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8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
5 stars
Version: Desktop Sidebar 1.04.75
"Windows Vista functionality for Windows XP"
Pros: One of the many changes that Windows Vista will incorporate into it's visual style is a sidebar that contains xml panels that can be arranged in any way the user wants. This sidebar will have many functions, and can be even used to replace the taskbar in Windows. Of course, you would have to pay a chunk of change to upgrade to Windows Vista in order to get these valuable new features. With Desktop Sidebar, however, you don't have to spend one cent to get the same functionality that the new Sidebar in Vista will have. This is a wonderful program that contains so many useful features, that I won't be able to describe them all here (especially since you can get so much more with the plugins). Some of my favorites are the feature that allows you to see how much of your CPU is being used at a glance. That is really useful because it lets you know if something suddenly takes over valuable processing space. This is now my main RSS reader. In the past, I have had many programs built into browsers that I used to read RSS, but of course, the browser would have to be open to read them. Now I can have my news right on my desktop, and I can keep up to date with the news from the sites that I want. It has buttons to start MSN Messenger, add notes to Outlook, Quicklaunch programs, and more. It even has the ability to open up Windows Media Player. The default skins are nice, and you can always get more.
Cons: If you have a very small screen resolution, then beware, because this program will use up valuable screen real estate. But then again, you can set the sidebar to auto-hide itself, and it will only show up when you want it to. It may take a little tinkering around with to get a feel for this software, but for what it adds to your computer, it is really worth it. This is a must have enhancement for any Windows PC, but especially for Windows XP. Once you try this, you will be hooked on it.
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