforms and computers. It is one more step in the grand Google plan to make cloud computing king.

What I like the most is that Google has always been simple - there is a box in the middle of the screen and it searches. So by adding these extra features, they kill multiple birds with one stone.

The rest of the screen is filled with boxes that you choose, which pull information from your favourite websites. Weather information, email summary, post-it style notes, calendar and organizers are probably the most useful and basic features, but you can add news feeds and many many more gadgets.

The interface is very intuitive and easy to use as it is with all new products. Like on the original facebook, you can drag items around and put them where you want, so the most important ones are at the top and easy to access. Less interesting boxes can be places elsewhere.

The look of the website is awesome with skins, some of which are interactive and change every time you log in.

Google chat is of course incorporated with this window, making it an all purpose workstation. I like it because I do work from many different locations throughout the day and everything is exactly how I left it last time I used it.

It is of course free and you can access your other google tools from the top right "My account button"

The only complaint is that some of the skins mean you can't read the text beneath them AND that it makes some browsers run slow. A minor point to mention, not necessarily a complaint, is that you need to type in the extra "/ig" on the end of the address bar to get to the page - going to www.google.com will not take you there.

Summary: another brilliant google tool