Last week, Paul Thurrott reported in the Windows IT Pro magazine network WinInfo Daily Update that MSN have begun beta testing of an add-on for the MSN toolbar called roaming favorites, allowing users to manage, search, and access Internet Explorer (IE) favorites whatever PC is in use, as long as it has the MSN toolbar installed (favorites are synchronised with to a central server, accessed from anywhere on the Internet using a Passport logon).

It sounds great (I’ve been thinking of writing a set of scripts to do this for me for some time now as I use at least 3 PCs and start.com didn’t really work out for me as a kind of web-based home page), but I do wish it didn’t rely on the MSN toolbar – why can’t it be a feature within IE7 (for once, one which Microsoft might have thought up themselves).

Meanwhile, in a separate update, Thurrott reports that another piece of new functionality that is intended for IE7 will also be available for IE6 users (again in the MSN Toolbar) – Microsoft’s phishing filter, a feature that helps protect users from scam websites.

Both features sound great, but I’d much rather them available as a download for all Windows XP users without needing the MSN toolbar. On the other hand, it’s only a matter of time before Google (my preferred toolbar) integrates a similar feature…