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News

Mac OS X Tutorial: Add new widgets to your Dashboard

One move of your mouse or a simple keystroke can activate the Dashboard and expand the functionality it offers by adding to Apple’s default set of widgets

Stephen Ashby By

Anybody used to the Dashboard will know the easiness with which it enable one to access all kinds of useful information. Indeed, this fun and almost unique feature, which allows the display of a set of mini-applications called widgets, greatly enhances the user experience of the Mac OS X desktop.
Widgets are very simple to develop and, from the initial set of 20 widgets presented by Apple back in the Tiger days, there are now thousands of widgets available. There are widgets for just about anything: from checking your favourite TV channel schedule to the result of the latest cricket game. There are even widgets that are fully fledged applications, such as the scientific calculator or the famous Asteroids game of the Eighties. This tutorial will show you how to download and install these simple but powerful and time-saving tools.

1: Find a new widget
Open Dashboard; click the plus sign; click Manage Widgets; click More Widgets. On the Apple website, check the various widget categories: Top Widgets, Just Added etc… Or visit www.dashboardwidgets.com.

2: Download the widget
Whether you choose to download from Apple or somewhere else, the process is always the same. Click on the download button and wait until the procedure is complete.

3: Install the widget
Once the download is complete, confirm the installation by clicking Yes. When the widget opens in Dashboard, click Keep to finalise the installation process.

4: Quickly hide a widget
In Dashboard, with the Alt key pressed, move the mouse over the widget; then, without releasing the Alt key, click the X sign at its top-left corner to hide the widget.

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