Windows vista gadget

Windows Vista Sidebar gadgets are mini-applications powered by familiar web technologies. The Sidebar has three main views and user interactions — docked, flyout, and floating — for rich widget interactions. Now on to the good stuff. Windows Vista is the most recent edition of the Windows line of operating systems. Microsoft released Windows Vista worldwide on January 30, and was immediately included as the default operating system pre-installed on sales of new PC s.

Each new copy of Windows Vista displays an analog clock, photo slide show, and a miniature feed reader in Sidebar by default. Sidebar holds 5 widgets, leaving two spots open for your new content even if the user does not understand how to remove the defaults. Vista also ships with address book, calendar, CPU meter , currency convertor, notes, picture puzzle, stocks, and weather widgets pre-installed for easy customization. Users discover and install new widgets through Windows Live Gallery. Windows Vista widgets can take advantage of the full power of a desktop operating system.

You know your widget will render like an Internet Explorer 7 webpage, playback media content in Windows Media Player, and have access to platform functions such as calendar, contacts, and feeds.

Widget content is positioned and styled using CSS. A successful widget should take advantage of all three use-cases to provide the best possible experience on the Vista platform. A docked widget sits in an always visible sidebar. Users might glance at information throughout the day e. A docked widget is pixels wide and at least 60 pixels tall. A gadget can expand and provide relative, contextual information through the use of a flyout.

A flyout is connected to your docked gadget but expands into the space adjoining the sidebar when a user takes action. You might display extended information in this space such as a detailed weather report, include additional context such as a stock trading chart pictured above , or display a full media file such as a large photo or video. A widget flyout adds rich interaction directly inside the widget view without spawning a new browser window or other complex actions.

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The best laptops for kids. Microsoft Surface Pro 8 vs. Microsoft Surface Book 3. Fortnite finally comes back to Apple devices via GeForce Now. Because Gadgets take up system resources, you'll want to be selective about what you download. So comb our list of the 25 best Windows Gadgets to find some options that will appeal to you. Editors' Note: After Microsoft withdrew support for Gadgets, the Windows Gadget gallery was pulled , so it's difficult to find a neat clearing house to accredit Gadgets as safe.

As a result, it's best to be cautious about where you get Gadgets from. Gadgets are as powerful as they are is because they have deep access to your system. Malicious code in a Gadget can truly wreak havoc. The App Launcher gadget is a simple tool that functions like a mobile quick launch bar that you can drag and drop anywhere on screen. Tack on your favorite programs and have them all just a click away from your desktop.

Stock Meter is a desktop gadget for monitoring up to 6 stocks, mutual funds, indices, or ETFs. By default, the gadget checks every 10 minutes, but you can reduce the check-in time to as little as a minute.

Price graphs and configurable audio alerts for price thresholds round out the features. Currency Meter can monitor up to 6 of different world currencies, as well as gold, palladium, platinum, and silver. The default check time is 10 minutes, which can be dialed down to as little as a minute, and price charts and configurable alerts are also included as features.

A simple desktop stopwatch gadget, this tool allows you to start a stopwatch timer, or set your own configurable countdown timer. It's not particularly fancy, and doesn't support things like having multiple countdowns or a simultaneous stopwatch and countdown running, but it does the job.

What's the difference between this Digital Clock gadget and the swarm of fancy visual clock gadgets out there? A high degree of configurability. Numerous time and date formats, uptime display, a configurable date countdown, up to 5 different alarm slots, and configurable color readouts are among the many features of this neat clock gadget.

The margu-NotebookInfo2 Gadget can display a whole host of information about your computer. The Unit Converter Gadget is just that: a neat little Gadget for converting a vast set of different units including time, weight, energy, and more, from the practical to a downright whimsical. It even comes with a nice spinner dial interface that could work great in a touch environment. If you need a handy Gadget for converting kilopascals to psi, or wondered how many kilojoules are in two Big Macs, the Unit Converter Gadget is for you.

Stream Portal is a simple streaming media viewer Gadget that lets you listen to a host of streamed radio and video broadcasts from the convenience of a desktop Gadget. There are some ads on the viewer pane itself but, all in all, Stream Portal is easy to use and pretty unobtrusive if streaming media is your thing. While Windows 8 no longer supports Gadget functionality, third-party software can still allow you to bring your favorite Windows Vista and Windows 7 gadgets into the Windows 8 desktop with the 8Gadget Pack.

This pack includes a collection of Gadgets as well as the system settings required to enable gadgets in Win8. Of all the weather-based Gadgets out there, WeatherBug takes up the most space but it does so with good reason.