Google News gets personal

It's taken more than three years, but .

The search engine has added a few news features to its service, including lists of most popular stories and more personalization.

Most of the buzz centered on the recommendation engine, designed to help users find news that's of particular interest to them. Reviews were mixed, though; some critics complained the search was too specific, while others faulted it for not beings specific enough. Can't please everyone.

Blog community response:

"You want the recommendations to be surprising, to enhance discovery, to help me find things I wouldn't have found on my own. Clustering or subject-based techniques won't get you there."
--Geeking with Greg

"If Google's personalization engine works, it is either very subtle, or needs a lot of data. I'll be giving it a shot over the coming weeks, but I don't see it competing with a full-fledged solution, like Findory, that just works."
--InsideGoogle

"That's one beta down, only 237-ish to go!
--Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO