Desktop Sidebar in Windows Vista

Lots of people don’t understand what a desktop sidebar is in Windows Vista. It’s among the features that come preloaded on Windows Vista. There are lots of desktop sidebar widgets you may add and configure to your liking. You can get everything from news, clocks, weather, and also a couple of eyes that follows your mouse cursor. The better part of it is that these all come free with Windows Vista.

There are panels which are fully customizable and allow you to pick and choose what you want. Having your mouse cursor over a panel will give small stats of the widgets themselves. So let’s have a look at a couple of panels:

Clock - The clock panel is not your regular clock. You may choose different skins, fonts, styles, and whether it will likely be analog or digital. Although I have seen some alien clocks that I don’t think anyone could tell the time from. Usually if you place your mouse cursor over the clock, it will even bring up either a colander or special date reminders.

Weather - This gadget is so handy. You may check the weather by just taking a look at your desktop sidebar. You may configure it right to your city or another city of your choosing. It automatically updates but there is no set interval for updates.

News - Everyone loves news. This widget can handle not only news, but additionally blogs and RSS feeds.

There are hundreds of different widgets available to download for free. Just use Google to search for “free vista desktop sidebar.” If you find any good ones, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m always searching for new and interesting widgets.