- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Date added: March 25, 2009
- Total Downloads: 740,270
- Downloads last week: 3,380
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 220 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
The latest version of Yahoo's toolbar drops the word "Engine" from its name and makes customization even easier than before. It also comes with a revamped look. Yahoo Widgets lets you add small standalone applications that can offer an endless variety of features, content, and system functionality.
Twenty-two default widgets are included--including a weather forecaster, a Yahoo Mail manager, a Wi-Fi signal checker, a calendar, and an iTunes remote. Though the true value of the app should be judged on the quality of the widgets developed, the platform itself is polished and easy to use.
A helpful tour introduces users to the basics of widgets, offering up some examples. Adding and removing widgets is simple, and the new widget dock features more personalization options. Most widgets include tweaks such as skinning options. Other new improvements include Windows Alt-Tab menu access and helpful configuration buttons that appear when you mouse over a widget. Unfortunately, the app inserts itself into your start-up programs without asking--but you can fix that in Preferences.
Yahoo Widget 4 is a valuable tool for users of Yahoo services, and it's a helpful download for anyone who wants standalone 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.
Yahoo Widgets 4.5 allows Widget creators to build more awesomeness into their Widgets, including video right on your desktop. Richer, more interactive features can now be built into Widgets, such as games and movie clips. Now you can get more detailed security information about Widget capabilities before you run any new Widget.
What's new in this version:
Yahoo Widgets 4.5 allows Widget creators to build more awesomeness into their Widgets, including video right on your desktop. Richer, more interactive features can now be built into Widgets, such as games and movie clips. Now you can get more detailed security information about Widget capabilities before you run any new Widget.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.1 stars out of 220 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 28 user reviewsSee all 28 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Yahoo Widgets 4.5.2
"Yahoo Finance Widgets have been broken for 3 months"
Pros: Great concept, but highly unreliable. 3rd party apps are terrific, Yahoo appets are not so much
Cons: Submitted multiple trouble reports from which I received confirmation that these broken widgets would be fixed. Three months later they are still broken.
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Version: Yahoo Widgets 4.5.2
"outstanding widgets so it becomes yors"
Pros: anything (almost) you need to track or just curious about is there for the liking
Cons: uses just enough memory to be noticed
Summary: i like this very much. allows me to keep up with my life. the cons only comes into play when i am in intense computing
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Version: Yahoo Widgets 4.5.2
Pros: Makes things easy
Cons: Really nothing
Summary: Simplicity
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Version: Yahoo Widgets 4.5.2
"Widgets keep moving around on desktop, frustrating"
Pros: Lots of simple widgets, searching and installing widgets is easy.
Cons: If you have any programs which run full-screen in a different resolution your widgets will keep clustering in the middle of the screen, even if you lock them in place. The most useful widget of all, the WeatherBug one, hasn't worked for a year.
Summary: If you have a setup with a large screen, don't use any full-screen games, and require only simple gadgets like a clock, calendar and general weather then this might be a good fit. If you want Bloomberg radio, WeatherBiug with radar and forecasts, o... read more >>
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Version: Yahoo Widgets 4.5.2
"widgets don't always sync upcorrectly"
Pros: the widgets are functional and classy (at least what I have seen)
Cons: don't always sync up correctly. Don't like fly out panel.
- See all 28 user reviews Write review
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