Mac360 | Widget Watch

I'm a casual Poker player with a serious problem. I love to play Poker. In decades past it was just me and friends and a lot of late nights. With the advent of high tech games, playing Poker didn't even require my friends or late nights. I could sit in front of my Mac or PC and play until the cows came home. Often, they did. Why so much Poker? It's a fun game. And I lost plenty which made me come back for more, only to lose again and again. Today I use my Mac and iPhone to play. Full Story »

My husband and I work for a school near Chicago with hundreds of Macs and PCs. Students have some limitations for which Dashboard Widgets can be installed. Teachers and co-workers can install whatever Widgets will work (within reason). One of the more popular Widgets, beyond daily comics, weather radar, and movie listings, is Organized. Why? It's one of those rare one click wonders that gives you just what you want with your click. Updated information. Full Story »

I'm not a poster girl for Dashboard Widgets. Some are handy, some are fun, most are priced right (you get what you pay for), but the vast majority of Widgets are nothing to write home about. This week I was browsing around Apple's downloads section where they list all the latest Widgets and cam across iStat Pro. It's called 'The Most Advanced System Monitoring Widget' for the Mac. And the iPhone. That caught my eye. Full Story »

There has been plenty of public noise about Apple's iTunes App Store for iPhone users. Already over 30,000 apps are available on the store, and around 1-billion downloads. That's good news for iPhone users but what about Mac users and Dashboard Widgets? There are thousands of Widgets available; some great, some good, some not so much. Does Apple care about Dashboard Widgets anymore? Full Story »

My record is clear. I am not a fan of Apple's Dashboard Widgets. There must be 4,000 or 5,000 by now, most of them useless exercises in futility. Weather? Sure. Stock market updates. Yeah. Dictionary? Got one already. Google search? Safari does that. How about tracking packages? Hmmm. Full Story »

I collect Dashboard Widgets on my Mac. It's a totally inadvertent exercise since I'm on record as not being too impressed with Widgets. There's a dozen that I use regularly; probably the same dozen you use regularly. Another dozen are indispensable. Full Story »

From Dilbert to Calvin & Hobbes to Doonesbury I need a daily fix of comics. The problem is that I no longer subscribe to the daily newspaper, and sometimes forget to buy a Sunday paper. Where do I get my daily comics? From a Widget. Full Story »

Everyone uses the Dashboard Widgets on Mac OS X, right? OK, mostly. How do you know when there are new Widgets ready to download? Inquiring minds of Widget collectors everywhere want to know. Actually, it's very easy. Full Story »

I'm not having a change of heart or a mid-life Widget crisis. Most Dashboard Widgets are pretty much worthless (to me, at least). However, I am rethinking the value of Widgets on my Mac, what they mean to me, what they do, and I worry whether Widget development will continue. Full Story »

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. And don't hate me because I use OS X's Dashboard Widgets. Being a woman and a mommy is handy because I can trash Widgets and not get beat up after school. Full Story »

Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. Here's a way to let your Mac's Dashboard Widgets become your weather center. Warning: Freeware Widgets come at a price. Full Story »

If they give an award for Eye Candy of the 21st Century, Mac OS X's Dashboard Widgets will be a big winner. Take widgets and TV. Puhleeze. What do you want a TV widget to do? Watch TV, not list Monk reruns. Full Story »