Printed from www.pcpro.co.uk
Sky News
Verdict
Weather, news and calendar widgets are useful, but a handy application launcher is this month's best gadget.
Review Date: 6 Dec 2007
Price when reviewed:
Overall Rating
If you want to make the most of Vista's desktop Sidebar and gadgets, you'll need to go beyond those that come preinstalled with the OS. The Windows Live Gadget Gallery (http://gallery.live.com) is the place to go, with thousands of free downloads to wade through. This month, though, we've done the job for you.
The Sidebar is blessed with numerous news service gadgets, but choices are scarcer for UK users. We narrowed it down to two options. The BBC News 24 gadget sounded promising. It should have allowed us to watch News 24 video in the Sidebar, but served just a blank box on each system we tried - let us know if you see any different.
This left us with the Sky News gadget, which did work. It provides headlines sorted by category (main, UK, world, business and strange) that use a flyout to give more detail when you click on the headline. The news is updated every five minutes, and jumping between categories is quick and simple via the News icon, although the in-depth stories require a visit to the Sky News website. Just note the disappointing lack of Sky Sports.
Author: Davey Winder
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- Web censorship "breaches WTO rules"
- Facebook users to join the IM crowd
- Government promises broadband windfall for Scots
- Kingston bringing films to a flash drive near you
- Scientists tout cloaking tool for search engines
- Six-pack of fixes set for Patch Tuesday
- British Legion calls for Twitter silence on Poppy Day
- Spotify stems interest in illegal downloads
- Postal strike leads businesses to online alternatives
- Microsoft wants to expand Yahoo deal worldwide
- Motorola pays Lucas for its Droid
- Where are the killer apps for Windows?
- Will you hit the Orange iPhone "unlimited" cap?
- USB 3 first benchmark - it's here, and it's fast
- Why Windows 7 has forced me to worry about security
- How Dixons is (under)selling Windows 7
- Do I like Windows 7 because it's so like a Mac?
- No Windows 7 drivers turn Dell M1330 into a doorstop
- Is Windows 7 good looking enough to sway an Apple fan?
- Typekit brings print-like typography to the web
- When will you get superfast broadband?
- The Crapware Con
- The 10 greatest tech U-turns
- Windows 7: everything you need to know
- PC 2010 and beyond
- The High Street Rip Off
- How to avoid the high-street rip-offs
- Do online protests really work?
- How to buy Windows 7 for £50 less: the truth about OEM versions
- Free computing lessons for kids
- The bulletproof Dell that costs an arm and a leg
- Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview: Q&A
- Lawnmowers, the TyTN II and one odd insurance request
- There'll never be a bulletproof OS
- How far can we trust apps?
- Five nice touches in Outlook 2010
- Building a better Google
- Beware HP's horrendous printer-driver glitch
- Microsoft debuts free Morro antivirus package
- Getting started with Search Server 2008 Express
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