Online News Squared

→ Google soups up search toolbar "Google on Wednesday released a fresh version of its Web-searching toolbar with a trio of new utilities. The downloadable software lets people search the Web from a static box on the Internet Explorer Web browser and block annoying pop-up ads.Version 3 of the software also lets people automatically check their spelling in Web forms; translate words in English into several languages; and add Web links to certain plain text." Full Story @ CNET.com

→ Will Google Get Away With Autolink? One of the new Google Toolbar features will "autolink" certain words in stories to Google and, presumably, others who pay to get links. So it would embed in an LATimes.com story links to advertisers, or TRB competitors. "How come nobody is crying foul here?" MicroPersuasion.com asks today. "Remember all the heat Microsoft took over its planned Smart Tags feature a few years ago? . . .I think that there should be more discussion here. Let's face it, Google is to the Web what Microsoft is to PCs - the operating system everyone uses to search. It has nearly the same lock on consumers' share of mind (sorry Yahoo). And millions use the Google Toolbar. They shouldn't get away with what Microsoft was unable to. It's not fair and it shows that no matter what Google does, they can do no wrong in the eyes of the American public - at least for now. Could you imagine the uproar if Microsoft had tried this with the new MSN Toolbar Suite?"