Open source gadgets mean any software whose source code is made available for use or modification for users or developers. The advantages of the open source gadgets are evident: since everyone can modify the source they are improved continually by software communities and the vast majority of open source programs are free.

Being free is a huge advantage sometimes you, the computer owner want to do simple, one job, like editing a document or a picture, and you don’t want to spend a small fortune doing it, so the free open source programs are your best friends.

The most of the open source gadgets were initially created for Linux owners, but in the last period of time more and more open source gadgets were developed for Windows. And in this article I’m going to tell you about the best gadgets for Windows users. The free and open-source software that you should use are: web browsing – Mozilla Firefox, video player and video podcasting – Miro, instant messaging – Pidgin, e-mail – Mozilla Thunderbird, RSS – RSSOwl, peer-to-peer filesharing – Cabos, video player – Media Player Classic, DVD ripping and video conversion – Media Coder, word processing suites – OpenOffice.org, podcasting – Juice, sound recording – Audacity, photo editing Paint.NET, FTP – Filezilla I’m currently using: OpenOffice.org to write and manage documents, Filezilla for FTP connections, Paint.NET to work with graphics and Thunderbird to read and write emails. Don’t aspect the open source gadgets to have as many features as the paid ones, after all you get them for free. Well known are the open source Google Desktop Gadgets like: Google-battery (Never lose track of your power. Always tell you how much battery power is left) Google-calculator (Calculator gadget for Google Desktop), Google-cricket-news (Displays cricket news headlines and images), Google-cricket-videos (the same like the previous only it displays videos on your desktop), Google-desktop-sdk (Complete examples of using the Google Desktop Gadget APIs) Google-digital-clock (is one of my favorite desktop gadgets, it is obviously what it does: it shows time, but in a beautiful manner ),Google-flower-pot ( It is a Virtual Flower Pot which will grow to full bloom right before your eyes if you give the flowers some water using your mouse – like the old Tamagoci games), Google-moon-phase (Displays the moon’s current phase) and Google-timezone (Find what the time is in different locations).

For now the most used software’s are the paid ones, but the free open source ones come fast from behind. Each day communities of developers work on them for us to have a better experience and free programs.

By: Dan Lonescu
Source: Articlebiz.com

The year 2008 has started and I am sure everybody is excited about turning over a new leaf and entering a new year. If you are gadget and electronic freak like me then I’m sure you are excited about all the new gadgets the new year will brings as well. I’m going to talk about a few of the gadgets I’m most excited about which we will see in 2008.

First off the SanDisk Sansa TakeTV Video Player. This cool little gadget bridges the gap between your TV and computer. You plug the SanDisk TakeTV flash drive into your computer and download video on to it. Anything from YouTube videos to funny videos clips you get as attachments in your email. Then you place the TakeTV drive into the TakeTV cradle which is hooked up to your TV. That is it. The videos on the flash drive can now be played on your TV. The SanDisk Sansa TakeTV Video Player even comes with a remote control. You can find the TakeTV at your local electronics store like BestBuy, Circuit City, and Office Depot.

Now of course one of my top gadgets for 2008 would be related to the Apple iPod. I mean how could not pick a gadget for an iPod. This iPod accessory is a small device which you insert into certain Nike shoes. It will then track distance, time, pace and calories burned as you workout or walk your way to being more healthy. Plus the device gives real-time verbal feedback as your workout and can track your progress and fitness goals as well. Now that is a cool iPod accessory.

Next up is a USB device. If you are like me then you have all kinds of gadgets which use USB as a power source. Well what do you do when you need to power up that device and you are not by your computer or have a friends computer close by? The 4 Port USB Car Charger is the answer. You can plug this gadget into any standard lighter jack in your car and you have 4 USB ports to charge all your gadgets. How convenient is that?

Last but definitely not least is the Sony PS3. Now I know what you are thinking the PS3 has been out for over a year now its not a new electronic. You are right but 2008 is going to be the year that the PS3 really takes off. It just got a price cut a few months ago and Sony just won the battle of the next generation DVDs with Blu-ray over HD-DVD. Plus there are a lot of hot games coming up in the next few months for the PS3. Can you say Grand Theft Auto? Yep it will be out shortly and I can guarantee it will help sell a few PS3. Gran Turismo will be out next month and if you have not seen the previews for it go take them out. They are unreal.

So there you have four of my favorite gadgets for 2008. This is sure to be an exciting year for gadgets and electronics.

Author: Jeremy Thompson
Source: Articlesbase.com

A gadget is a device that has a useful specific practical purpose and function. Gadgets tend to be more unusual or cleverly designed than normal technology. The desktop gadgets are designed to make your work on the computer easier. Most of the desktop gadgets are made just for fun. See the most popular gadgets of this summer and install the ones you find useful.

Most popular desktop gadgets

I wanted to find the best desktop gadgets so I have use the search engine to help me in my quest. I have managed to track the most popular gadgets using the internet statistics. With Google desktop gadgets the things where simple because Google offers the possibility to sort the gadgets by the number of downloads. With other desktop gadgets thing where a little complicated, to find what are the most used I have to read other sites about gadgets popularity and related forums and groups discussions.

So what kind of gadgets do people use?

In the top positions of desktop gadgets the ones that show time and date are very downloaded. There are a lot of gadgets that shows the time and dates like: Google Day/Night World Clock, DigiWatch, OMNI analogue and Google calendar. Also the gadget that shows weather is used by millions of people. The computer performance gadgets are in the top positions PerformanceMeter and System stats are used by many computer lovers.

Let us see the most popular desktop gadgets!

Google Weather. This gadget shows the probable weather for specified destinations.

AnswerBall. Ask a question to AnswerBall and it will give you the response! Got a question? Hold the mouse button down to shake AnswerBall and release it to get the answer. AnswerBall will help you take faster decisions.

Google Day/Night World Clock. It is a stylish analogue clock. You can use it to watch any town from satellite view, as the day and night change.

DigiWatch. Is a desktop clock that can be easily set between showing AM/PM mode or 24 hour mode. You can set alarms and see how much time is left until the alarm goes off with a live progress bar. The alarms sounds are customizable. Transparent-mode is available for people who keep DigiWatch always-on-top.

OMNI analogue. Is an analogue clock with a digital readout. Click the clock face to switch between the various digital display modes – clock, alarm, stopwatch and countdown timer. The countdown has an audible alert when it reaches zero.

Google calendar. You will receive a miniature copy of your Google Calendar to be at your side at all times. You can easily add, view and share events without leaving the comfort of your own gadget.

PerformanceMeter. Is the tool which displays CPU and RAMS utilization information. It can be placed in the sidebar or anywhere in your desktop.

System stats. Shows stats about your CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, wireless signal and battery, latest version also includes Disk Usage.

Arrow Player. Arrow Player is a media player controller gadget. It works best when used to control Windows Media Player or Winamp, but it also works with iTunes and Coolplayer.

Gmail notifier. Notifyes you when you have incoming emails.

Other popular desktop gadgets are: diGGGadget – Brings digg.com v3 directly on your desktop, Kyivstar SMS Sender – Send text messages to Ukrainian cell phones and Multiplayer Reversi Game – You can play this game against your friend (by Google Talk) or against your PC.

Author: Dan Ionescu
Source: Articlesbase.com