MSN Toolbar and Desktop launches

After five months in beta, MSN has released their toolbar with desktop search. Only for Windows based IE 5.1 or higher, the toolbar is MSN’s response to the Google Toolbar and desktop search. Learning from user feedback, the toolbar and desktop search have incorporated a greater degree of control as well as promising an option for tabbed browsing. Curiously, as Amit Agarwal noted, the desktop search won’t index .pdfs by default, instead requiring an extra plugin.

Today’s Search Engine Watch article has a good overview of the product. Their opinion can be summed up using Microsoft’s new battle cry: It just works. No more, no less.

Susan Esparza is former managing editor at Bruce Clay Inc., and has written extensively for clients and internal publications. Along with Bruce Clay, she is co-author of the first edition of Search Engine Optimization All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies.

See Susan's author page for links to connect on social media.