Google Updates Toolbar for IE

— -- Isn't running a Google Toolbar on Microsoft Internet Explorer a bit like painting a horse with black and white stripes? You might as well buy the zebra. Still, Google introduced its own Chrome browser well after it had shipped toolbars for IE and Firefox, so it may be only fair that a beta version of an update is now available.

So Google has introduced Google Toolbar 6 Beta for Internet Explorer, touted as "a year in the making" and offering, well, a few new features, although Google's toolbar team describes it as a major upgrade, launching simultaneously in 40 languages.

The most significant new feature seems to be the Quick Search Box, which lets you click on an icon in your Windows task bar to open a small dialog box from which you can search and even launch apps. Google's updated IE toolbar also gets some features the Firefox version has had for while, notably a new tab page, which restores bookmarks and recently viewed sites. Google is also promoting its "enhanced search suggestions" -- if you like that sort of thing; for me, it has always rather resembled some eager companion who finishes your sentences. Still, Google's programming team is eager for you to try it out and give them some comments and suggestions.