Vista's Desktop Gadgets Desktop Gadgets Discuss Vista's Desktop Gadgets in the Vista Features forums; Desktop Gadgets are mini-applications that reside in the new Windows Sidebar. The applications can be anything from instant messenger contacts, news, weather, search and much more. Vista will come ...

[ultralexy]

Desktop Gadgets are mini-applications that reside in the new Windows Sidebar. The applications can be anything from instant messenger contacts, news, weather, search and much more. Vista will come pre-loaded with a set number of gadgets. A gallery of gadgets will be available to download to suit just about any need.

Gadgets are similar in concept to widgets, however, they do not require a separate platform to run on, they run on Windows. You can even build your own gadgets with relative ease. Apparently, gadgets will also be able to run on Windows XP.

Desktop gadgets are not available in the most recent build of Vista, however this feature is expected to be included in the Beta 2 release.

[dazzlin]

I just heard that Yahoo! is creating a Windows desktop gadget for their downloadable music system. Pretty cool that the competitor is cooperating to make things usable and convenient for users.

[W.Harbaugh]

Why is it cool? Oh right because it's unheard of.....I'm moving to Apple in about a month where everything (in my impression) seems to be smoothly intergrated into OS X. I'll let you all know when I get my Mac Book Pro on july 1st :-D

[triumph]

I know there have been desktop programs like this for windows forever, but never built in. Just so I am correctly understanding the functionality would it be something similar to Google desktop, where you can get 3rd party plug-ins to do any number of things and have them show up as a gadget?

I love the idea of that functionality, because there is some information I love to have at my fingertips at all time without a clunky overlay.

[W.Harbaugh]

Come to think of it. Widgets are built directly into the OS X interface, this is not a new concept, you just have to turn on Dashboard (constantly on anyway). They run slighty faster than "Konfabulator" does.

[dazzlin]

Yep, triumph you have the right idea.

[triumph]

Thanks Dazzlin.

W. H. Are you saying the macs have a similar functionality right now? My brother just got a new mac, I will have to ask him to check it out.

[W.Harbaugh]

They do indeed. Mac's have the widgets much more intergrated, but Mac's in general are much faster than PC's (according to most stats). I'll find out in a month when I get my Macbook Pro :-)

[ninikins]

I dont know if I will really be into the gadgets to be honest. It all sounds like my computer is going to decide an awful lot for me (yes I know, I can still remove stuff and pick my own etc), but instead of user functionality it sounds more like self-glorification to me.

[crabby]

The gadgets will only be useful if they:

a) arent too big... they load at start and so that can get really annoying!
b) can take up less space than they do right now... on 1280x1024 they take up around a 10th of the desktop!

I hate the fact that the 'default' gadgets for the beta are probably the least useful... clock is shown in start bar... people dont need to see a slideshow of their photos all the time... RSS reader is a great idea but RSS feeds need more detail and formatting them in my opinion.

All we have to think at the moment is... is there anything I would like to see.. if so it has to be a useful feature!!

crabby