Themes, Schemes, Skins, Shells, Bells and Whistles
By Esther Blankenship, Product Design Center, SAP AG
Hotbar
The Hotbar is basically a skin for the Microsoft Explorer browser frame. Users can choose from a host of different images to personalize the upper part of their browser and a variety of designs for the buttons in the "hotbar."
Figure 1: An example of a hotbar skin from www.hotbar.com
The buttons in the hotbar suggest websites that are related to the site you are currently viewing. I presume that it is very much intentional that the hotbar cannot be removed without also reverting back to the standard Microsoft design. That's the price you pay for having this nifty personalization option.
Personally, I find that most of the images obscure the browser functions, reducing usability, and that the hotbar takes up too much of my screen real estate. On the other hand, I must admit, it is kind of fun to play around with.
