Google Toolbar & Pop-Up Blocker

Google Toolbar which is FREE is the best of the lot. It seems that many larger websites now offer toolbars for quick access to their features, so it was a no-brainer when Google, the most popular search engine out there, released their own toolbar with more than just searching built in.

The Google toolbar is pretty easy to use and understand. An option button is clearly placed so that you can customize the look as well as edit or disable other features. It offers a search box to type in searches and quick access to some of its features, adding around 8 icons to the toolbar, including Google news, highlight search words on current page and shortcuts to various different ways to search Google. These can be easily removed in the options if you do not use or want to see them. It also adds an icon for blogger.com. Blogs are weblogs people write, the easiest way to explain it is similar to a personal webpage. Often times, they are free and very easy to use.

The Google toolbar adds in quite a few features to Internet Explorer that should already be included. The first and most noticeable one is the pop-up blocker. The toolbar is worth the download simply for the free pop-up blocker alone. On the first pop-up Google toolbar blocks, a window opens noting that a pop-up has been blocked and fully explains how it works, including how to allow or disallow pop-ups on websites. An icon is on the toolbar counting blocked pop-ups.

The Google toolbar is a must have tool for those who insist on using Internet Explorer as is. The download is very small, taking minutes even on dial-up, and it can be easily disabled or uninstalled without causing any problems. If you looked at a few of the screenshots in this review, you already could have downloaded it. I have installed it on countless computers just for the pop-up blocker alone. The additional features added in simply make your web surfing simpler and more enjoyable.

NOTE: I prefer version 3 but feel free to try to try the newer version. Links to both versions are posted.

Current version

Version 3