Discussion on:

Desktop Gadget interface (10 plus must have Windows 7 Desktop Gadgets)

There are hundreds of Windows Desktop Gadgets available and more are added every week. What gadgets do you have installed? Is there one that you use every day that you can recommend to your peers without reservation?

Are CPU meter that monitors all core activity and memory on my i7 machine, and Network Meter that displays network activity through my lan card.

For CPU monitor: http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=587ef54f-e121-418b-b258-e583e105a0d6

And Network Meter:
http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=86656dc5-b0fe-489d-b115-44a76e050f63

Sorry about that, Chief!

It's OK, Max.

I rarely find these things useful, but used to have a windows shut down gadget on an earlier machine. The one that I later found and installed on this machine did bugger all. I'll be watching this thread to see if one that actually works exists.

Otherwise, notes, weather and calendar.

And that's the XM gadget.... much easier than using the website login.

XM gadget is also the one I use. I have a few other gadgets but XM gets the most use.

Like any new toy, I played around with a number of gadgets, including the Daily Dilbert. But since I run distributed computing on my home computer, I found some of the gadgets were using resources I felt were better used for Folding@Home (http://folding.stanford.edu/ if anyone is interested). I kept the CPU Meter to keep tabs on CPU and RAM usage, but got rid of the rest.

We all play around with these new toys, but I ended up with only CPU meter too. I keep the clock for my Notebook and Laptop for use on the road, but that is it.

I've played with a lot of them and do find the resource monitors useful, but, not the ones recommended here. I like the Neon Gauges the best. You can monitor these from the other end of a room and they can be modified all different ways, shapes, size, & color. Much better than windows gadgets.

https://www2.konfabulator.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t16872.html

http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/neon-gauges-system-info

Try these and you will never go back.

My reason for not using the gadgets is if I am using my computer correctly, I don't see the desktop, so there is no reason to have them. Just my 2 cents.

I find most gadgets to be a waste of time and resources. I didn't like them in KDE. When I saw them in Win7 I was kind of surprised and disappointed. I tried a couple of them out and so far it's the same as what I saw in KDE. Cute, but not worth the space on my desktop.

There are some gadgets that are truly useful, however in large part they are diversions and in the workplace this is an unproductive waste of time.

All play and no work makes Johnny and unemployed boy.

Take them home if you want.

I have to disagree with the "Mostly Junk" evaluation. Nah, ALL JUNK and the faux monitors/gauges completely unreliable. Better check out the downloads from more professional sites like CPUID.

The clocks are pretty though.

you don't like AMOR? [ Amusing Misuse Of Resources a name for what "widgets" "plasmoids" in KDE4 really are as well as a "widget / plasmoid" ]
shame on you!

That is why I'm sticking with E16, none of that crap for it.

There is a gadget that allows you to put a digital clock gadget on your screen. I have 3 of them for 3 other offices we have in different places around the world. So if I need to know what time it is in China, or Brazil or Germany, I just have to glance instead of doing the math in my head.
Other than that - they are mostly junk.

I get same result in FireFox, using the FoxClocks addon. I had 4 "clocks" to help co-ordinate webcasts from multiple timezones.

Try Qlock.com, for multi regional times. neat & unobrusive.

I have a laptop and use a battery status gadget. It's great to remind yourself you haven't plugged in. And to see how much time remaining you have.

Go to Power Options and turn on the tray icon. When you hover over it, it shows time remaining. This has been in Windows for years.

"must have" and "desktop gadgets" is an oxymoron!

Even if we momentarily ignore cacheoverflow's excellent point (truly, desktop widgets the antithesis of "must have,") are these so-called tools really the best you (TR) could find? Seriously? Did you spend all of 30 seconds searching? Lame.

So what gadgets do you suggest? We loved to hear them.

I had a love affair with gadgets, because I like toys. They are system hogs though and now there's only 2 I use constantly: Currency 1.0.0 because I live in Mexico and my checks come in US $ it's important for me to know the current exchange rate and Unit Converter 1.0 because my hobbies require a lot of conversions i.e. linear meters to feet , grams to grains, joules to foot pounds energy etc. (I'm into air rifles in a big way)

Another thing you can't search for them I just tried 8 different key words and ended up way off the subject of gadgets. This is another example of bings worthlessness.

It would have been useful to have spent a moment on how to install gadgets that you want to download. Where do you save them so that they show up under "Desktop Gadgets" in Control Panel? This would help us basic users.

Is all I can say about this

I shall look forward to NOT having this junk on my system.

Just something else Microsoft came up with to be eye candy, but eats up memory and processor, causing the system to run less than optimum. I won't be installing this junk any time soon.

I'm sorry, but that article was terrible. It was nothing but screen shots of various gadgets. A real disappointment. With a title of "10 plus must have Windows 7 Desktop Gadgets" I had hoped for something of substance.

But it is just a photo gallery - not an in depth blog post.

You baited and switched us. I, too, thought I would find something of value here. Instead, we get a gallery of the most useless MS gadgets. Really, picture puzzle is a must have? And before you ask me to do better, I am not a writer for TechRepublic. I didn't volunteer this drivel, and you lose your right to point the finger back at your readers by the mere fact that you posted this under the guise of being some authority on the subject. If we already knew the must have gadgets, we wouldn't be reading the article...er, slideshow.

Expanded ipconfig gadgets was cool

thax

How about replacing the slide show format with a useful article containing a single page (click) with ALL the names and links to downloads?

I agree. Presenting this type of information in a slide show is a real hog or resources and bandwidth. I live in a bandwidth constrained locality and I don't have time to click and wait for each picture. Very disappointing.

We are working on a better presentation platform for photo galleries - we definitely need an update.

images posted directly on the page
with the comments about each image below the image

no clicks involved just scrolling

is that it takes a while to load each image. I usually don't get past the first three or four shots before I give up. Geez, I didn't even get past the first four in the 'Sexy Comicon' gallery.

After several years with Tech Republic, I _know_ that you can do better.
Yes, some people complained about the terrible presentation method (Tech Republic slide shows are always a bit difficult) but the more significant point is that the article itself was way beneath your usual standards. I doubt anyone found more than one or possibly two gadgets they would even count as useful -- certainly nothing that qualified as "Must Have."

Even disregarding the choice of which gadgets to include, the article had VERY little value. No real description of each so-called "Must Have" gadget and especially no link to go get the gadget if you actually wanted it. Several of your "must have" gadgets are simply not available anywhere at all.

Looks like you need a gadget to unclutter your gadgets!

LOL
Helluva good idea!!
A gadget to kill all gadgets.

That really would be a useful gadget, too funny man!

Now that one was a hoot! I hated clip-it so bad I shot it full of holes over and over again! It got rid of a LOT of frustration on the job! Don't worry, my boss knew I was doing it, I told him so. He liked the application so well, he distributed it to all the clients.

Production actually increased, because no one had to put up with that pesky clip-it character.

I really like the cheep Gas finder, it monitors all the Gas prices in My area. And if I need Gas and I'm close I will stop and fill up.