- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP, Windows 2000
- Date added: May 26, 2006
- Total Downloads: 611,582
- Downloads last week: 4,974
- See full specifications
A newer version of Yahoo Widgets Engine is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 213 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
Yahoo Widget Engine lets you add small stand-alone applications that can offer an endless variety of features, content, and system functionality. Think of widgets as desktop extensions. Twenty default widgets are included with the Widget Engine--examples include a local weather forecaster, a Yahoo Mail manager, and a Wi-Fi signal checker. Though the true value of the Widget Engine will be judged on the quality of the widgets developed, the platform itself is polished and easy to use. Only small interface annoyances, aggressive system behavior, and the lack of a ""must-have"" widget keep it from earning a top rating.
A helpful tour introduces users to the basics of widgets, offering up a few as examples. Adding and removing widgets is simple, but personalizing the Widget Engine interface is limited. While you can change the one hot key for displaying widgets and select from 16 languages, not much else is customizable. Most of the included widgets do include tweaks such as skinning options, however. One annoyance is widgets don't show up in the Windows Alt-Tab menu, requiring a click on a visible widget or the Taskbar menu. Also, the Widget Engine inserts itself into your start-up programs without asking. You can unselect that option in the Preferences.
Yahoo Widget Engine is a valuable tool for users of Yahoo services and an interesting download for anyone who wants stand-alone desktop tools for regular Web activities, system information, or whatever cool feature the next great widget will offer.
Publisher's description
From Yahoo :The Yahoo Widget Engine (formerly known as Konfabulator) is a JavaScript runtime engine for Windows and Mac OS X that lets you run little files called Widgets that can do pretty much whatever you want them to. Widgets can be alarm clocks, calculators, can tell you your WiFi signal strength, will fetch the latest stock quotes for your preferred symbols, and even give your current local weather.
Version 3.14 resolves an issue with difficulty logging into Yahoo via a widget.
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User reviews of Yahoo Widgets Engine 3.1.4
- Average user rating: 4.2 stars out of 213 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 20 user reviewsSee all 20 user reviews
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16 out of 17 people found this review helpful
Version: Yahoo Widgets Engine 3.1.4
Pros: It does have a few usefull widgets, and can be handy for some people.
Cons: The amount of system resources it takes up does not seem to be in proportion to the amount of things they do, even with a GB of ram, they seem to hug half of it wich does not seem needed. This is especially bad for people who do not realise what Ram is, and so will just load many on to there computer, and then wander why it has slowed down so much.
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Version: Yahoo Widgets Engine 3.1.4
Pros: Aston already do alot of these extra things in their window skins, but if you have a yahoo account, you also get headlines, and the calender also gives a moon chart, but what I like is pictures from flickr-priceless.
Cons: It is a shame that Yahoo music video does not work, but this has nothing to do with this software.
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Yahoo Widgets Engine 3.1.4
"Can be very handy, but uses a bit of system resources"
Pros: With 1,000s of widgets to download, this widget engine is very handy, even if you just use it to check the weather. In addition to that, I use it to monitor my CPU usage, read the latest Garfield, and watch my Folding@Home status.
Cons: Can use a lot of system resources.
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Version: Yahoo Widgets Engine 3.1.4
"Yahoo Widgets are the best...when you can install them"
Pros: Yahoo Widgets are awesome as long as you have enough RAM. There are a ton of really useful widgets out there, and many are included in the default installation.
Cons: The regular installer doesn't work for everyone. If the installer crashes for you, find the "SDK" installer (mainly for developers). For some reason, the two versions use different installation methods, and for me only the SDK installer works. There are a lot of other people with the same problem.
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Yahoo Widgets Engine 3.1.4
Pros: Nice time pass with it. The default analog clock that comes with this is best, there are few radio widgets on yahoo widgets which are good too. Also there are other widgets for playing on-line games.
You can dwoanload the widgets SDK and make your own. Over all its a nice time pass tool, worth having.
Cons: If you press F8 yahoo widgets engine comes up, I suggest you disable it.
- See all 20 user reviews Write review
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