Difference Between Google and iGoogle

Google vs iGoogle

Google is very popular because of its very user friendly and effective search engine interface. But unlike most other sites on the internet that provide search engine capabilities, you cannot do anything else aside from perform searches. Google addresses this void in their services by the introduction of the Google personalized Homepage which eventually evolved into iGoogle.

iGoogle is a web portal that puts almost everything that the user needs into a single location so that he can easily access it without having to leave or browse to another site. Because there is a lot of information that needs to be placed in a single page, every single square inch of the page is often used just to fit the ones that are most relevant to the user. Users have the ability to choose from different types of information to place in their home page. This is very much unlike how the Google home page looks like. The Google home page is dominated by the search bar and a couple of buttons while the rest of the page is open and without any type of information or graphics.

Users of iGoogle also have the freedom to modify how their page looks with themes. Some themes are done by Google staff while others are from professional artists. Google has even tapped into their user base and lets them create their own themes and share it with other users. Although some of the user built themes are of questionable quality, it just widens the selection and provides a theme for every user there is. Google added another cool feature called gadgets to further enhance the customizability of iGoogle. Gadgets allows users to create little programs that can be embedded into the iGoogle web page to provide certain specific functionalities. With Gadgets, you can create an application for a photo slideshow or one that automatically updates you once a new video is uploaded into your favorite YouTube channel.

Google and iGoogle serves two different people. Although iGoogle can also do what the Google home page can, some people still like the Google home page for the very same reason that it has attracted millions of users before; a clean and clutter-free interface.

Summary:
1.Google is mainly a search engine while iGoogle is a web portal
2.The Google homepage is clutter-free while the iGoogle can be as cluttered as you want
3.iGoogle implements Google gadgets for even greater customizability

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