Widgets Got You Down?

First of all, if you haven't seen Steve Jobs' keynote address at last week's Macworld, I suggest you take some time to watch it here. It's pure evangelism for the Apple fanatic.

One of the most promising additions to the Macintosh Operating System has been the addition of Dashboard, Apple's method of integrating widgets into the operating system. For the uninitiated, widgets are small programs that can provide access to all kinds of information -- in fact the only limit seems to be the programmers' imagination. There are over 1,100 widgets available for OSX, ranging from calendars, calculators and clocks, to stock tickers, sticky notes, RSS Readers, and even games.

Conversely, Dashboard is Apple's method of implementing widgets into the operating system, without cluttering the user interface. I like to use the analogy that Dashboard is like your desk drawer, and widgets are all the junk that clutters it. Naturally, you need to use that junk on occasion -- but not so seldom, where you could justify throwing it away. This is the beauty of Dashboard; you can use it to obtain necessary information on the fly, when you need it, and you wouldn't have to waste time finding, and launching the necessary application. This could potentially save a lot of time over the course of the workday, thus improving worker productivity.

Unfortunately, Dashboard can suffer the same fate as an overflowing desk drawer. With 1,100 widgets available for download, it becomes very easy to get a screen full of overlapping widgets. The clutter is annoying, and it can (potentially) bog down your computer when you launch it.

Now there have been some really useful widgets developed for dashboard, but it seems to me that a person could suffer from dashboard overkill. I think the true genius of dashboard is that it allows the computer user to quickly obtain the desired information, and return to the task at hand. Even better yet, dashboard allows the user to customize the interface, employing the widgets that the user uses most often. Thus, a computer programmer would likely employ a different set of widgets than what a writer, or even a scientist would.

If you are looking to customize your dashboard with a limitless array of widgets, you can either surf to Apple's Widget Page, or visit DashboardWidgets.com. You will find almost anything imaginable from the indispensable to the zany.

As for my Dashboard, I employ Sticky notes, an Address book, a Calculator, my Appointments, A Stock Ticker, Operating System statistics, plus a few others. I employ a few others, if I feel the need to.

The only negative I can really fathom about dashboard is that a user's experience is going to be tarnished if they are on a dial-up connection. The majority of widgets are dependant on obtaining current information from the internet, thus a broadband connection is most desirable. I'd be equally interested in those who are still on a dial-up connection to report their experiences with dashboard.

Using dashboard is much like achieving balance in life. I feel that it is useless (and unproductive) to be underneath the hood of dashboard frequently, but it is indispensable when you need to find something quickly -- it's right at your fingertips.