Windows Sidebar is one of the new applications included in Windows Vista. Basically, it is a long, vertical bar displayed on the right side of your desktop. The Sidebar contains mini-programs called gadgets which may be used to display useful information or provide easy access to different tools. The gadgets can be run inside the Windows Sidebar or separately, on the Windows desktop.Windows Vista includes a list of eleven Sidebar gadgets: Calendar, Clock, Contacts, CPU Meter, Currency conversion, RSS Feed Headlines, Notes, Picture Puzzle, Slide Show, Stocks, and Weather. You can add new gadgets to the Windows Sidebar from the Windows Live Gallery site. There you can find a big list of additional gadgets that can be added to your Windows Sidebar.
For this article we have tested most of the gadgets available on the Windows Live Gallery and prepared a list of seven gadgets that you might consider adding to your Windows Sidebar:
AccuWeather.com® Mini-Forecast - this gadget packs all the weather data in a sleek and compact package. It can be opened for 5-day forecast information or docked for unobtrusive reference to current conditions. The feature list includes: up-to-date severe and winter weather alerts, current conditions (worldwide), 5-day forecasts (worldwide), and easy access to worldwide forecasts, weather videos, and severe weather alerts (U.S. locations).
App Launcher - this gadget offers a perfect way of keeping the most used program icons in one place for a quick one click launch. You can add applications to the App Launcher by dragging and dropping shortcuts or by using the settings menu. You can also drag and drop folders or drives from My Computer.
eBay Sidebar Tool - this gadget is a very good option for all eBay users. It lists items from "My Ebay" with outbid/item ending/item sold/feedback changed notifications. Bidding list is color coded so you can easily see what you are winning. Other features include 23 international eBay sites to search, 3 skins to choose from and user info display.
Mini Outlook Inbox - displays the most recent messages from your Outlook Inbox on your sidebar. Clicking on a message header displays the message body without having to open Outlook. Unlike other similar gadgets it supports most versions of Outlook: Outlook 2000, XP, 2003, or 2007.
Simple Search Bar - it is a very simple and easy to use search gadget. It allows you to search the internet using Windows Live, Google and Yahoo!.
Traffic by Live Search Maps - it offers a quick and simple way to see real-time traffic conditions in the USA. This gadget displays current road traffic conditions, and also provides one-click access to Windows Live Local for searching the area and traffic alerts like stalled cars or accidents. The traffic areas supported in this gadget are: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St Louis, Tampa, Washington DC.
WordPress Gadget - this gadget is great for bloggers using WordPress as their platform of choice. It allows you to create new posts on your blog with just a couple of clicks. You just make the connection settings and you can start blogging directly from your Windows Sidebar.
Source Site: Windows Vista for Beginners - Windows Vista tutorials
Source Article: 7 gadgets for your Windows Sidebar
Last edited by Doctor Inferno on 18th November 2008, 3:58 am; edited 1 time in total