- It is time to skin your Google!
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Posted by oVan on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | PermaLink | 0 commentsAfter years of looking on the sparse Google page, it was time to pimp it up a bit. It all starts by using the personalised Google start page (iGoogle).
- Recent changes allow you to apply beautiful dynamic themes, like the cityscape theme in this screenshot:
These themes will change based on your current location and time of day. - Next, you can add small gadgets for all kinds of information. It is similar to the Windows Vista Sidebar, except that you can drag and place the gadgets in 3 columns, and that they're always visible whenever you open your personalised Google page. (Gadgets in the Windows Sidebar tend to get stuck behind active applications — although they're easily revealed with the Win+Space keyboard shortcut.)
- Finally, you can easily create your own gadgets, for yourself or to share with friends and family. You do not have to program anything! You start with one of the handy templates and literally tens of seconds later your gadget is ready!
As an example, I created a new gadget called Weekly Infrared that will bring a new infrared photo to your Google page every week.
- Recent changes allow you to apply beautiful dynamic themes, like the cityscape theme in this screenshot:
- BUG: Windows Vista Sidebar
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Posted by oVan on Wednesday, November 22, 2006 | PermaLink | 0 commentsThe long-awaited Sidebar in Windows Vista is a bit flawed.
You can detach the gadgets so that you can place them anywhere on your desktop. Some gadgets, like the beautiful weather gadget, even give you a larger view when they are undocked.
The main problem is that upon every reboot, the gadgets will move a few pixels to the left. If you're like me and want to place them on a specific place (in my case: at the right edge of the screen), you'll soon notice that it's futile to resist. They'll march away a little bit everyday:
Some reasons why I want those gadgets to stay undocked:- When you dock them to the right side, they'll move to the top of the screen. I prefer them to the bottom of the screen.
- Also, there's no known way to make the sidebar larger/wider.
- Similarly, some gadgets show less information than when undocked (see weather gadget as example)
- Above the top gadget, you'll always see that plus sign and the double arrow. I know, it's a detail... but every bit counts.
Something I don't quite understand: when you close the Sidebar, when your active gadgets are floating on your desktop... why are there still two Sidebar.exe processes running? I thought I just closed one?
And why don't the docked gadgets expand when you click on them? That would make a lot of sense to me...
Oh well, I guess that will be stuff for SP1?Labels: bug, gadget, Microsoft, RTM, Sidebar, Ultimate, Vista, Windows