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Yahoo Toolbar
Price: Free

Basic features
Extensions/add ons
Ease of use
Time-saving features
Overall

Reviewed By: Roland Waddilove

This review updated: 18/01/2007
Featured in magazine:
Issue 153
Manufacturer Contacts:
Web Address: http://uk.toolbar.yahoo.com


What we liked:
This toolbar is aimed at the Yahoo community so if you have an ID you can sign in and the toolbar will give you one-click access to your Yahoo email and online bookmarks. There are many general features that are useful, like the search box and anti-spyware utility, but this toolbar is really for Yahoo fans. The Search box isn't quite as good as Google's, but it saves you traipsing over to the Yahoo website to find stuff. A drop-down list appears as you type and prompts you to search the web, images, audio, news, Flickr, shopping and other places. Search terms can be highlighted, but only in one colour - whereas Google and Windows Live use different colours for multiple search words.

The Security button - the yellow icon with a target in it - takes you to Yahoo's security website and lets you run Norton Spyware Scan. Click Run Anti-Spy from the drop-down menu to activate it. Many of the buttons on the toolbar provide one-click access to Yahoo sites and services and these include games, music, videos. Calendar (a useful online organiser), email and Briefcase (online
storage). Once you're signed in you'll see fewer buttons. Like Google and Windows Live, Yahoo stores your IE Favorites online.

How it can be improved:
The online bookmarks facility doesn't appear to import IE Favorites and you can only manually add bookmarks. More general utilities are needed because the toolbar is simply a menu for Yahoo's services and sites.

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