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Essentially, Google has tweaked the interface trying to make it easier to find and manage the various sources of data that are found on a typically cluttered PC, whether from emails, local files, saved images or to-do lists.

New features include a search lock, to prevent other users of the computer from being able to search files, advanced search forms for building complex queries, and the ability to disable indexing.

With the enhanced Sidebar (which requires more information to be transferred to Google), users can undock panels from the Sidebar and place them anywhere on the desktop. There's also Search Across Computers for those working across multiple

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computers.

For Google Talk users, information from the side bar can also be sent directly to a friend's sidebar

The big question, of course, is whether you want Google to be sifting through your private files. As a prelude to downloading the app, Google provides the following advisory text, which it describes as 'not the usual yada yada': 'When you use Advanced Features, you may be sending non-personal usage information and information about websites you visit to Google.

'For example, Google Desktop sends Google information about the news pages you visit in order to personalize the news you see in Sidebar. We use other non-personal usage data, including crash reports, to help improve Desktop's performance. Please note that none of this data actually tells us who you are; we use it merely to improve Desktop's ability to give you the information that's most relevant to you.'

Google Desktop application is a free download, available from http://desktop.google.com. It runs on Windows XP and Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and above and requires 500MB of hard disk space.

Currently available only in English, Google says that it will be offered in 15 languages before spring.