Sarah Nadav

Most Useful Computer Gadgets

It is fair to say that the modern computer is a fantastic machine that can make life much easier.  But there are certain things which can still be made even easier, and using the desktop gadgets that are available, you can make a number of things which you use your computer for easier and quicker.

When you think about all the things that you can use your computer for, many of these involve steps such as having to open up a browser, or opening up a program just to be able to look at the updates on your social networking sites, or to check on the weather or the travel news before you go to an appointment.  This is where the importance of desktop gadgets comes in.

If there are certain things that you do on your computer regularly, or if you are looking for something to divert you from the everyday work, then these desktop gadgets will have something for you.  Here are a few of these desktop gadgets which you might be interested in:

Traffic With Bing Maps

This is one of those simple little desktop gadgets that you are going to want to have saved on both your home and work computers if you have to commute by car to work every day.  What you get with this gadget is a tool which you can use to set your location, and then will give you traffic updates which can help you to plan or alter your route depending on where you are driving to.

Personally I tend to run the bigger version as it displays the information better.  But this is purely a matter for taste, and is a fantastic tool which doesn’t require the opening of a browser and navigating to the right page.  It just has the necessary information right there on your desktop.

Outlook Upcoming Appointments

Another of the desktop gadgets that I have installed is the Outlook Upcoming Appointments tool.  This is a simple little tool which is synchronized with my outlook diary, and does exactly what the description suggests it does.

Without having to go in to the program, it simply shows what I have coming up and what time it’s scheduled for.  It might not be a groundbreaking bit of tech, but it is very good and saves having to open up outlook when I’m just checking my diary.

Hangman

There are a large number of desktop gadgets which are specifically designed to pass a little bit of time, and I was close to including the sidebar version of Tetris which has amused me plenty, but I’ve ended up going for hangman.

Exactly the same as the game you played with friends as a child, you get presented with a word or phrase and have to choose the letters until you’ve been able to guess what it is, or the hangman is completed.

Conclusion

These are only a small amount of the desktop gadgets which are available, and I’ve only covered a few of the desktop gadgets that I actually use myself.

While some of these are great for saving a bit of time, and having information ready on my desktop rather than having to use an internet window to navigate and find that information, it doesn’t necessarily have to be useful though, there are plenty like the HAL 9000 gadget, which is simply a button you push, and plays quotes from the 2001 film.