微软(Microsoft)曾经维护一个桌面小工具库(Desktop Gadget Gallery)，为有兴趣使用它们的用户展示了很多小工具。然而，为准备即将推出的 Windows 8，微软(Microsoft)决定（正如一些人所说）“停止假装支持小工具”("stop pretending to support gadgets")。对于公司来说，支持他们不再是一个好主意。Windows 8 和Metro 界面(Metro interface)应该为Windows 桌面(Windows desktop)带来更多更好的小型应用程序，微软(Microsoft)希望每个人都专注于它们而忘记小工具。但是现有的Windows 7和Windows Vista用户呢？他们现在在哪里可以找到很棒的小工具来使用呢？
桌面小工具(Desktop Gadgets)的剩余来源
第一个来源是微软(Microsoft)提供的剩余画廊(left-overs gallery)，它永远不会展示任何新的小工具。
其次，它是Deviant Art的所谓Sidebar Gadgets库，它使用Windows Vista中的术语，尽管所有小工具也适用于Windows 7。
第三(Third)，这篇文章是否包含一些您仍然可以在网络上找到的最好的小工具。
7个教程推荐的桌面小工具(Desktop Gadgets Recommended)
以下是我认为您会喜欢的七个小工具的列表，排名不分先后：
System Monitor - Windows 7 包含一个名为CPU Meter的小工具。它并不花哨或华而不实，但它为您提供了有关系统正在做什么的有用信息。如果您想要一个比CPU Meter(CPU Meter)中的两个小表盘更易读的信息的小工具，请查看System Monitor。它也小而简单，但我发现它更容易阅读。您可以在Build a Gadget上找到它。
WeatherBug - 我经常听到它说我们在南加州(Southern California)真的没有天气，与我住过的其他一些地方相比，我们真的没有。但这并不意味着我对看天气预报不感兴趣。我在我的 iPod Touch上使用WeatherBug Elite已经有一段时间了，我很高兴看到他们也有WeatherBug 小工具(WeatherBug Gadget)。这是一个功能齐全的应用程序，它将告诉您您需要了解的有关您所在地区天气的任何信息。点击这里(Click here)获取它。
剪贴板管理器(Clipboard manager)- 您是否有大量输入的文本？如果您可以将所有这些单词和短语存储在一个地方，然后单击以将它们插入到您想要的任何位置，那不是很好吗？有一个小工具。剪贴板管理器(Clipboard manager)可让您设置要用于存储剪贴板项目的空间量，并让您立即调用和插入它们。去汤姆指南(Tom's Guide)下载它。
我真希望我在大学里写论文的时候能有这样的东西。曾经尝试反复输入“人类学家”这个词吗？当然，当我上大学的时候，一台电脑吃了打孔(computer ate punch)卡，填满了整个房间，所以这简直就是科幻小说(science fiction)里的东西。
HTC Home - 虽然Windows 7带有时钟小工具(clock gadget)，但该时钟非常基本。如果您想要一个更好、更可配置且带有天气预报(weather forecast)的时钟，请查看HTC Home。有几种不同的时钟样式，您可以拥有带或不带天气的时钟，以及带或不带第二时区(time zone)的时钟。您可以在HTC Home上获得它。天气小工具(weather gadget)不像WeatherBug那样功能齐全，但并不是每个人都想要大量的天气报告。
笔记(Notes)——我个人不能没有便利贴品牌(Post-It brand)笔记。我在桌子上放了一小块小方块，几乎每天都用它们来写笔记和提醒。Windows 7 有一个内置的便笺(Sticky)应用程序，虽然从技术上讲它不是一个小工具，但事实证明它是我经常使用的东西。无需在物理桌面上(desk top)四处寻找记事(note pad)本——只需单击并在计算机桌面(computer desktop)上写一个便条，它就在我面前。但是，很多人评论说，Windows 7自带的(Windows 7)Sticky Notes不如自带的Notes小工具。视窗(Windows Vista). 我从未使用过Windows Vista，但在查看了Notes之后，我不得不同意 - Windows Vista 桌面(Windows Vista desktop)小工具更通用。您可以在IThinkDifferent(IThinkDifferent)上找到下载和安装说明。
邮件预览- 我们中的许多人都有多个电子邮件帐户，而那些不使用(Mail preview)Thunderbird、Windows Live Mail或Eudora等桌面电子邮件客户端的人必须检查每个收件箱以查看其中的内容。邮件预览小工具(Mail Preview Gadget)可让您设置任意数量的电子邮件帐户，并在其中任何一个收到新邮件时向您显示通知。它的设计看起来像Windows Phone 界面(Windows Phone interface)，这使得它非常紧凑，即使在小屏幕上也易于阅读。您可以在Wp-Corporation(Wp-Corporation)上阅读并下载它。
Xirrus WiFi Inspector - 这是我们过去推荐的小工具。当时它被称为Xirrus WiFi Monitor。我绝对同意Bogdan的观点，即这是添加到笔记本电脑的最佳小工具之一。即使在我小小的上网本屏幕上(netbook screen)，它也清晰易读，并为我提供了大量有用的信息。它以前在Microsoft的小工具库(gadget gallery)中列出，但已不存在，因此从Xirrus 网站(Xirrus web)获取它的最佳位置。它现在被称为Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector（可惜它不播放Inspector Gadget 主题(Inspector Gadget theme)曲），你可以在这里找到它(here)，大约在页面的一半。请务必单击“下载 Gadget v1.2”("Download Gadget v1.2")链接。文档有一个单独的链接；请务必阅读。屏幕截图是全尺寸小工具；有一个较小的具有图形“雷达”或“声纳”显示器，您可以在文章末尾我的上网本的屏幕截图中看到。
在我的桌面上从普通到花哨
当我开始写这篇文章时，我的桌面上根本没有任何小工具，除了偶尔的便签。我也只有绝对最少数量的图标，因为我喜欢干净整洁的桌面。这是它的样子（从威尔逊山顶部的网络摄像头(web cam)拍摄的洛杉矶北部(Los Angeles)威尔逊山(Wilson)天文台(Wilson Observatory north)的照片）。
我仍然没有很多图标，但现在在我的台式电脑(desktop computer)上，我有非常有用的HTC Home，显示我家乡的天气，以及这里和罗马尼亚(Romania)的时间，这样我就可以判断罗马尼亚团队(Romanian team)成员是否可能会醒着或睡着。时区(time zone)s 由城市标识，由于Bucharest没有时间选择(time selection)，我不得不在同一时区(time zone)中选择一个俄罗斯城市并使用小工具的选项将其重命名为罗马尼亚(Romania)。很容易做到。
我的上网本上安装了Xirrus WiFi Monitor 。Xirrus仪表的背景可以更改为多种颜色中的任何一种；我选择蓝色以获得更好的能见度。如您所见，我的桌面上也没有太多图标，照片是冬天的巨石阵(Stonehenge)。
你最喜欢的桌面小工具(Desktop Gadget)是什么？
我(Let)只想指出，我们的主编Ciprian Rusen(Editor)是(Ciprian Rusen)一个(Chief)非常勇敢的人。他指派了一个没有任何桌面小工具的人（我）来研究桌面(research desktop)小工具并写一篇关于一些可用的最好的文章。让我们(Let)说，由于我没有使用小工具的经验，我也没有先入为主的想法，所以这篇文章的研究不仅具有教育意义，而且具有娱乐性。我希望你和我一样喜欢最终的结果。(end result)
走之前，请分享一下：您有最喜欢的 Windows 7桌面小工具(desktop gadget)想要推荐吗？请(Please)发表评论，让我们知道在哪里可以找到它。
The Best Remaining Desktop Gadgets for Windows 7
Microsoft used to maintain a Desktop Gadget Gallery that showcased quіte a few gadgets for users interested in using them. However, in preparation fоr the upcoming Windows 8 launch, Microsoft decided to (as some рut it) "stop pretending to support gadgets". For the company, supporting them is no longer a good idea. Windows 8 and the Metro interface is supposed to bring to the Windows desktop more and better small applications and Microsoft wants everybody to focus on them and forget about gadgets. But what about existing Windows 7 and Windows Vista users, where do they now find great gadgets to use?
The Remaining Sources of Desktop Gadgets
A first source is a left-overs gallery offered by Microsoft which will never feature any new gadgets.
Second, it is Deviant Art's gallery of so called Sidebar Gadgets, which uses the terminology from Windows Vista even though all gadgets also work in Windows 7.
Third, is this article featuring some of the best gadgets you can still find on the web.
The Desktop Gadgets Recommended by 7 Tutorials
Here, in no particular order, is a list of seven gadgets that I think you will like:
System Monitor - Windows 7 includes a gadget called CPU Meter. It's not fancy or flashy, but it gives you useful information about what your system is doing. If you want a gadget that gives you information in a more readable format than the two small dials in CPU Meter, check out System Monitor. It's also small and simple, but I found it much easier to read. You can find it on Build a Gadget.
WeatherBug - I've often heard it said that we don't really have weather in Southern California, and compared to some other places I have lived, we really don't. But that doesn't mean I'm not interested in seeing weather forecasts. I have been using WeatherBug Elite on my iPod Touch for quite a while, and I was delighted to see that they have a WeatherBug Gadget as well. It's a full-featured app that will tell you just about anything you need to know about the weather in your area. Click here to get it.
Clipboard manager - Do you have text that you type a lot? Wouldn't it be nice if you could store all those words and phrases in one place and just click to insert them anywhere you want? There's a gadget for that. Clipboard manager lets you set the amount of space you want to use for stored clipboard items, and lets you recall and insert them instantly. Go to Tom's Guide to download it.
I sure wish I'd had something like this when I was typing my thesis in college. Ever try to type the word "anthropologist" repeatedly? Of course, when I was in college a computer ate punch cards and filled up a whole room, so this would have been something straight out of science fiction.
HTC Home - While Windows 7 comes with a clock gadget, that clock is pretty basic. If you'd like a better, more configurable clock that also comes with a weather forecast, check out HTC Home. There are several different clock styles, and you can have a clock with or without the weather, and with or without a second time zone. You can get it on HTC Home. The weather gadget isn't as full featured as WeatherBug, but not everyone wants loads and loads of weather reports.
Notes - I personally could not live without Post-It brand notes. I keep a pad of small squares on my desk and I use them to write notes and reminders nearly every day. Windows 7 has a built-in Sticky notes application, which, while not technically a gadget, has turned out to be something I use constantly. No need to dig around on the physical desk top to find the note pad--just click and write a note on the computer desktop and it's right there in front of me. However, a lot of people have commented that the Sticky Notes that comes with Windows 7 is not as good as the Notes gadget that came with Windows Vista. I never used Windows Vista, but after looking Notes over, I'd have to agree—the Windows Vista desktop gadget is more versatile. You can find instructions for downloading and installing on IThinkDifferent.
Mail preview - Many of us have multiple email accounts, and those who don't use a desktop e-mail client like Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail or Eudora have to go check each inbox to see what's there. The Mail Preview Gadget lets you set up as many email accounts as you like, and will show you a notification if new mail has come in on any of them. It's designed to look like the Windows Phone interface, which makes it very compact and easily readable even on a small screen. You can read about it and download it on Wp-Corporation.
Xirrus WiFi Inspector - This is a gadget which we recommended in the past. Back then it was called Xirrus WiFi Monitor. I definitely agree with Bogdan that this is one of the best gadgets to add to a laptop. Even on my tiny netbook screen it's clear and readable and gives me a wealth of useful information. It was previously listed in Microsoft's gadget gallery, but that no longer exists, so the best place to get it is from the Xirrus web site. It's now called Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector (but alas, it doesn't play the Inspector Gadget theme song) and you can find it here, about halfway down the page. Be sure you click on the link that says "Download Gadget v1.2". There is a separate link for the documentation; be sure you read that. The screenshot is of the full sized gadget; there's a smaller one that has a graphic "radar" or "sonar" display, which you can see in the screenshot from my netbook at the end of the article.
From Plain to Fancy on my Desktop
When I started writing this article, I had no gadgets on my desktop at all, except for the occasional sticky note. I also have only the absolute minimum number of icons, because I like a nice clean unobstructed desktop. Here's what it looked like (a photo of the Mt. Wilson Observatory north of Los Angeles from the web cam on top of Mt. Wilson).
I still don't have a lot of icons, but now on my desktop computer I have the very useful HTC Home showing me my hometown weather, and the time here and in Romania so I can tell whether the Romanian team members are likely to be awake or asleep. The time zones are identified by cities, and since there was no time selection for Bucharest, I had to pick a Russian city in the same time zone and use the gadget's options to rename it Romania. Very easy to do.
And I've got Xirrus WiFi Monitor installed on my netbook. The background of the Xirrus meter can be changed to any of several colors; I chose blue for better visibility. As you can see, I don't have many icons on this desktop either, and the photo is of Stonehenge in winter.
What's Your Favorite Desktop Gadget?
Let me just note that our Editor in Chief, Ciprian Rusen, is a very brave man. He assigned someone who had no desktop gadgets whatsoever (me) to research desktop gadgets and write an article about some of the best ones available. Let's just say that since I had no experience with gadgets, I also had no preconceived notions of what a great gadget should be, so the research for this article was not only educational but entertaining. I hope you enjoy the end result as much as I did working on it.
Before you go, please share: do you have a favorite Windows 7 desktop gadget that you'd like to recommend? Please leave a comment and let us know where to find it.
