The Desktop team at Google is working at a frenetic pace. Just yesterday (well, in March actually, but pretty close) I was looking at version 3. But hey, it's a free service that delivers plenty of whimsy as well as useful little applications—Google calls them gadgets—and I get paid for looking at it. Who am I to complain?

Google flaks emphasize all the ease-of-use enhancements they've added, improved, or updated since the last time I looked. There's even better integration between the Desktop and your personal Google homepage as well as other Google properties, for example. And you'll find better instructions on using the Desktop. Google engineers have also worked on the indexing for the Desktop search, though the effect wasn't obvious to me (the search was already pretty good). Noted improvements to indexing include faster updates to the index when files have been moved, as well as the new ability to have your system re-index itself if you desire. Also, in past versions of Desktop search, deleted files were left in the index by default; speed demons who don't want to be hobbled by this can now remove deleted items from the index.

For me, on the other hand, it's all about the gadgets. You'll find a marvelously eclectic cornucopia of both whimsical programs that have no practical value and little apps you could end up finding truly useful in your day-to-day life—SyncPad, for instance, which lets you place a sticky note on one computer and view it on all computers you've set up with Google's Search Across Computers feature.

As I predicted the last time I reviewed Google Desktop, the open API has indeed spurred creation of a large number of new and innovative gadgets—there are currently 159 of them in several different categories (see our slideshow).

One loopy but amusing new gadget is the Flower Pot. I liken it to Tamogotchi toys or cyberpets. Pay it plenty of attention by running your cursor over it (petting) and it will bloom; neglect it and you'll see it shrivel and die.

One attractive gadget outshines most of the task-tray weather programs(like Weatherbug, for example) you encounter. For whatever city you choose, it displays the current weather inside a 3D glass terrarium with some animated effects—rain if it's raining, for example. The effect can be a bit hard to see at the terrarium's default size, but you can easily zoom in. Shake the terrarium by rolling your mouse over it, and you can make it snow like a snow globe, even if you've got it set for Phoenix in the summertime. You really should undock these gadgets from the sidebar to get the full effect.

Everybody can find something valuable on the Google Desktop, whether it's simple amusement, handy tools, or gee-whiz applications that might inspire you to become a programmer.