Messenger Gadget
After reviewing many articles done on Windows Vista, I got to thinking about new gadgets I could download and integrate into the Vista sidebar. I was able to find several of them on the Windows Live Gallery Web site and one that I found was the Messenger Gadget. And if you use MSN’s Messenger (also known as Windows Live Messenger), you can download and install it for yourself too! Allow me to explain myself a little more.
Mostly, users find it difficult to synchronize their contacts and they often get error messages they are unable to handle. Maybe this has happened to you too. Well, the Messenger Gadget can help and today, we will explore the features of this gadget, which can mainly be used to interact with your Windows Live Messenger contacts. With it, you will be able to see the contact’s status, start chat sessions with them, change your status and so much more. Let’s begin!
First of all, the system requirements for the Messenger Gadget are Windows Vista and you must have Windows Live Messenger downloaded on your computer. If you don’t, you can get it from this Web site. Once you’ve got that installed, you’ll want to think about getting the Messenger Gadget. Here’s why!
Here is a list of features you will be able to experience with the Messenger Gadget:
Unread E-mail Counter:
When you have unread e-mails in your e-mail account, this counter will show you the number of e-mails that are unread. When you double click on the counter, it will take you to your e-mail account as well. By default, the counter shows only unread e-mails, but if you want something different, you can change that by using the gadget settings.
Improved Readability:
The text displayed in your contacts list is made much bigger and it’s a lot sharper for you to read. This is done to make you feel at ease when reading the text. This even works with CRT monitors.
Status Drop Down:
Your username is added to the drop down list and the status drop down then blends in with the background. This enables you to know which username you have used to sign in, in case you have more than one.
Scrollbar:
There is a new and much better looking scrollbar that comes with the Messenger Gadget.
Contact Emoticons:
Emoticons can be seen on your contact list.
Settings Dialogue:
A more organized settings dialogue box is provided, with additional settings that can be seen from the image below:
Update Bar:
This is a very cool feature that allows you to know when there is a new version of the gadget available.
Error Handling:
The gadget will give you an informative message if your sign in fails, along with instructions on what you can do to fix it.
Chat Sessions and Games:
This gadget allows you to chat with your friends and family from Live.com. Next to this basic feature, you can also use the “Activities” feature with each other. The activities are games and applications that were originally built for MSN’s Messenger. The games you can play are Pool, Hangman, Gwaam and TankWars.
If you want to add any gadgets to your computer (including Messenger Gadget), here’s how you can easily get the job done:
Before a gadget can be added to your Vista sidebar, it must be installed on your computer.
First, open up your sidebar by going to Start, All Programs, Accessories, Windows Sidebar.
1.) At the top of the sidebar, click the + (plus) sign to open the Gadget Gallery.
2.) Double click the gadget you want to add and it will go to the sidebar.
Now, if you ever want to remove a gadget for any reason, just right click the gadget and select Close Gadget. That’s all there is to it to enjoy some of the best gadgets Windows Vista has to offer!
Hope you enjoy this one!
~ Natarajan Kumaraswami