Microsoft Talk

Hmm, what are Gadgets? Where in Vista have you seen or heard about it?

Gadgets are easy-to-use mini programs that give you information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. Windows Sidebar helps you to organize your gadgets.

Windows Sidebar is a pane on the side of the Microsoft Windows Vista desktop where you can keep your gadgets organized and always available. Windows Sidebar makes great use of the space on widescreen monitors and also works smoothly on standard displays.

You can easily customize Windows Sidebar to suit your preferred location—always on top or resting below maximized windows. If you don’t want to keep your gadgets docked on the Windows Sidebar, you can simply move them off, hide the sidebar, and place them anywhere on your desktop.

Windows SideShow is a new technology in Windows Vista that supports a secondary screen on your mobile PC. With this additional display you can view important information whether your laptop is on, off, or in sleep mode.

Windows SideShow uses gadgets, convenient mini programs, to extend information from your computer to other devices. Gadgets can run on a Windows SideShow–compatible device and update that device with information from your computer. Using a gadget, you can view information from your computer regardless of whether your mobile PC is on, off, or in the sleep power state—which can save you both time and battery life.

Windows SideShow–compatible devices can take many forms. Hardware manufacturers are already including secondary displays in their designs for mobile PCs and devices such as keyboards, mobile phones, and remote controls. The following are a few examples:

• Integrated devices on computers. If your mobile PC has an integrated Windows SideShow–compatible device, you can view your Windows Mail inbox without so much as opening the lid or turning on the computer so you can quickly access your recent e-mail messages virtually whenever and wherever you want.

• Mobile phones. With Windows SideShow, you can configure a compatible mobile phone to show you your contacts and calendar, the latest updates from your favorite websites, your favorite pictures, and other information.

• Media remote control. While you watch TV with your family on Windows Media Center, you can find out what programs are showing next or schedule a recording for the next day. You can also browse through your Windows Media Center music collection from the display on the remote control without turning on the TV.