Google has added five new themes to iGoogle. Google Blogoscoped and Google Operating System both have posts on the new themes, which include a Solar System theme, an Autumn theme, a Hong Kong theme, a JR The Monster theme, and an Aja Tiger theme.

Google China is also testing out a new home page according to Google Blogoscoped. You can see the new home page at this special Google China URL right now. It differs from the current live design by adding a more “portal like” interface.

Here is the normal Google China page:

Compare that to this test version of the Google China page:

Very different indeed. Don’t forget, Google Korea has an animated Google home page.

Back to the iGoogle themes:

If you want to activate those themes, you have to go a bit out of your way.

(1) Go to www.google.com/ig (2) Enter JavaScript into your URL browser and choose the appropriate one based on the theme you want to show in iGoogle.

• javascript:_dlsetp(‘preview_skin=skins/planets.xml’);
• javascript:_dlsetp(‘preview_skin=skins/autumn.xml’);
• javascript:_dlsetp(‘preview_skin=skins/hongkong.xml’);
• javascript:_dlsetp(‘preview_skin=skins/jr.xml’);
• javascript:_dlsetp(‘preview_skin=skins/tiger.xml’);

(4) Then save the theme and you should see it at www.google.com/ig.

Related Topics: Google: iGoogle | Google: Outside US | Google: User Interface

About The Author: Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here. For more background information on Barry, see his full bio over here. See more articles by Barry Schwartz