The Docs gadget

We just released a neat little gadget that helps you find and open your Google Docs documents. And if you want to upload files to Google Docs, just drag them into the gadget. Please check out the announcement on the Google Docs blog.



This gadget has been well received among Googlers, and we hope you'll like it too. It runs on Linux and Windows and supports Google Apps accounts. Please try it out and let us know what you think.

We've released quite a few gadgets lately (Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube), but my favorite one is coming in January. Mark your calendar!

Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer

Winter Holiday Gadgets

'Tis the season for new Desktop gadgets to help you celebrate the winter holidays. Here's a guide to the some of the most recent additions.

	Snowman by Benjamin Schirmer Every desktop needs a snowman. To switch accessories, just click the part you want to change.
	Hanukkah Menorah Two by Glenn Rivkees Use this gadget to help you keep track of when Hanukkah starts. Once the Festival of Lights begins, the gadget keeps each night's candle burning on your desktop.
	The Dreidel Game by Glenn Rivkees Whether or not you've ever spun a real dreidel, now you can play with your own e-dreidel.
	Christmas Hat by Lahiru Lakmal Priyadarhsana If it's Christmas, it must be time for Christmas hats! Put a photo of your loved one into the special Christmas photo frame, and then adjust the hat for a perfect fit. Click the snowflake in the bottom-right corner to show and hide the settings, or right-click for the context menu. You can even drag and drop a photo into the frame.
	Countdown to New Year 2009 by Teodor Filimon This multi-purpose gadget gives you snow, carols, gift shopping, calendar, the time left until Christmas, and finally a countdown to the New Year!

Want to see other seasonal gadgets? Check out the holiday gadget page.

Happy Holidays from the Google Desktop Team!

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

The Gmail gadget

Google offers a free, search-based webmail service called Gmail. Yes it's completely free, vanquishes spam, and includes over 7 GB (and growing) of space so you'll never have to delete another message. Not convinced? Just search Google for "i love gmail" and behold the many positive testimonials and reviews.

We like this Gmail so much, we developed and released a Desktop gadget that you can use to monitor your Inbox, read messages, and compose new emails. Check out the announcement on the Gmail blog.



Please give Gmail and the gadget a try, spread the word to all your friends, and let us know what you think about the gadget.

More information | Download gadget | Gmail

Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer

Google Gadgets for Linux 0.10.3

The 0.10.3 release of Google Gadgets for Linux is out, with bug fixes and major feature enhancements. Most notably, now Linux gadgets can use most of the features introduced in the 5.8 release of Google Desktop for Windows.

If you have a previous version of Google Gadgets for Linux, we encourage you to upgrade to this version. Just download and install the binaries for your platform.

With the 0.10.3 release, gadgets can run seamlessly within KDE4's Plasma environment, as the following screenshots show. For more information on KDE4 and gadgets, see the KDE4 Plasma page in the google-gadgets-for-linux project.





Thanks for reading this, and remember to download Google Gadgets for Linux!

Posted by James Su and Kathy Walrath, Google Desktop Team

Featured gadget: VTM Wheater Map

Name: VTM Wheater Map
Author: Stefan vd
Description: Show the VTM Wheater Map from Belgium.

More information | Download gadget

Each week this blog features a recently added Google Desktop gadget that looks promising. If you'd like to see all new Desktop gadgets as they're published, subscribe to the RSS feed.

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

Featured gadget: Radio Energy Zürich

Name: Radio Energy Zürich
Author: Andreas Horlacher
Description: Listen to online radio from Energy Zürich

More information | Download gadget

Each week this blog features a recently added Google Desktop gadget that looks promising. If you'd like to see all new Desktop gadgets as they're published, subscribe to the RSS feed.

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

Featured gadget: Precious Metals Spot Prices

Name: Precious Metals Spot Prices
Author: Rosie Ojo
Description: Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium Spot Prices, with live 24 Hour Spot Charts. New York - London - Hong Kong - Sydney - Zurich.

More information | Download gadget

Each week this blog features a recently added Google Desktop gadget that looks promising. If you'd like to see all new Desktop gadgets as they're published, subscribe to the RSS feed.

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

Featured gadget: Communicator

Name: Communicator
Author: Andreas Horlacher
Description: Communicator translates from and to a few languages using Google translation services. It comes with the popular 'communicator' design, as seen in Star Trek.

More information | Download gadget

Each week this blog features a recently added Google Desktop gadget that looks promising. If you'd like to see all new Desktop gadgets as they're published, subscribe to the RSS feed.

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

Slideshow for Facebook

This week, we're excited to release the Slideshow for Facebook gadget.

Designed for Facebook users, this gadget connects to your Facebook account and finds a wide variety of photos from your friends' collections. These photos then appear, one-at-a-time, in the gadget's frame. It's an automated slideshow — an easy, great way to stay in touch with old friends!

Posted by Larry Gadea, Software Engineer