San Francisco, August 23

Google has launched a new desktop sidebar aimed at giving the company a permanent presence on the computer screens of users. The sidebar, which can be displayed permanently along the side of users’ monitors, offers a personalised panel of information such as email, stock quotes, news, weather and photos. The tool also includes a scratch pad style tool for taking notes and tools for searching Microsoft’s Outlook email programme. Called

Desktop 2, the software can be downloaded for free from Google’s Web site.