New iGoogle
So, I’m writing this post on “Most Excellent Firefox Plug-ins EVER!” and I go to send it off to be proof read, open my browser, and to my surprise? A new iGoogle layout, and it’s MUCH better.
First, the left hand navigation doo-dad. All of your widgets are presented in a neat, tidy menu for you to enjoy, and interact with. Our first notice was GMAIL, which is now a totally sweet, and integrated piece of iGoogle when you select it. So no more being thrown off your iGoogle page when you’re going to GMAIL.
Now, if you’ve been using iGoogle, or avoiding it, this centralization may seem minor at first, but what it really does is keeps the experience of the iGoogle interface centric to how you set up your dashboard, and it’s very well done. I’m a huge fan of centralized things that make accessing information and using applications that much easier. To me? This kind presentation is a great step in the right direction for Google, and probably one of the best things I’ve seen from them since Google Docs, to be honest.
It changes the entire dynamic of Google and their many many endevours by giving by giving users a command center for their toys. Now, if Google continues down a path like this, I can see this growing into the “super site” where people will pile in their Google goodies and widgets to make the most out of their experience. This application coupled with FriendFeed for communication could make the ultimate Internet Abuser. Our favorite.
