I wasn't a big fan of iGoogle few weeks ago since it takes quite some time to load and well, I didn't really need it. However, later on, I started using it and I am loving it. I can add feeds from my favorite blogs and stay up to date with everything. I can even have my Gmail and GTalk embedded. How cool is that?When I logged into my iGoogle account today, I noticed some cool changes. Google seemed to have played around with several of the applications. So if you use one of those applications on your iGoogle page, then you must have noticed those changes as well. I check Google's official blog and found a recent post called: What's new with iGoogle? The main change is that Google has enabled canvas view for several applications. You can now view the applications in the same window instead of a different window (i.e. you had to open a new window to go to your GMail account).
Changes in iGoogle
- Here are some applications that have experienced the changes.- News - New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post.
- Games - Sudoku Gadget, GoComics Gadget
- Entertainment - TV Guide, Flixter's movies gadget, iLike gadget
- Google - GMail, Google Finance
If you haven't noticed any changes, I suggest you try adding some of these gadgets. The new changes make iGoogle even better than before!Image Source 1
Image Source 2
Posted by Dan at SEO and Blogging Tips.
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16 comments:
If this change is so wonderful, why do navigation buttons in FF 3.0.1 no longer work? Why does having iGoogle as my home page always bring me back to the last subcomponent of iGoogle viewed? I literally have no way to get back to my main iGoogle page. It does not happen not matter which link I click. The left side navigation is useless and just takes up room - all those links are on iGoogle, or should I say they were, when such a thing existed. Even typing iGoogle.com in the browser brings me back to Gmail, which the last thing I was in. iGoogle is now absolutely useless. Did anyone do UAT?
Finally a positive post about the new look of iGoogle. People apparently dislike change so much they'd rather blindly nitpick than focus on the value and purpose of new features.
Really lonely in there, isn't it -- all by yourself in that room singing empty praises to the iGoogle re-do.
It's only 7:30 PM here and already the HATE IT count in the Google forum has topped 5000.
The iGoogle 2.0: ugly, unusable, irritating. But, gee golly, it's monetizable now -- isn't that more important than happy users?
I totally disagree!!!
I guess if you have a widescreen & multiple tabs you might like the changes...
But if you only have a laptop screen & one tab of iGoogle gadgets, then the left tab just wastes over an inch of screen space all the way down the left side!
At least let me choose the format I prefer.
The good news, I'm finding out about other homepage options...
This could be the nail in Google's coffin that swings the Net wars in Microsoft's favor. These iGoogle changes affected millions of users with no warning and no ability to revert back to the previous design. I'm all for progress, but let me pick and choose what works best for my workflow; don't force it down my throat. It only turns me against you, and towards http://www.Live.com! When Yahoo! Mail rolled out a new interface, it gave users the option of sticking with the "Classic" view. Why couldn't Google do the same? Because it's turning into an out-of-touch, fat, lazy monopoly, just like Microsoft. At least we can take comfort knowing that it will soon be supplanted by a nimbler, more modern and customer-responsive upstart. How the mighty have fallen!
Well, I have a 19" monitor so i don't have any problem with the new iGoogle right now. However, I do think that Google should have the option for old users to go back to the previous version.
It's a bit sad how people have nothing better to do than complain.
Gadgets scrunched up due to the left menu? Adjust the settings so there are only two columns. The menu is there for a purpose, to make it easier to go to canvas view on your gadgets.
Too much "unused space" due to the left menu? Keep all menus open by default. Plus, where was this argument with the initial Google search engine?
Sheesh, ungrateful pricks.
Make it only two columns? So then I have to scroll down to see all my content. Great solution.
Keep all menus open? What does that mean?
Scriptdaemon, are you being paid by Google? Because I, as a Google user, believe that if something changes without warning that does not benefit me, the user, I actually have the right to complain. I shouldn't have to waste time reconfiguring something that was good this morning, and now is not. And how many times have you checked on here today to see who else is - oh no! - comlaining about your beloved new iGoogle? Seriously, after I'm done venting right now, I actually have a lot of better things to do with my time. Oh, and since I'm a girl, I'm not a prick. Nice try, though, for an original and universally applicable insult. (Did you catch the sarcasm in that one?)
At least we know who some of the Google shills are.
Forget iGoogle. Move on with Netvibes http://www.netvibes.com with a how-to-migrate
Not to turn the blog owner's post into a flame war, but there's a line between constructive criticism and downright bitching. Most of the complaints would fall under the latter.
I, also a Google user, think change and innovation can be a good thing. If I believe something is actually useful, than I have a right to think so. Thus far, the only obvious reasons for the complaints are nothing more than fear of change and inability to work with new things.
For the record, "I actually have a lot of better things to do with my time" is never a meritable argument.
Worst. Google. Mistake. To-date.
Without a doubt.
What were they thinking with this?
I read about a site on John Chow today called http://www.43marks.com - its like Igoogle but better cuz you can add you own bookmarks and the bookmarks can be websites not just gadgets and RSS feeds although you can upload your favorite RSS feeds too. Its free and totally customizable. Plus you don't have to login to see your bookmars and RSS feeds
Well, by this morning, you could get back your old layout, except for those wretched tabs on the left. For all those who support the changes and treat the negative comments as bitching, I am sorry that your abilities as human interface designers are as lacking as the team that produced this update. The tabs on the left are a terrible waste of space and add nothing you couldn't get on the usable surface under the tabs. They have overloaded the tabs - which serve for navigation - with unnecessary indexing - unnecessary because you can already see the items in the index on the page. And they take valuable screen space to do it. How stupid is that? But what makes people like me really angry is that I don't spend my time following what Google has in Beta (they've devalued beta by keeping their so many of their products in beta for so long). So these changes arrived without any notice whatsoever.
"I guess if you have a widescreen & multiple tabs you might like the changes...
But if you only have a laptop screen & one tab of iGoogle gadgets, then the left tab just wastes over an inch of screen space all the way down the left side!"
I agree completely!!
I can live with the other changes but not the left side tab for the reasons stated above.
AT LEAST GIVE US THE OPTION!!
i don't really like igoogle i just like google itself
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