The New Sidebar and Gadgets

Posted by Kevin Tom, Product Manager

With the dramatically increasing amount of content out there, you need better ways to find relevant information, whether searching your computer or reading the latest headlines in sidebar. How could we improve the way you stay up-to-date with sidebar and gadgets? How could we make it even easier to search files and find that lost book report, web page, or recipe? After many months, we are pleased to release the Google Desktop 5 Beta application, featuring a new sidebar and redesigned Gadgets.

The sidebar has a completely new look and feel. It samples the color of your wallpaper and fades in the sampled color so that it fits seamlessly onto your desktop. Some of our gadgets have been redesigned so that they are easy to tell apart, easy to read, and easy on the eyes. More differentiated gadgets allow for faster scanning of information through the sidebar. And we've created a new dialog for adding gadgets so it's easier and faster than ever to find the right gadgets for you.

In addition, we have improved two other key features of Google Desktop:

• Desktop Search - Ever searched your computer and seen a row of results that looked almost identical - so you had to open file after file until you found the right one? Now there is a better way: preview search results from within Google Desktop. Don't wait for an entire application to load, just click "Preview" and find the information you want right away. Finding the right file has never been easier!
• Security - We take your security extremely seriously and have added new features to help make your search experience safer. Whether you’re clicking on links from documents, IMs and email or browsing the web, if we have information that the site you're visiting might be trying to steal your personal information or install malicious software on your computer, we'll give you a warning first so you can decide if you want to use the site.

You can never save enough time looking for information. Find out more about Google Desktop.

Desktop goes cross platform

Posted by Mendel Chuang, Product Marketing Manager

Google Desktop is hitting a milestone today: we're going cross platform! Google Desktop for the Mac (beta) is now available. We know that whether you use a PC or a Mac, a significant amount of personal content lives on the web and also on your computer. We're committed to helping you search all of that information.

Like the Windows version, Google Desktop for the Mac makes searching your desktop and the web faster, easier, and more comprehensive, enhances the desktop search experience with the Quick Search Box, and leverages Google technology to deliver speed and usability. It works with both PowerPC and Intel machines with Mac OS X 10.4+ and is compatible with Safari, Firefox, and Camino browsers. For this version, we focused on searching the desktop with speed, ease of use, relevance, and comprehensiveness. It does not have sidebar and gadgets, though we do plan to make Google Gadgets available on the Mac in the future. To find out more, read this post on our Mac Blog.

We look forward to adding more features and further improving performance and usability in the near future.

Google Desktop Update

In 2004, Google launched Google Desktop, a program designed to make it easy for users to search their own PCs for emails, files, music, photos, Web pages and more.



Desktop has been used by tens of millions of people and we’ve been humbled by its usage and great user feedback. However, over the past seven years we’ve also witnessed some big changes in how users store and access their own data, with many moving to web-based applications. There has been a significant shift from local to cloud-based storage and computing, as well as integration of Google Desktop functionality (like local search) into most modern operating systems. This is a positive development for users and we’re excited that most people now have instant access to their personal information. As such, we’ll be discontinuing support for Google Desktop, including all of the associated APIs, services, plugins and gadgets.



As of September 14, Google Desktop will no longer be available for download, and existing installations will not be updated to include new features or fixes.



Thanks again to all of our users. It’s been a fun journey.



Posted by the Google Desktop Team

Google Desktop now supports 64 bit Windows

Last September we released Google Desktop version 5.8, which was lighter, faster and free of trans-fats. We also asked for any feedback, and users responded with "how about 64 bit support?" Well, as of today Google Desktop supports 64 bit Windows - go ahead, give it a try.

In addition to supporting 64 bit Windows systems, Google Desktop now supports the latest browsers as well (Google Chrome, Firefox 3, & Internet Explorer 8). Most browsers now integrate safe browsing solutions to protect users from malware and phishing. This is similar to what the Google Desktop Safebrowsing feature accomplishes.

To ensure that Google Desktop offers an efficient, optimal experience we will be removing the Safebrowsing feature on July 31. We encourage everyone to make sure they are upgrading to a browser that protects them from malware and phishing.

We hope you enjoy using Google Desktop on 64 bit Windows systems!

Posted by Jason Arbon, Google Desktop Team

The Calendar gadget

We hope everyone had a great holiday season and enjoyed exchanging gifts with loved ones. The lucky ones among us may have been bestowed a 2009 wall calendar for the new year.

If not, don't feel bad — you can always use the brand new Calendar gadget to keep track of your Google Calendar events. This new gadget works on the Linux, Windows, and Mac versions of Desktop gadgets, and it supports all Google Accounts, including Google Apps accounts. Check out the official announcement on the Gmail blog.

The Calendar gadget doesn't come with scenic shots of exotic locations, but it does have a day view mode so you can see what day it is at a glance.



Please try it out and let us know what you think.

Happy new year from the Google Desktop team!

Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer

Google Gadgets for Linux 0.10.4

The 0.10.4 release of Google Gadgets for Linux is out, with optimized performance and memory consumption, as well as many bug fixes. To install or upgrade your copy of Google Gadgets for Linux, just download and install the binaries for your platform.

The new release supports more gadgets, including the recently released YouTube, Gmail, and Google Docs gadgets. Here's a picture of the YouTube gadget running on Linux.



The next picture shows the Gmail and Google Docs gadgets running on Linux. Note: If you've already unsuccessfully tried using the Gmail gadget, be sure to download the latest version of the Gmail gadget.



If you're a developer, try the dramatically improved Gadget Designer. It can now create new gadgets, and it runs as a separate application. Here's a picture.



As always, you can find the source code at the google-gadgets-for-linux project.

Posted by James Su and Kathy Walrath, Google Desktop Team

The Docs gadget

We just released a neat little gadget that helps you find and open your Google Docs documents. And if you want to upload files to Google Docs, just drag them into the gadget. Please check out the announcement on the Google Docs blog.



This gadget has been well received among Googlers, and we hope you'll like it too. It runs on Linux and Windows and supports Google Apps accounts. Please try it out and let us know what you think.

We've released quite a few gadgets lately (Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube), but my favorite one is coming in January. Mark your calendar!

Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer

The YouTube gadget

The Google Desktop team is pleased to release a YouTube gadget for Google Desktop. It plays YouTube videos right inside the gadget and shows a feed of the day's most popular videos. Please check out the official announcement on the YouTube blog.



Watching YouTube videos is a favorite pastime of mine while waiting for code to compile or team meetings to conclude. Now with this gadget, I am able to waste time more productively, as I can bring up the gadget in an instant and search for videos (hint: pressing the shift key twice brings up all your hidden Desktop gadgets).

Please give it a try and stay tuned for more new gadgets ...

Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer (Google Desktop Team)

Google Gadgets for Linux 0.10.3

The 0.10.3 release of Google Gadgets for Linux is out, with bug fixes and major feature enhancements. Most notably, now Linux gadgets can use most of the features introduced in the 5.8 release of Google Desktop for Windows.

If you have a previous version of Google Gadgets for Linux, we encourage you to upgrade to this version. Just download and install the binaries for your platform.

With the 0.10.3 release, gadgets can run seamlessly within KDE4's Plasma environment, as the following screenshots show. For more information on KDE4 and gadgets, see the KDE4 Plasma page in the google-gadgets-for-linux project.





Thanks for reading this, and remember to download Google Gadgets for Linux!

Posted by James Su and Kathy Walrath, Google Desktop Team

Linux updates

If you use Google Gadgets for Linux, be sure to get the 0.10.2 version, which was released Saturday. It fixes over 20 bugs, enabling support for many more gadgets.

Don't feel like compiling the code? No problem! It's now easy to find binary packages created by the community, thanks to a new page that points to Google Gadgets binaries for the major Linux distributions.

Posted by James Su and Kathy Walrath, Google Desktop Team

When you speak, we listen

Here in Google Desktop land, we value two things: 1) feedback from people who use Google Desktop and 2) chocolate malt balls (good to eat, good to throw). While we love hearing how much you enjoy Google Desktop, we also want to know what we can do better. 

As our Tech Lead pointed out on the official Google blog, one thing you really stressed to us was performance. So what did we work on? A really cool comic. (Just kidding.) No, we doubled down and cranked out our latest release of Google Desktop 5.8, which focuses primarily on — you guessed it — performance.

Although performance was our main focus, we also wanted to release some features and fixes in response to your other requests. Many of you still rely on Outlook, so we made our search cover more Outlook folders, with better speed and stability. We also made a number of additions to the Desktop APIs, including support for Flash in gadgets!

So if you use Google Desktop, please download the latest version. If you've never tried Google Desktop (or are a "former GD user"), why not give it a try? And remember, we love to hear feedback!

Posted by Ryan Tabone, Product Manager

Google Gadgets for Linux 0.10.1

Posted by James Su, Software Engineer

To celebrate the opening of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, we've just released Google Gadgets for Linux 0.10.1. This version contains two new built-in gadgets:

• Photos - Displays your favorite photos (from either the Web or a local directory) as a slideshow. This gadget is very simple to use. Just get it from the Add gadgets dialog, and add your favorite sources in the Options dialog.
  
  
• Gadget Designer - Similar to the Gadget Designer application for Windows, except that this designer is itself a gadget. Currently it only supports editing existing gadgets. Please get it from the Add gadgets dialog, try it out, and give us feedback. (Sorry, this gadget isn't available yet for Windows.)

Besides adding these two new gadgets, we've fixed many serious bugs. Many popular gadgets are supported now, such as the Google Calendar gadget. This new version also supports the Google Summer Games gadget, which displays a live medal count and event schedules on your desktop.

2008 Summer Games gadget

Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer

With 302 events, 35 disciplines, and over two hundred teams, the Summer Games can be overwhelming. The 2008 Summer Games gadget can help you follow all the excitement.



This gadget is a triathlete of sorts: It displays medal counts, event schedules, and the latest news. Try it out, and be sure to choose your favorite team from the options.



The gadget has been localized for the host country China and works fine with the latest Google Gadgets for Linux.

Also check out these related efforts across Google:

• Web based version of the gadget
• Google Maps
• YouTube channel

Happy Summer Games from the Google Desktop team!

More information | Download gadget

From the desktop to your TV

Posted by David Garcia, Software Engineer

In the old days, we used to watch a simple device called a television. Nowadays, all the stuff worth watching and listening to tends to be stored on or accessed through a computer. To help remedy this, we are pleased to release the Google Media Server.

Google Media Server is a Windows application that aims to bridge the gap between Google and your TV. It uses Google Desktop technology such as Desktop gadgets for the administration tool and Google Desktop Search to locate media files. All you need is a PC running Google Desktop and a UPnP-enabled device (e.g. a PlayStation 3). At the touch of a button, you can then:

• Access videos, music, and photos stored on your PC
  
• View Picasa Web Albums
  
• Play your favorite YouTube videos

It's easy to install, so please try it out. We'd love to get your feedback and hear what you'd like to see next.

Introducing the Energy Saver gadget

Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer

On this Earth Day 2008, we're very pleased to announce the release of the Energy Saver gadget.

This Google Desktop gadget for Windows XP and Vista helps you save energy (and money) by minimizing the power that your PC consumes when you're not using it. The gadget works by enabling and optimizing Windows power settings so that your PC meets EPA-recommended standards.

If saving energy and money isn't exciting enough, you can also see how much energy you've saved, both individually and as part of the group of people using the Energy Saver gadget. If you're like me and don't know the difference between a kilowatt and a kilowatt-hour, you'll appreciate the nifty, real-world comparisons:



Please join us in reducing power usage, and download the Energy Saver gadget.

Happy Earth Day from the Google Desktop Team!

To be(ta) or not to be

Posted by Satish Sampath, Gadget Master

In October 2007 we released Google Desktop 5.5 (beta), which enabled you to use hundreds of useful desktop gadgets on your iGoogle homepage. I've been one of the happy gadget fans myself. Since I work in a team spread across a number of locations, I've found the World Daylight Alarm Clock gadget to be very handy. Whenever I open the browser to send mail or look at the calendar, I can see daybreak in other cities and plan my work accordingly. And when I'm researching a particular topic, I use the Wikipedia gadget in my iGoogle homepage to quickly type in the topics and preview them in the little details window in context without opening new browser tabs or windows.


Today, Google Desktop 5.5 is out of beta and available in 31 languages (including 2 new ones, Thai and Indonesian). This is great news for lots of people around the world, even me (I use the Hindi version of Google Desktop), as we can now use our favourite desktop gadgets in the language of our choice in the iGoogle homepage. For those of you who are new to Google Desktop, the installation is more streamlined and it's easier to start using desktop gadgets from the iGoogle homepage. So go ahead, choose your favourites from the desktop gallery and select the 'add to iGoogle' link to make them available in your iGoogle homepage — in your language.

A Googley Holiday Season

Posted by Jim Zhuang, Software Engineer

Season's greetings, everyone! To help ring in the New Year, we've got a great holiday present for you: an update to Google Desktop for Linux. The biggest addition in version 1.1.1 is support for 64-bit platforms, but we have also made many stability improvements that should be welcome to all of our existing users. Our team has worked hard over the past few weeks to get the new version out before the end of the year, and we're glad to have succeeded. So have fun with the new release, and have a wonderful holiday season — from all of us here at Google.

Google Gadgets for the Mac

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

Google Desktop for Mac now supports gadgets! For details, including a video demonstration, see the Official Google Blog post.

Google Desktop for Linux 1.1 Beta

Posted by Jim Zhuang, Software Engineer

When we released the first version of Google Desktop for Linux this past June, we signaled a commitment to the Linux community: to develop for the platform and to support our Linux users. Since then, we have been hard at work to improve and refine our product. Today, we'd like to share what we've created by releasing Google Desktop for Linux 1.1 Beta.

Feedback from people like you shaped this update. Because many people wanted to search and launch applications, we added that functionality to the product. Desktop for Linux now supports many more image formats and will show better thumbnails for them in your search results. You can also customize the hotkey used to launch the quick search box. And most importantly, Desktop for Linux now searches the content of Microsoft Office documents - our most requested feature.

Please download the latest version and give it a spin. We hope you like it.

iGoogle meets Desktop gadgets

Posted by Ryan Tabone, Product Manager

We've often asked ourselves why Google Desktop Gadgets are confined to just the desktop and sidebar. With Google Desktop 5.5 Beta, we've decided to change that. In addition to improved Outlook search functionality, Google Desktop now lets you run Desktop gadgets on your iGoogle homepage. And that means you can check your wireless signal, grow a beautiful plant, or play music right from iGoogle.


The process for adding Desktop gadgets to your iGoogle homepage is simple. Just surf over to the iGoogle Content Directory and find the gadgets you want to add -- for example, try adding the media player gadget by clicking on the "Add it now" button on this page. If you already have Desktop 5.5 installed, you'll get the gadget without having to do anything more. If you don't, you'll be offered a streamlined Google Desktop with only the gadget functionality enabled. You can decide later whether you want to try out some of the other great features of Google Desktop, such as searching the contents of files, emails and web history.

With Desktop 5.5, you can also have multiple instances of a gadget on your desktop. Simply open up the "Add gadgets" menu and choose to add an existing gadget again. Also, make sure to press the Ctrl button twice to check out the svelte new look of the Quick Search Box.

Additionally, we've updated the gadgets button, which you can use to quickly see all your new gadgets!


As always, please let us know what you think.