MySpace is making a number of announcements today. In addition to MySpaceID, the company will be announcing the launch of MySpace Toolbar for Internet Explorer and Firefox. For now only Windows users will be able to run MySpace Toolbar – a Mac version is promised soon.
The toolbar will effectivey let MySpace users stay logged in constantly, whether they are on the site or not. Authentication and data transfers are accomplished entirely through publicly available APIs and products, collectively known as the MySpace Open Platform.
Toolbar users will automatically log in to MySpace when they open the browser. They will also see a stream of MySpace data, including notifications, friend activity, and mood and status for themelves and their friends. The toolbar will also include a Google-powered bar to search the web and MySpace.
MySpace COO Amit Kapur says that any third party developers could have built this using the MySpace Open Platform, and the company will encourage experimentation.
The toolbar will first be available for users in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, and Ireland.