Just 1 of all those you shoed up there is useful: the weather one.
The CPU meter is ugly! Check out "All CPU Meter" and others... are amazing.
Good luck in your research
Discussion on:
@ItsTheBottomLine
He's right. That and the currency converter. The rest is junk.
He's right. That and the currency converter. The rest is junk.
@ItsTheBottomLine He's right. Worse still, a good chunk of those come with Windows, so you don't need to get them, you have them...and almost everyone that reads ZDNET already knows that.
Wunderground and proweather are both better than the weather bug that comes with windows (not that the windows version is bad). Addgadget's CPU Usage and network meter are better essential tools. I'd never use the one built into windows...it's fugly and provides less useful information.
Wunderground and proweather are both better than the weather bug that comes with windows (not that the windows version is bad). Addgadget's CPU Usage and network meter are better essential tools. I'd never use the one built into windows...it's fugly and provides less useful information.
@nanomartin I agree. I don't understand the title of the article. Most the the gadgets he talks about have been around since day one It seems what this slide show is saying is "after 3 years there are still very few good windows gadgets" zdnet has a lot of lame articles. Some good but I almost find it 50/50.
@nanomartin How about a spell checker gadget smiley!
@bmacshara@... Go check your brains.
@nanomartin
Agreed.
That article has more crap than the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment plant
Agreed.
That article has more crap than the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment plant
@MSFTWorshipper as opposed to a wintard?
@nanomartin
Each of us has our own preferences. I love the CPU meter and couldn't care less about how it looks. My laptop has no hard-drive light, and this gadget tells me when bootup is finished. Further, it tells me when there is an inordinate amount of CPU activity, such as when I found that an update routine was running constantly and hogging resources (unltimately identified in the Resource Monitor). Of course, I can always leave the Task Manager running, but the CPU meter is more compact and convenient.
Each of us has our own preferences. I love the CPU meter and couldn't care less about how it looks. My laptop has no hard-drive light, and this gadget tells me when bootup is finished. Further, it tells me when there is an inordinate amount of CPU activity, such as when I found that an update routine was running constantly and hogging resources (unltimately identified in the Resource Monitor). Of course, I can always leave the Task Manager running, but the CPU meter is more compact and convenient.
@jb_lantz@...
In other words, you need a gadget that shows your CPU utilization because your laptop is impractically slow until it's done with the boot-up routine. I find it sad we have to use a gadget to contend with two interface design issues (boot-up unacceptably slow and poor feedback from the laptop.
In other words, you need a gadget that shows your CPU utilization because your laptop is impractically slow until it's done with the boot-up routine. I find it sad we have to use a gadget to contend with two interface design issues (boot-up unacceptably slow and poor feedback from the laptop.
These are not must haves, these are more like if you install them, you will waste more time. A useful must have for most people would be one showing top 5 process using the CPU and memory. This tells you which process is taking up your resources, or crashing. Like iStat for Mac. How is a slide show gadget a must have? A must have for the slide show enthusiast?
@m3kw9 I really miss my mac. I recently started using the CPU one, but eh... I can do with out it. ctrl+alt+delete for the task manager works just as well. The rest is crap cuz I've tried them all. Since when are 'easy to get to' crap games must haves? The slideshow is beyond destracting. Gadgets make me miss using a mac.
Not a single thing in that list I would use. If you want to know what is going on with your machine put up a shortcut to Resource Monitor. You don't need a currency converter anymore, just type convert 1500 us dollars to italian lire and you get the answer, etc.
@mswift@... What are you talking about? Googling that brings up the need to click on some strange site. Why not use the trusted widget instead?
@MSFTWorshipper I would rather type it in to the Wolphram Alpha computational knowledge engine and get an instant result...well, as instant as my Internet connection will allow.
...? What freaking grade do they think people are in? "Puzzles - If there is on thing proven over and over again it is that people love puzzles. Can you reconstruct the photo by sliding the blocks around?" OH MY WORD do they have to be condescending too?
Gadgets are great for quick-view applications, like a CPU monitor, but not the horrible analog gauge one. The best CPU meter is mCPU Metar, which displays up to 8 cores in a proper bar chart.
How about posting some innovative helpful gadgets, rather than crappy stock ones?
Like perhaps the Lottery Results Gadget? http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=a07c771a-080e-45d4-afba-fdc55cc2f9ad
How about posting some innovative helpful gadgets, rather than crappy stock ones?
Like perhaps the Lottery Results Gadget? http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=a07c771a-080e-45d4-afba-fdc55cc2f9ad
At least some of these (Clipboard Manager, App Launcher) are supported in Vista, though there's no mention of Windows 7 in the places where I found the gadgets. Links to sources would have been helpful.
What's new here ? all the gadgets are pretty old and most of them are not for daily use. Please do more research and add some useful gadgets !
"Here are 10+ gadgets that should be in your desktop management portfolio."
I have a "desktop management portfolio?"
LOL.
"CPU monitor"
Meh, never really saw the point in keeping a bunch of monitoring tools open all the time. If nothing's wrong, I don't care. If something's wrong, I can always pull up Task Manager.
Not to mention monitoring applications themselves need a bit of memory and CPU to function.
Weather is nice.
"Search anything"
Search is overrated. Playing "find the right keyword" is not a game I like to play.
"ipconfig"
Heh. Maybe time to learn a bit more about keeping a network stable?
I don't use it often enough to warrant having a gadget for it.
"iTunes"
I prefer the toolbar. Going all the way back to the desktop every time I want to do something isn't my idea of fun.
The one gadget I *do* use is the one to monitor and control the search indexer. You'll be AMAZED at how often new files need indexing - and how many are added on a regular basis, especially when you are actively using some types of software. I've seen it build up to many thousands of files.
People say the search indexer doesn't really affect performance - but honestly, that's not really true.
If your system is indexing files, it does actually make a noticeable difference in performance, especially if the application you are using is actively using the drive.
And the idea that once it's down to zero, it will never build up a large list again? Baloney. Total baloney. I've seen it build up again. The desktop gadget shows how many files it needs to index.
I don't know exactly how or why it happens, but the search indexer really doesn't seem to act as nicely with the rest of the system as other people have claimed.
I have a "desktop management portfolio?"
LOL.
"CPU monitor"
Meh, never really saw the point in keeping a bunch of monitoring tools open all the time. If nothing's wrong, I don't care. If something's wrong, I can always pull up Task Manager.
Not to mention monitoring applications themselves need a bit of memory and CPU to function.
Weather is nice.
"Search anything"
Search is overrated. Playing "find the right keyword" is not a game I like to play.
"ipconfig"
Heh. Maybe time to learn a bit more about keeping a network stable?
I don't use it often enough to warrant having a gadget for it.
"iTunes"
I prefer the toolbar. Going all the way back to the desktop every time I want to do something isn't my idea of fun.
The one gadget I *do* use is the one to monitor and control the search indexer. You'll be AMAZED at how often new files need indexing - and how many are added on a regular basis, especially when you are actively using some types of software. I've seen it build up to many thousands of files.
People say the search indexer doesn't really affect performance - but honestly, that's not really true.
If your system is indexing files, it does actually make a noticeable difference in performance, especially if the application you are using is actively using the drive.
And the idea that once it's down to zero, it will never build up a large list again? Baloney. Total baloney. I've seen it build up again. The desktop gadget shows how many files it needs to index.
I don't know exactly how or why it happens, but the search indexer really doesn't seem to act as nicely with the rest of the system as other people have claimed.
@CobraA1 I've had to disable the Indexing service because the damn thing just won't STOP eating CPU and hard drive.
@MSFTWorshipper It does usually calm down eventually if you let it run long enough, and since it's the center of Windows' indexed search, it should be left on if you want fast search results.
But it does occasionally misbehave, and this gadget helps - the gadget lets you control the indexer, turning it on and off at will. It also shows how many files need indexing.
But it does occasionally misbehave, and this gadget helps - the gadget lets you control the indexer, turning it on and off at will. It also shows how many files need indexing.
I love my Windows 7 but Ive tried several gadgets and always end up turning it off within a couple days I dont think the article author is in touch with what real people do with their real computers
One must be selective and use the practically reqd ones! It consumes some time in starting shutting down the PC if u use 10 gadgets, some times irritates, when u need to rush out of office to catch a bus/car/train...
Well, I have the Clock and the CPU meter on my desktop, and I have used the Bing Traffic gadget. It was too small in scale to be very useful so I don't bother with it. Weather, I check when it suits me, like traffic, now. I have used the weather gadget to poll for weather in other places on occasion... Like when we are getting ready to visit the kids in Ohio. I don't have any money so the currency deelybob is useless. Speed test? That would just be depressing. The calendar is hanging on the wall and has a cool picture of a Fender Strat on it. Headlines? Depressing again. Why was this article written? Why am I even typing thi
...I wonder if these guys get paid by number of views of their articles. The more extreme the article title, the more likely they will get you to click on it.
Except for the weather one, none of those do me any good. As mentioned before, "All CPU Meter" is leaps and bounds above the meter that comes with windows. It shows per-CPU usage on up to 16 cores and with the additional CoreTemp app the author makes available at his site, you can even view the temps of all the cores as part of the readout. Double-clicking on the app can be customized to bring up the task manager or the resource monitor. The is probably one of the best gadgets I've seen. And no, I don't even know the author of the app.
Except for the weather one, none of those do me any good. As mentioned before, "All CPU Meter" is leaps and bounds above the meter that comes with windows. It shows per-CPU usage on up to 16 cores and with the additional CoreTemp app the author makes available at his site, you can even view the temps of all the cores as part of the readout. Double-clicking on the app can be customized to bring up the task manager or the resource monitor. The is probably one of the best gadgets I've seen. And no, I don't even know the author of the app.
@all... Hey pinheads! Your kvetching indicates you read the article, which means you subconsciously read the ads. Their work is done and that rectal itching just means you've been had again!
@pagehite You are so right. This looks like the author was under deadline pressure and had to write something to suck in the eyeballs. Didn't work very well, though, only 30+ posts so far. And no, I didn't look at the slide show, I just read the comments!
I find the clock very useful to make an international set to know when to call ( or not to call ) my contacts and work partners in 3 different countries and 6 time zones.
I dont see a need for an entire article by any means. Yet I do use the ConfigFree quite a bit.
Funny, I only use two gadgets, and neither made the list: Gmail checker (gives me an audio indication that I have new mail), and Clipboard manager (remembers the last 200 things I put in the keyboard). That last one is truly a must-have.
I would like to use the desktop gadgets but I can't get Microsoft to fix my windows 7 install so that they work. I have tried several times. So much for microsoft tech support. You can't even understand those Indian techs, so I just suffer through without the desktop gadgets. BLAH
Microsoft have really put 0% development effort into the gadget space. I guess most corporate clients disable this feature anyway. The MS Office calendar gadget is only compatible with Office 2007 - still no nice Office 2010 integration. I use weather bug for weather, the currency calculator (because I live and work between 2 countries), and the basic calendar. Just recently I've bought a TV tuner USB and started recording stuff and I've subscribed to the new UK Sky Player Service. The Windows Media gadget is actually pretty good at reminding me what I've recorded and which movies are available at the moment.
So basically nothing has changed since I last turned off the gadget feature in my Vista machine.
Quite frankly, Linux has Windows beat when it comes to useful desktop gadgets (In the Linux world they're called screenlets). For instance, I've got a screenlet on my Ubuntu machines that automatically detects when music is being played and displays the lyrics of the song as it's played. It syncs with the music and scrolls the lyrics line by line as each line is being sung...quite literally like Karaoke.
I've always found the way gadgets are launched in Windows to be very inefficient, and, quite frankly, annoying. There's no quick launch option - you have to open that stupid window every time. In Ubuntu, you can either open the Screenlet management window or you can quickly add new screenlets to the desktop via a drop-down list. Also, the new screenlets you select don't automatically run on restart unless you configure them to. This allows you to run infrequently used screenlets on a per-session basis while keeping your permanent desktop screenlets running with each startup. With Windows, you have to remember to close those you don't want starting the next time the PC boots, because once you've opened screenlets in Windows they'll keep loading on start-up.
Quite frankly, Linux has Windows beat when it comes to useful desktop gadgets (In the Linux world they're called screenlets). For instance, I've got a screenlet on my Ubuntu machines that automatically detects when music is being played and displays the lyrics of the song as it's played. It syncs with the music and scrolls the lyrics line by line as each line is being sung...quite literally like Karaoke.
I've always found the way gadgets are launched in Windows to be very inefficient, and, quite frankly, annoying. There's no quick launch option - you have to open that stupid window every time. In Ubuntu, you can either open the Screenlet management window or you can quickly add new screenlets to the desktop via a drop-down list. Also, the new screenlets you select don't automatically run on restart unless you configure them to. This allows you to run infrequently used screenlets on a per-session basis while keeping your permanent desktop screenlets running with each startup. With Windows, you have to remember to close those you don't want starting the next time the PC boots, because once you've opened screenlets in Windows they'll keep loading on start-up.
Agree with all the comments lambasting this miserable excuse for a post. How is a puzzle game part of desktop management? How is the recommendation for one them because it is "one of the first gadgets everyone seems to try"? I know it is friday in august and all but you are better off not posting anything than this hack job. Yuck.
I just download Yahoo Widgets ..yahoo widgets have great UI and looks ..doesn't look like it was made from India lol
Are these really the best gadgets for Windows? If so does anyone even develop Windows gadgets anymore? It sure seems that way. Browsing through the list of sites I could barely find more than a handful of apps that were useful. Sure weather apps are nice, but I could look out the window or from my patio I know what it's like. A better article would have been one using that angle to push Microsoft a little considering the lack of development. There sure are lots of smart people that work there, but the dumb people in charge are wasting time pushing in the wrong direction. Where was this whole sales pitch that Microsoft was going to develop all this extra content for Ultimate versions of Windows? Lies?
And what the heck has happened to the look and writing on ZDnet? Terrible. I find I'm getting better news elsewhere.
And what the heck has happened to the look and writing on ZDnet? Terrible. I find I'm getting better news elsewhere.
The gadget fad is over. Except for weather, I removed all of mine.
I also recall that when Vista came out and gadgets were first introduced, there was a very negative reaction that they weren't programmed using the .NET framework (c#, VB, whatever). Instead, Microsoft introduced yet another programming framework for Gadgets.
But this is all old news. Win 7 essentially repackaged the same tired gadgets (anyone surprised?), and here we are in 2010 reading about 4-year old "must haves". Are there any editors left at ZDNET?
I also recall that when Vista came out and gadgets were first introduced, there was a very negative reaction that they weren't programmed using the .NET framework (c#, VB, whatever). Instead, Microsoft introduced yet another programming framework for Gadgets.
But this is all old news. Win 7 essentially repackaged the same tired gadgets (anyone surprised?), and here we are in 2010 reading about 4-year old "must haves". Are there any editors left at ZDNET?
I too wondered why zdnet was showing these gagets as new as I already had most on my previous windows version. The article is good in my opinion but misnamed - wouldn't have drawn negative comment if named 'The not so new Gadgets in Windows 7'.
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