Google Web Accelerator

I just downloaded Google Web Accelerator. It's yet another piece of free-and-useful Google software.

I admit I'm a bit of a Google groupie:

• I use Google search exclusively (who doesn't?).
• I've looked at satellite pics of my house on Google maps.
  
• I use Picasa to organize and fix up my photos.
• Before I buy most things, I find market prices on Froogle.
  
• I blog on Blogger.
• I read the Google blog (via RSS in Thunderbird, naturally)
• I've bookmarked Google Labs and 6 other Google sites.
  

There are only a few things I don't do with Google software.

• I use Yahoo's desktop search at work (outstanding Outlook integration and I swear it doesn't hog as many system resources ag Google's) and Copernic at home (because of Firefox and Thunderbird integration).
• I don't use the toolbar because I don't need the fancy features and Google search is already wired into the Firefox UI.
  

As each new Google product hits the wires, you understand more about why Bill Gates is paranoid about Google taking over the desktop (see the interview in the April 18 Fortune cover story). Compared to Microsoft's products, Google's are more useful, more powerful, easier to use, easier to install -- and free.

I mean, just look at Picasa versus Microsoft's pathetic $50-100 photo-management products. (Perhaps even more impressive or daunting, depending on which side of the fence you're on, compare Google's free Picasa to Adobe's $50 Photoshop Album -- for $50, you won't get many "must have" features compared to Picasa.)

Anyway, the Google Web Accelerator works with Firefox (hurrah!) and IE and uses a variety of techinques to speed up Web access for broadband connections. It installed and started without a hitch in Firefox 1.0.3. I've read reports of lots of people having problems with non-Windows browsers and Firefox extensions -- no problems for me, though.

I've only been running it a day, and I'd have to say the speed up is subtle rather than dramatic. Popular pages (excluding secure sites, thankfully) load marginally faster, as do pages you've visited before (e.g., my blog).

It features a clean UI and does a great job of advertising its chief benefit, which is faster downloads. As with many of Google's new features, there are potential privacy issues. The application gets its own privacy page that is separate from Google's generic Privacy Policy. Also, check out:

• ZDNet UK: Google Web Accelerator sparks privacy fears
  
• BetaNews: Google App Speeds Up Web Surfing
  

I haven't visited any forums yet (where the main privacy issues surface), so I'm not too worried. In the few hours I've been online since installing the accelerator, Google claims that I've saved 1.4 minutes. Nothing earth shattering, but those savings will add up over time. And given that the product is free, the ROI is not too shabby.