As with a lot of software or programs there are good points and bad points to everything. I do usually use the Google Toolbar for searches (in time I will write a review for that also but have not had a chance to do that yet) I do feel there are some very good features for Yahoo Companion also.
<B>Downfall</B>
The only bad point that I can see is that when you disconnect (if your still logged into Yahoo) then you are forced to put OutLook and IE into offline mode which for me if very annoying when I come back online and have to add the step of putting myself into online mode before I can do anything.
<B>Customizable</B>
The toolbar like everything else in Yahoo is customizable. From here you can choose what buttons and features that you want on your toolbar:
<I>Yahoo Essentials</I> - Bookmarks, Yahoo (everything), My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Mail and Alerts.
<I>Personal Tools</I> - Calendar, Address Book, Briefcase, Notepad, Photos, GeoCities, and Careers.
<I>News</I> - News, Weather, Finance, FinanceVision, and America United.
<I>Sports</I> - Sports (everything), Nationals Basketball Association, National Football League, College Football, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and Fantasy Sports.
<I>Commerce</I> - Shopping, Auctions, Classified, Yahoo! Points, Small Business, PayDirect, and Shopping Assistant.
<I>Entertainment</I> - Entertainment, Movies, Radio, TV, Music, Games, and Online Events.
<I>Communities</I> - Clubs, Message Boards, Chat, Yahoo! Messenger Friend Bar, and Personals.
<I>Reference</I> - Reference (Dictionary, Thesaurus), Yellow Pages, People Search, Maps, Get Local and Health.
You can also customize the buttons themselves to either be pictures only, pictures and words or words only so that you can get the exact look for this toolbar that you want.
<B>Search</B>
Yes, there is a search feature that is included in the toolbar although I personally do prefer the Google toolbar for searches over this search (only because I do prefer Google as a search engine more than I use Yahoo - I know Yahoo does use Google now also but I have always had a harder time finding what I am looking for there).
<B>Installation</B>
The download and installation for Yahoo! Companion is very simple. It can be downloaded alone or with Yahoo! Messenger. The download can take up to 10 minutes depending on your connection. The installation takes only a couple of minutes and is very simple to do.
If you want more information or if you would like to download Yahoo! Companion you can go to: https://companion.yahoo.com/