I find that I’ve become much more productive since the introduction of Windows Gadgets. I’ve created a list here: http://cid-00da410c7f7e038d.profile.live.com/Lists/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!7410/
Here’s a quick run down of my faves:
| 7 Sidebar The missing ‘sidebar’ for Windows 7 that keeps your gadgets on screen. Automatically crams as many gadgets along the side of your desktop as possible utilizing desktop space most efficiently. Also allows pagination across multiple “bars” of gadgets. Keeps the gadgets exposed on your desktop even when you’ve ‘full screened’ applications. Works with x86/x64. http://nes.bplaced.net/sidebar7.html |
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| Auction Sidebar Tool An eBay bid/watch monitor for items you’re buying or selling. Great for making sure you stay aware of when the auctions are ending to ensure you’re the top bidder. Clicking on an item provides a brief update. Clicking and holding on an item provides an indepth “fly out” window about the auction. Also allows you to search for items and read your eBay mail. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=32713212-570c-4666-b5ac-85918c31582f&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Calculatorium A powerful calculator to keep on your desktop/sidebar to do quick math. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=b7c42497-8bef-4f9e-b9fb-ece199ed40a9&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| System Information Keep your systems hardware, network, & OS details on the desktop at all times. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=6945a3ce-2c1e-4641-9032-0d237dc62815&bt=1 |
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| Countdown Generic countdown gadget for vacation, conferences, or anything you’re counting down to. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=51322391-fefd-43ce-b1e5-b57f191dde8d&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Drives Meter A solid monitor for drive capacity across all drives on your system. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=19f3ac79-f0b5-479f-9885-3371a51fe247&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Indexer Status Monitor & manage the Windows Indexing engine. Stop, start, accelerate, and see how many items are being indexed. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=45c441a6-edbc-454d-9262-d264728d6a3a&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Longer Notes Keep long stick’em notes on your desktop for things you constantly have to refer to. Priceless. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=1da6c6eb-14f2-4003-9559-3461651e0278&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Multi Meter (Dual Core) Shows OS bit level, RAM usage, Core activity in a tight little gadget. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=7d321f7a-d53c-4a71-9b41-7fc18e0825b1&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Stocks 3.4 Monitor 20+ stocks in a small gadget using Yahoo stats. Provides valuation updates and shows updates in percentages or dollars. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=61b9dca8-214c-41bf-b972-b2050aeaab9c&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Top Processes Why use Task Manager? Show the 3+ most active processes on your system in a small gadget. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=681102c2-5dde-44d2-a33a-96dbff32517a&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Twitter Explorer The best Twitter client gadget I’ve found. Stable & compact. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=562df1fe-af72-4aa3-90ef-029502ed7794&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Woot Smallest most flexible Woot monitor. Purchase directly from gadget, auto-alert during Wootoffs, autobuy for Bag o’ Crap. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=d62c2c6a-37cf-4ec1-b069-9897db8f5e06&bt=1&pl=1 |
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| Online Services Access Windows Live web-based services – Messenger, Mail, Skydrive, Contacts – all from a single gadget. http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=50cd8f0a-7c08-442b-b14c-b98e342d1f38 |
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kurtsh
