Tech Shout!

Google, on Thursday launched a new version of its desktop search feature, which facilitates search across many computers, the skill to send Sidebar items to friends, deeper customisation of Sidebar features, and password-protected search.

The new features will be part of Google Desktop, which incorporates a Google-like search function and Sidebar, a movable palette of various mini-applications.

With Google Desktop 3 users will be able to search across multiple computers, thereby making it a very useful task for those who use more than one computer on a regular basis. After activating the “Search Across Computers” feature, a list of the files is automatically sent to the user’s other computers with Google Desktop installed.

The results are then combined with those of the computer the user is on when they search for data.

“You don’t have to worry about where it lives; it’s available anywhere you are.” Liu added, “If you’ve ever created a document but forgot whether it’s on your laptop or desktop, then you can appreciate why we built this feature,” said Google Desktop product manager Kan Liu.

For the users who prefer keeping their computers information private, Google has added a password protection feature that would only complete a search query after the appropriate password is entered.

The Sidebar has been improved, with an option made available where a user can send a particular item directly to the Sidebar of another user via Gmail Chat or Google Talk, or even play games such as Tic-Tac-Toe live through the feature.

“The only catch with having desktop tools is that they take up valuable screen real estate,” Liu said. “Now you can undock Sidebar panels and keep them floating wherever.” This would allow the user to place Sidebar panels where they want instead of keeping them in the dock, as well as the
option to have the panels always stay on top of the desktop.

Liu said anyone who can write a webpage could write a panel, and invited interested parties to visit the project’s developer site to learn more.

The beta version is currently only available in English, and will be releasing in 16 other languages by the end of next month, the company said.