Toolbar Overview
Browser toolbars are a great way to enhance your browser’s functionality. Everybody users browsers, and therefore, their basic features are typically suited for the least common denominator of Internet users. But our browsing requirements are as individual as we are, and we can benefit from additional functionality.
Major Search Engine Toolbars - Since the most common thing for people to do is search, the search engines companies, and others, have provided toolbars tailored to enable quick searching on their websites from your browser.
Google Toolbar
Yahoo Search Toolbar
MSN Search Toolbar
Ask Jeeves Toolbar
Other Search Engine Toolbars
A9 Toolbar
Dogpile Toolbar
Mama.com Search tool
Alta Vista Search Toolbar
Metacrawler Toolbar
Reference Toolbars
Alexa Toolbar
Shopping Toolbars
Toolbars that enable comparison shopping can be a quick way to find a great deal. Be careful with these though, as you’re now entering a realm where the toolbars are getting more and more into the realm of unknown companies.
Because of this, we have no shopping toolbars to recommend at this time. We’re working on reviewing some shopping toolbars, and will have reviews in the future.
How Do They Work?
Browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox allow other software developers to create plug-ins that can hook-in to the browser’s functionality. A creative software developer can develop a tool that a browser user can install and enhance the functionality of the browser. But be careful. By installing a browser add-on, you are effectively giving that software full license to see what you are doing. Most software developers are honest, but it does open a door for dishonest people to install software like “spyware”.