All About Vista Sidebar Gadgets

Fri Feb 2, 2007 4:24PM EST

See Comments (2)

Reader Chris E. writes: Does Vista have Widgets like Mac OS X? If it does, is there a place to get more?

Widgets have become so popular on the Mac and on Windows XP (via Yahoo! Widgets and Google Gadgets) that Microsoft boldly integrated them into Vista as Vista Sidebar Gadgets. In fact, various Sidebar Gadgets are turned on by default, that's how much Microsoft thought you would love them.

I like the Sidebar Gadgets. In fact, they're probably my favorite part of Vista, aside from Aero. They're also really simple to tweak, change around, and update.

If you're running Vista, you can get started with Gadgets by simply clicking the active ones. You'll see a small menu (an x and a wrench) when you do so. Click the x to close the Gadget or the wrench to alter its properties (like the city you want weather for). 

To add more Gadgets, right-click anywhere in the Sidebar pane on the right side of screen. Click Add Gadgets... and you'll see the default dozen that come with Windows. Want more? Just click "Get more gadgets online" at the bottom of that pane. As I type this there are 276 gadgets available through Microsoft. You'll find more online by searching for "Vista Sidebar Gadgets" and many more on the Microsoft site in coming months.

Remember, Gadgets are all about having fun and making information easier to get at a glance. Experiment, add new Gadgets, dump ones that you don't really want or need, and have a good time with them.

Comments on All About Vista Sidebar Gadgets

Post a Comment

Join in the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.

  • 1 Posted by eneleh99 on Fri Feb 2, 2007 11:22PM EST Report Abuse

    i have a question pls....i just bought a lenovo pc last december,is it wise to upgrade to vista? im just scared of security vulnerability and missing drivers. what are the downsides of upgrading from xp home to vista? pls enlighten me.thanks.

  • 2 Posted by johnnydugood on Wed Feb 7, 2007 4:04PM EST Report Abuse

    You can just go to www.desktopsidebar.com and customize you own - very simple to use - run perfect on any version of xp

More Posts: First Prev 1 Next Last

Post a Comment

 

Sign In to see your profile information, saved products and more...

Register Sign In

My Favorite Gadgets

 

Recent Activity

 

Recently Viewed

on | off on | off
 

Recent Searches

on | off on | off
 
 
 

Also on Yahoo! Tech

Computers Home Office Wi-Fi & Networking Phones & PDAs Cameras & Camcorders TV & Home Theater Portable Audio
 

Question and Answer content at Yahoo! Tech is written by Yahoo! users at Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any Yahoo! Answers content. For more information, read the Full Disclaimer.

Opinions expressed by the Advisors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! receives no compensation from any manufacturer or distributor nor does it compensate any Advisor for the coverage of any product or service in any Advisor's content.