“Widgets” is the name commonly given to operating system, blog and browser add-ons and plug-ins that increase functionality and provide access to many different commonly used applications. While some will enhance your productivity, others are there to offer shortcuts or even simplify to amuse you. There are widgets available for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac operating systems, and also for nearly every type of browser including Opera, Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
Yahoo! and Google are both great sources of desktop widgets. Some of the best and top-rated offerings from these websites include:
- ShootIt, a mini-game that lets you shoot simulated holes in your desktop.
- Informer, a monitoring widget that keeps an eye on your memory usage, internal temperature and battery life of your PC.
- AnswerBall, a virtual Magic 8 ball that offers you advice and answers your most pressing questions.
- FastShutDown, a one-click tool that will shut down, sleep or restart your machine.
Browser add-ons can also bring a great deal of usefulness to your browser. Those who spend most of their time on desktop computers or laptops in a browser window will probably find that these types of plug-ins make more sense for them. Some of the best widgets available for browsers include:
- WordCount, a utility that will count the number of words and characters in any text on the web that you highlight with your mouse.
- WebPage Screenshot, a tool that captures an image of your currently viewed web page, and then allows you to edit, crop and save as a normal picture file.
- Amazon WishList, this button will simplify your shopping online by allowing you to add any product, from any website, immediately to your Amazon Wish List. You can also add additional notes on the product.
- Google Mail Checker, a handy icon on your browser toolbar that alerts you when you have a new item in your web-based email account.