Microsoft made a hell lot of changes to the Windows interface when it introduced Windows Vista. There was AERO, a new start menu, stylish icons, and yes, we got a Windows Sidebar too.
The Windows Sidebar exists in Windows Vista & Windows 7 and is displayed on the right hand side of your screen. You can add a variety of Gadgets to your sidebar, the default ones being Calendar, Clock, CPU Meter, Currency, Media Gallery etc. To add one of these sidebar Gadgets simple right click on your desktop and click on Gadgets. Apart from these default sidebar Gadgets, you can install a variety of other Gadgets available on the Internet. I’ve compiled a list of 5 of the best and must have Windows Sidebar Gadgets:
1. Web Search Sidebar Gadget: A Google search box on the desktop sounds nice, right? The Ultimate Explorer Gadget lets you search Google and a dozen other popular websites including Yahoo, Youtube, Wikipedia, Amazon, Ebay, Torrent websites (Pirate Bay, Mininova, Iso Hunt etc.) and many more. You can change the layout and size of the box and even change it’s look by selecting a new theme.
Download It.
2. FaceBook Sidebar Gadget: How about being able to access FaceBook right from your desktop? The FB Explorer Sidebar Gadget lets you view your newsfeed, comment and like items, track messages and notifications, access your friends list, view your wall and more. You can even customize the look of the Gadget by choosing from among the 10 in-built themes.
Download It.
3. iTunes Sidebar Gadget: The iTunes Accessory Sidebar Gadget lets you play, pause and change tracks. It shows the track title, artist, rating, album and artwork. Shuffle button, Mute and Volume controls are also present. There’s a playlist and EQ preset menu included as well. And yes you guessed it right, iTunes has to be installed on your PC.
Download it.
4. GMail Sidebar Gadget: The GMail Reader Gadget allows you access to your GMail inbox. It displays 5 e-mail at a time on the face of the Gadget and in total 20 e-mails.
Download It.
5. The Magic Folder Sidebar Gadget: Hate your desktop being cluttered with files? Magic Folder is a wonderful solution to your problem. It simply puts all the files on your desktop into different folders based on their respective file extensions. You can specify the folders for different file extensions. Once all set, just drag your files to the Magic Folder icon in your sidebar and all those files will disappear, leaving your desktop clean. You can find those files in the folder you set for that file type. You can also click on the Magic Folder icon in your sidebar and you’ll be shown a drop-down box of the different folders. You can simply open the required folder from there.
Download It.
How to install Sidebar Gadgets? Simply download the files and open them. A Security Warning will pop up, click on Install and you’re done.
