Yahoo Has Improved BrowserPlus

Yahoo has improved its BrowserPlus technology for advanced Web applications and now lets other Web sites use it. BrowserPlus can be plugged into a person's Web browser to make Web-based applications work more like native desktop programs. The most important features are a better upload interface and the desktop notifications.

Yahoo debuted BrowserPlus in May, but it released a new version quietly on Friday. New features include some ability to store data on the user's computer and support for motion sensors on specific laptops.

The company also bills BrowserPlus as a desirable plug-in framework: once users have it installed, people can let Web sites add new abilities to their browsers without having to restart their browsers. Right now, only Yahoo may supply the plug-ins.

Current BrowserPlus plug-ins include features to enable image editing, drag-and-drop operations, PStore for storing data, and an interface for an operating system's text-to-speech engine.

Because BrowserPlus, like Gears, is a narrowly used project, Web site designers can't count on it being installed, but they can offer some new features to people who do have it running.