While I'm usually not much for theming my search engine of choice, I have to admit that Google has impressed me with their new offering.

Google has spruced up users custom homepage's by now offering a new option that places the search box inside a panoramic setting. What's really cool is that the panoramic setting changes with your local weather and time of day.

The colorful graphics will be unveiled today for most users, and I can confirm my Custom Homepage at Google already has the option. Go figure I choose the beach scene huh? Click the icon above for a larger image.

If you are new to custom homepages at Google, take a moment to explore all the options available. RSS feeds, local weather reports, stock quotes, horoscopes, etc are all features you can add - sorta like widgets for your online search engine. Personally I like being able to catch up on all the PROnetworks headlines from my homepage.

Google's new package of decorations, also known as "skins", are designed to make the home page feel even more homey, said Marissa Mayer, the company's vice president of search products and user experience. "Google has become the doorway to the internet for a lot of people, so we want to make (the site) feel more like an online living room," Mayer said. "We feel we are personalizing things in a very tasteful and usable way."

I agree. I didn't think I'd care much about this when I got first wind of it. But now, consider me a fan. Go check it out... enjoy.

-John C. Derrick
Founder