Home Google Gives Personalized Homepage “Personality”

Google Gives Personalized Homepage “Personality”

NOTE: Please see important update about this week’s R/WW Poll below, on
the topic of Personalized Homepages. We had to re-set it and so are asking for
you to re-submit your vote.

Today Google launched
6 new themes
for its Google Personalized
Homepage
. The themes to choose from include: a beach, a city,
a sweet dreams theme, a teahouse, a winter hills theme, and a bus stop. It seems
like an attempt to re-create the PC desktop background theme experience, but for
personalized homepages. Plus the 6 new themes by Google are all interactive,
similar to Microsoft Vista’s new desktop backgrounds. Each Google theme changes
dynamically, based either on the user’s time of day or local weather
conditions.

For example I chose the “sweet dreams” theme for my Goog homepage,
which currently shows the middle of the day (which it is in NZ, as I write
this). Later tonight, my time, it will change into a night scene. The intention
with this cute functionality is to make your Goog homepage feel more like
“home”. Google also says it used a new CSS framework “to optimize
our ability to scale images and easily add new themes.”

The new themes is one of several new features that have been released
recently for Google Personalized Homepage. Last week, Google launched a Google
Talk gadget and a “Magic Tabs” feature – which auto-generates a tab
based on a category the user selects (e.g. sports, news, movies).

Poll (note: was re-set last night)

So now to our poll. Unfortunately we had to re-set it 12 hours after we
published it
on Monday, due to suspicious voting behavior. So if you previously
voted in this poll on Monday, please cast your vote again below. Sorry for the
inconvenience, but we’ve strengthened the voting process now to avoid dodgy
activity.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.