Welcome to the World of Gadgets

My name is Donavon West, a Microsoft MVP for Windows Live Development, consultant and a gadget evangelist. Welcome to my LiveGadgets website. Here you will learn about a new technology from Microsoft called "gadgets".

There are currently 3 kinds of Microsoft gadgets: web gadgets (i.e. those that run on Live.com and Windows Live Spaces), Sidebar gadgets (those that run on the Windows Vista Sidebar) and SideShow gadgets (that run on various Windows Vista SideShow enabled devices such as external displays on laptops and keyboards).

Technically a web or Sidebar gadget is composed of an XML manifest file and at least one JavaScript file and optionally a CSS file. Web gadgets utilize Altas Runtime and Atlas Bindings. SideShow gadgets are not browser based and are quite different.

Show me a Gadget

What does a web gadget actually look like when its on a webpage? Here is an example of a real "live gadget" in action called "Live Clock".

You're thinking to yourself, this all seems pretty familiar. Some have suggested that Microsoft stole the idea from Apple's Widgets. Others claim that Apple ripped off the idea from Yahoo's Konfabulator. Maybe they both "borrowed" the idea from Windows 98 and its Active Desktop. While all of these technologies are similar, they all use a different approach to accomplish their task. After all, it would be ridiculous to accuse Chevrolet of stealing the idea of a car from Ford.

Note: This website is written by hand using 100% XHTML, CSS and of course JavaScript. No pre-written third party BLOG software for me.

Let the Race Begin (a techno-political experiment)

The 2008 presidential race is in full swing. LiveGadgets.net thought it would be interesting to write a set of gadgets to support the front runners (Democrats and Republicans). The following gadgets are available for Windows Vista Sidebar, Live.com and Google home pages, Windows Live Spaces and as code snippets for your personal blog and/or website.

Below each of the gadgets is a "virtual straw poll" if you will^**. It shows the number of downloads for each of the candidate's gadgets, so vote for your favorite by downloading his/her gadget now!

To download any of these gadgets, click on the candidate's name underneath of the gadget. More gadgets are on the way as other front runners emerge (Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani or Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney perhaps?)

Vista Sidebar

As well as a Live.com gadgets, LiveGadgets.net also develops gadgets for Windows Vista Sidebar.

We have provided a free gadget for you to download and use. Our "Today Is" Calendar (show below) requires the public preview of Vista Beta 2 (available for download from Microsoft).

Download Now

Download Instructions:

• Click the Download button above and then click Save in the File Download dialog box.
• To install the gadget, double-click on the file after it has been downloaded.

Need a Gadget?

Would you like a gadget to showcase your company or organization? We can work with you to develop a gadget to your exact requirements. Click on the Gadget Gallery tab to download some examples. Contact LiveGadgets.net at for details.

Client FAQ:

How much will it cost?

A simple gadget costs less than you might think.

How long will it take?

In a rush? We can turn around a gadget from design to production as little as a few weeks; typically under a month.

Who owns the code?

The source code is owned by you.

Is there any special server software need to host my gadget?

Any modern web server can host a web gadget. Typically on the web server you already operate: IIS, Apache, etc (it does not have to be IIS). LiveGadgets.net develops but does not host your gadget.

Windows Vista Sidebar gadget to not require a server and can be published on Microsoft's gallery.live.com.

Where do gadgets run?

Gadgets actually execute as XML, CSS and JavaScript on the clients computer. There is no server side code needed to run a gadget. Microsoft's Live.com will keep a list of a user's bookmarked gadgets and the client's browser will load it from your server as required.

I'd like to get started

Great. You can contact LiveGadgets.net at . Please include a short description of the gadget. A representative will contact you.

Donavon's Greatest Hits Volume II

I've published many gadgets since my controversial GetFirefox gadget back in November 2005. Microsoft gadgets have come a long was since then. Below are some free gadgets that I think you'll enjoy.

Sidebar Gadgets for Windows Vista™

If you are running Windows Vista then you can take advantage of our free Sidebar gadgets. Simply click on one of the links below to find out more about each gadget and/or install it onto your computer.

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Web Gadgets for Live.com or Windows Live Spaces™

If you don't have Windows Vista, you can still run web gadgets from Live.com or your Windows Live Space. Simply click on one of the links below to find out more.

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All the News you Need to Know

Download

Version 2.0.0.1
see what's new

Say It! Gadget

Say It! is the wildly popular gadget that allows you to perform text-to-speech right from your Vista Sidebar. Since it's release in late 2006, over 130 thousand people have downloaded the gadget. We're constantly getting emails telling us how much they enjoy this silly little gadget.

Here are some of the comments that we have received:

• "I just wanted to zip off a note the thank you for this great gadget 'Say It'. Sure it is mostly a toy but it brings great joy to my children in having the computer talk to them in a favorable voice. Mostly this gadget is fantastic for my aging parents and extended family to use for reading emails and letters. Their aging eye site increases the challenges of life. Your free, gadget has really been a fantastic find for us and assisted in decreasing aging challenges. Thank you." - Nicholas S.
• "Fantastic! - A must have for everyone who uses English as a second language!!! Simple and great! - CariocaSurfer1
• "Laughs a-plenty! - This gadget is so dang funny I almost wet myself! I am not easily amused, but this is a gloriously hilarious waste of time!" - autmleaf17
• "I just love your gadget! I don't have anybody to talk too, this 'say it' bubble talks with the best pronounciation and announciation of a synthesized voice I've ever heard!" - Dale

Tell us what you think. Send your comments to

Release Notes

Version 2.0.0.1 released 09/24/2007

• fixed a problem with "disable toolbar on hover" checkbox
• added a "Help" tab to the Options that describe the keyboard shortcuts

Version 2.0.0.0 released 09/22/2007

• Multiple voice support! Vista Ultimate users can download the free Microsoft Lili voice.
• History. Use the PgUp and PgDn keys to scroll backward/forwards.
• Change voice volume. Shift+PgUp/PgDn to change.
• Change voice rate (i.e. talk faster or slower). Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn to change.
• Voice toolbar (i.e. change volume, speed and voice with your mouse)
• Customize the default test greeting.
• Support for Automatic Updates keeps your gadget up-to-date.

Version 1.0.0.0 released 12/06/2006

• Initial release.
• Listen to your computer swear.
• Hours of mindless fun.

Coming Soon...

Contact LiveGadgets.net

Comments? Suggestion?

We'd love to hear from you if you have a comment, suggestion, or are interested in contracting a gadget. You can email LiveGadgets.net at

Donavon West's Profiles

Gadget Anatomy 101

Below you will see the basic makeup of a gadget. As is the case with most first programs, we will be writing a "Hello World" program.

Here is a sample gadget manifest file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:binding="http://www.live.com">
  <channel>
    <title>Hello World</title>
    <link>http://www.my-website.com</link>
    <description>A Gadget for Microsofts Live.com</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
    <binding:type>Gadget.HelloWorld</binding:type>
    <item>
      <link>http://localhost/Gadgets/HelloWorld/HelloWorld.js</link>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

and a copy of HelloWorld.js:

registerNamespace("Gadget");
Gadget.HelloWorld = function(p_el, p_args, p_namespace) {
  Gadget.HelloWorld.initializeBase(this, arguments);

  this.initialize = function(p_objScope) {
    Gadget.HelloWorld.getBaseMethod(this, "initialize", "Web.Bindings.Base").call(this, p_objScope);
    p_el.innerText="Hello World";
  };

  this.dispose = function(p_blnUnload) {
    Gadget.HelloWorld.getBaseMethod(this, "dispose", "Web.Bindings.Base").call(this, p_blnUnload);
  };
};
Gadget.HelloWorld.registerClass("Gadget.HelloWorld", "Web.Bindings.Base");

Run Google Modules on Live.com

Before I begin let me explain that I am in the development phase of this project. I have a working prototype that runs on my development machine, but I am not ready to release this to the general public. I am working as hard as I can to get something out my the end of the week. Also, this is an experiment and may not produce a production product. Check back here or on my website often for updates.

The product is called "gadget/ig". Put simply, it is a gadget that runs on Live.com that hosts a Google module. For those of you who have been asleep for the past month, a Google module is pretty much the same idea as a Microsoft gadget, but runs on Google's version of Live.com at http://www.google.com/ig. (People have speculated what the "ig" stands for. Some says "I, Google" as in Isaac Asimov's book "I, Robot". Some say that it's the Internet as in Apple's iMac, but who knows).

Below is a screen shot showing possibly the most recognizable Google module, the "Google Eyes", running on Live.com. Let me point out that I have in no way altered the Google module code and I take nothing away from the author. Here is the source code for the Eyes Google module. It is an XML file similar to Microsoft's gadget manifest file.

I will post more on this later, including additional screen shots and possibly a code walk through. I just wanted to give everybody a little "welcome back" after being away from the holidays. :)

donavon