Toolbars are usually regarded as resource-hogging add-ons that don't really add any value to the browser. But there are some exceptions that dispel this myth, such as the Google Toolbar.

Google Toolbar is available for both Firefox and Internet Explorer, and the latter has just reached version 6. Though still at in beta stage (which may be the reason why it crashed a couple of times during our tests), Google Toolbar 6 for Internet Explorer is a handy add-on that makes your browser more useful, productive and easier to use.

The great thing about Google Toolbar is that you can fully customize its appearance: pick the buttons you want, add the most interesting gadgets, enable or disable embedded tools according to your needs... all these options are available through the Options menu and enable you to tailor the toolbar to your liking.

But that's not all. This latest version includes two major new features: one is a redesigned tab page that includes thumbnails linking to your most frequently visited websites (a là Google Chrome) and the other is an awesome Google launcher that's embedded right into Windows taskbar, which enables you to open web pages and launch apps just by entering the first few letters of their name.

With all these great features, it's surprising that Google Toolbar is not compatible with Google Reader yet. It would be great to have a button or gadget that showed the latest headlines in your favorite RSS feeds. Am I asking for too much?

Google Toolbar proves that a web browser can be a great and very useful add-on for your web browser.