PC Magazine rates Google Desktop 3 Beta 4 stars out of possible 5. It concludes that despite a quirk here and there, the latest version of Google Desktop is full of improvements that make a very good thing even better.
Pros: Free. Quick Search Box. Desktop search works well. Automatic news feeds. Indexes MSN Messenger and AIM chats. Integrated Microsoft Outlook toolbar. Some 60 plug-in panels with more on the way. Now indexes ZIP file content.
Cons: New Search Across Computers feature a bit difficult to figure out. No Mac support. News items not user-customizable.