Quick Search Box

The only thing I liked (and used) in Google Desktop was the quick search box. It lets you open a query window by just double-tapping the command key, and then automatically launches your browser and displays the search results. The fact that it was keyboard driven, and therefore didn't require me to reposition my hands (to move the mouse), made it an order of magnitude faster than a web search. And I loved it.

What I didn't love was everything that came with it. I really didn't want or need it to index my local files (which it never seemed to be able to finish), and the option of having my personal data show up with my web search results still gives me the creeps. Ultimately, all the added "features" detracted enough value that I stopped using the product entirely.

The Quick Search Box, on the other hand, is a much simpler product. It doesn't try to do everything, it just tries to do one thing really, really well. I think it succeeds, and has an excellent opportunity to dominate some very specific niche segments - the first step to crossing the chasm.

Here endth the reading.