iGoogle and sometimes ireadbooks

I already use Netvibes at home, although I have to admit, despite still having it as my homepage, it was a bit of a 5-minute-wonder that I don't pay much attention to anymore. To begin with I was really impressed with the use of "gadgets" and the range of gadgets available. I found it particularly handy to have my email and ebay watchlist open on the same page. However, after using it a while, I realised that I needed to log in separately to both sites, as well as Netvibes, every time I used it. In the end, my favourite gadget ended up being (and still is) the virtual fish, which goes some way to substituting any real pets.

 

iGoogle, I must confess, I was not aware of, but already I am preferring it to Netvibes. For one thing, I happen to have a gmail email address, so logging in once will open up all my email within my start page (I think "Single Sign On" is a very important feature of Web 2.0 technologies). Combine this with Google Checkout (which I also use) and Google's well-known and very powerful search engine and you have an impressive all-in-one page, with many useful features packed either into one page or easily accessible from the tabs.

Of course, you also get the benefit of a lovely personalised "theme" (it took me a while to find the colourful books - just the right choice, I'm sure you'll agree) and, as was the case at the time of taking the above screenshot, a painting of some meat. Random, but oddly similar to the painting I viewed at the Christ's Church Picture Gallery on Monday.