Brandon Paddock, who works on the Windows Shell Team here at Microsoft, wrote a Windows Sidebar Gadget that displays the status of the Windows Search Indexer.

Download the Indexer Status Gadget here.

I don't know about you but I think it's kind of neat being able to see how many files Windows Search has indexed on my PC right from my desktop. For folks giving the Windows Search 4.0 Preview a try, you can enable "Index Now" functionality (which is reflected in the above screenshot).

Brandon Paddock developed this gadget on his own time and isn't officially supported by Microsoft. Brandon also developed the Start++ search add-on for Windows Vista.

Donavon West, whose company LiveGadgets.net was hired by Microsoft to develop the Live Search Maps Gadget originally, has announced via LiveSide that the Live Search Maps gadget is back and available for download! This awesome gadget lets you look at traffic in many different cities. I use this gadget all the time especially when traveling up to Seattle.

Donavon says work has been done “under-the-hood” so visually the gadget won’t look much different than before. He also says new cities have been added: Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Toronto. New cities will automatically show up in the Live Search Maps Gadget when they are added going forward.

This gadget is a must-have for folks who commute and do quite a bit of traveling.

Ever in need to search for a Certified for Windows Vista device? I’ve got the site just for you. A few weeks ago I needed to find some Certified for Windows Vista devices in a specific category: printers. I was directed by a friend to the Windows Vista Hardware Compatibility site where they offer a searchable and categorized database for both Certified for Windows Vista devices and Works with Windows Vista devices. Check it out. I found exactly what I was looking for.

I also stumbled upon the “Look for the Logo” Gadget for Windows Sidebar which allows you to search for Certified for Windows Vista devices right from your desktop. Even better, the gadget was developed by gadget master Donavon West.

2 great resources for Certified for Windows Vista devices!

Nathan Weinberg over on InsideMicrosoft has spotted an interesting (and helpful) new Windows Sidebar Gadget on Windows Live Gallery: the Office Tips & Tricks Gadget.

The Office Tips & Tricks Gadget sits on your Sidebar or off on your desktop - displaying tips and tricks for Microsoft Office. This gadget is a great way for a user to learn new trips and tricks for Microsoft Office that makes their experience better. I learned how to delete a meeting in Outlook without notifying all the invitees just this evening thanks to the Gadget. Sweet.

Once a tip comes up on the Gadget, just click on it and the Gadget will expand out for you to read that tip or trick.

This Gadget was designed by Donavon West who was also responsible for creating our Windows Vista Countdown Gadget last November. He is also responsible for many other Gadgets which are on Windows Live Gallery. Donavon recently acquired the Windows Live Gallery plaque, is a Silver Partner on Windows Live Gallery, and is a 2008 Microsoft Most

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Nathan Weinberg over on InsideMicrosoft has spotted an interesting (and helpful) new Windows Sidebar Gadget on Windows Live Gallery : the Office Tips & Tricks Gadget. The Office Tips & Tricks Gadget sits on your Sidebar or off on your desktop Read More……(read more)

Microsoft Romania has just launched a gadget competition for Windows Vista and Windows Live. Essentially, the contest is nothing more than a repeat of the Windows Vista Gadgets Competition on Code Project, with the sole exception that entries can now be submitted for both the client and the cloud Microsoft operating systems.

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