Vista - Windows Sidebar and Gadgets

[Lyte]

If your desktop is anything like mine, it's pretty crowded! Even so, the Vista Sidebar and Gadgets are pretty damn cool!



Gadgets are easy-to-use mini programs that give you information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. Windows Sidebar helps you to organize your gadgets.

As you use your computer to access information, perform tasks, and interact with software, you may at times feel like you're facing information overload. You have to open a web browser just to check the weather, open an application to view your calendar, and open a calculator program just to add up a few numbers. Now, with Windows Sidebar and its associated mini-applications called gadgets, the specific information you need is at your fingertips.

Windows Sidebar
Windows Sidebar is a pane on the side of the Microsoft Windows Vista desktop where you can keep your gadgets organized and always available. Windows Sidebar makes great use of the space on widescreen monitors and also works smoothly on standard displays.

You can easily customize Windows Sidebar to suit your preferred location—always on top or resting below maximized windows. If you don't want to keep your gadgets docked on the Windows Sidebar, you can simply move them off, hide the sidebar, and place them anywhere on your desktop.

Gadgets
Gadgets are mini applications with a variety of possible uses. They can connect to web services to deliver business data, weather information, news updates, traffic maps, Internet radio streams, and even slide shows of online photo albums. Gadgets can also integrate with other programs to provide streamlined interaction. For example, a gadget can give you an at-a-glance view of all your online instant messaging contacts, the day view from your calendar, or an easy way to control your media player. Gadgets can also have any number of dedicated purposes. They can be calculators, games, sticky notes, and more.

Windows Vista comes with an essential set of gadgets to get you started, and you can easily download more.

Download more gadgets
Windows Sidebar is all about personalizing your desktop. To get more gadgets that meet your needs, visit the Windows Vista Gadget Gallery. You'll find hundreds of gadgets (soon to be thousands) to download and enjoy.

[Lyte]

Gadgets are mini-applications that live on your Live.com homepage or Windows Sidebar and deliver games, live webcams, traffic maps, and other interactive, up-to-the-minute that you didn’t even know existed!

Here are a few of "Top Download" Gadgets off Vista's Gallery...


Calculator - v.4.0: All new graphics, and the gadget is resizable too. It's got keyboard shortcuts, help, hidden functions and an extendable display. Plus many hours worth of research to resolve Javascript's inherent maths bug.


Multi Meter (Dual Core) - Cpu usage % ( 2 cores ) - Ram Usage % - Ram info ( Total, used, left size) - Status bars animated above 90% - 100 Skins + background selection - Help and email support included - Shortcut options


Weather Bug - Receive live weather conditions for anywhere in the world on your Sidebar. Get detailed forecasts, radar, weather cameras, and severe weather alerts from any of WeatherBug’s 8,000 Tracking Stations.


Outlook Info - Outlook info shows info from MS Outlook. (nr of emails, upcoming appointments and tasks) SKINS! Choos one of the build-in skins or create your own skin! Possible to choose a non-default inbox folder to monitor. Add more instances of the gadget to the sidebar to monitor more mail accounts.

What's your favorite Sidebar Gadget?!

Lyte

[racknrail]

I am curious. Apart from the nice graphical interface, do you like Vista? I have heard many people complain about hardware compatibility issues. I also know some people that despise the DRM crap. It also likes to use more CPU and memory for useless processes...like XP wasn't bad enough for that. However, those can be tweaked and disabled.

[Lyte]

I hear ya! But Lord knows, every six months there's hardware on the market that's better (faster, smaller, bigger etc...etc...) than what you bought three months ago! I guess it's a question of just how often you/anyone wants to upgrade.

I do agree though that if Microsoft is going to make something that DEMANDS you upgrade your hardware... it should to more than just look pretty!

Lyte