The Weather Channel IE7 Browser for Windows

This free toolbar will keep you on top of all the latest weather-related news, but don't expect to find any other standard features.

The Weather Channel IE7 Browser appears as a nondescript toolbar on your Internet Explorer window. The toolbar features shortcut buttons for The Weather Channel Web site and weather conditions for your designated city. There also are buttons for live regional radar and top videos provided by BlueBox. The toolbar itself cannot be customized, and we were puzzled by all of the wasted space. Additional buttons, such as those for e-mail notification or your favorite application shortcuts, would have made this toolbar more useful. There are links for weather alerts and for weather on your desktop, but they take you to The Weather Channel Web site rather than letting you download the programs directly from the link.

When it comes down to it, there are plenty of other toolbars that offer a weather forecast along with standard components. If your main concern is the weather, this toolbar will suffice; otherwise, keep looking for one with more features.