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

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

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

Valentine's gadgets

Posted by James Yum (Google Desktop Team)

When I was a kid, Valentine's Day meant a lunch bag full of chalky candies and paper cutouts. While candy and paper hearts are still options, now you can celebrate digitally with Desktop gadgets. Here's a romantic rundown of some sugar-free recent additions.

	Daisy-gadget By Teodor Filimon This gadget brought back childhood memories of playing "she loves me, she loves me not" in the schoolyard. It's pretty accurate — she loves me not. :( But if I choose the "Always perfect ending" mode from the Options dialog, then she loves me, after all. Windows
	Love Quotes By Bijoy Thangaraj and Narasimhan DL Warm your heart this Valentine's Day with inspirational love quotes. My favorite: "Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence." Mac, Windows
	Love Meter By Vishnu.S Type in two names, and the gadget calculates a love compatibility score. Mac, Windows
	Sweethearts! By Bijoy Thangaraj and Narasimhan DL A lovely photo frame for you and your sweetheart. Drag and drop your pictures onto the gadget. Watch what happens when you fill the frames! Windows
	Valentine's Day Countdown By Vishnu.S This gadget is for you lucky people with big plans this February 14th. Mac, Windows

For yet more gadgets, see last year's Valentine's Day post. Happy Valentine's Day from the Google Desktop Team!

Desktop Gadgets for the Holiday Season

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

Developer-elves have been busy creating new Desktop gadgets to celebrate the holidays. Here's a guide to the some of the most recent additions.

	Christmas Tree by Benjamin Schirmer Deck your desktop with a one-of-a-kind tree. This tree starts out plain, with only animated snowflakes as decoration, but you can easily make it yours. Just right-click (Windows) or ctrl-click (Mac) wherever you want to add a decoration. If you're not in the mood for animated snowflakes, you can easily turn them off.
	Holiday Countdown 2007 Gadget by Beepem Count down to the holiday of your choice — Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus! Snowfall is optional.
	Hanukkah Menorah by Glenn Rivkees It might seem a little late to feature Hanukkah gadgets, but we couldn't leave out this beauty. It's both a countdown to Hanukkah and a menorah that lights candles on the appropriate days. Hanukkah 2007 may be over, but this gadget tells me there are only 368 days until Hanukkah 2008!
	CALGOT and MAIMAI Christmas Tree by 12STUDIO Inc. Here's the perfect desktop decoration and Christmas countdown gadget for fans of CALGOT and MAIMAI. The pretty images, animated star, sparkling highlights, and delicate snowfall help make this gadget an eye catcher.
	CALGOT and MAIMAI Christmas Wreathe by 12STUDIO Inc. If you think the snails just aren't prominent enough in the CALGOT and MAIMAI Christmas Tree gadget, try this one.
	Christmas Countdown by Bijoy Thangaraj This simple gadget counts down the seconds until Christmas.
	Fancy Christmas Frame by Bijoy Thangaraj Click inside the frame to add a random decoration. Each decoration fades out over time, so you'll have a blank slate unless you keep clicking!
	Merry X'mas by Lahiru Lakmal Priyadarshana Decorate your Google Talk buddy's tree! Here's how: Make sure you both have this gadget. (If not, your buddy will automatically get an IM saying where to get the tree.) Click the people icon (at the lower right) and choose an online Google Talk friend (one with a green icon). If necessary, click the item preview (at the upper right) so you see a star with a + sign. Click a decoration from the items palate (upper left). Click your tree to place the decoration. Repeat steps 4 & 5 as many times as you like. Click the Send button (upper right).
	Countdown To New Year 2008 by Teodor Filimon This holiday gadget displays a different picture and message every day until New Year's Day, 2008. You can have animated snow, listen to holiday songs, and even go shopping. On New Year's Eve, you'll get a countdown to midnight.

Want more seasonal gadgets? Check out the holiday gadget page.

Happy Holidays from the Google Desktop Team!

Halloween Gadgets

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

With October 31st looming, it's time to decorate your desktop with spooky gadgets. Here are three new ones you can try out.

	Halloween Pumpkin By Benjamin Schirmer Create a custom jack-o'-lantern on your desktop. To change the look of your Halloween pumpkin just click the eyes, nose, or mouth. Beware: sometimes this pumpkin makes spooky noises!
	Halloween CountDown Gadget By Vishnu.S If you can't wait until Halloween — and you don't have a child reminding you how very long it is until trick-or-treat time — you need this.
	Spooky Clock By Lahiru Lakmal Priyadarshana Every day is Halloween when this clock is on your desktop. The pendulum swings back and forth, reminding you that the witching hour is never too far away...

You can find these and more at our holiday gadgets page. If you feel inspired to create your own holiday gadgets, visit our Developer Site and be sure to grab the Google Desktop SDK.

Happy Halloween from the Google Desktop Team!

More Holiday Gadgets: Valentine's Day!

Posted by Kathy Walrath, Technical Writer

Today is Valentine's Day. Traditionally, this day of romance is celebrated with chocolate or flowers, lavish dinners out, or even more lavish dinners in. But what if you're still looking for that special someone, or you're miles away from the one you love? Google Desktop to the rescue: Here are a few desktop gadgets you can use to find or celebrate love.

	Crush By Lahiru Lakmal Priyadarshana Let a special Google Talk friend know that you have a crush on him or her.
	Cupid's Gadget By Teodor Filimon Are you too shy to ask someone out? Do you want to see if he or she likes you, too? Try "like-marking" with Cupid's Gadget!
	Find My Heart By Lahiru Lakmal Priyadarshana Give your heart to a Google Talk friend. Your friend wins if it takes five tries or less to find where you hid the heart.
	Kiss Me! By Kathy Walrath Decorate your desktop with a kissable, framed picture of your sweetheart — or anyone else you'd like to kiss. Send your prospective valentine a picture of yourself and a pointer to this gadget, and you're sure to get a kiss! (Virtually, at least.)
	Love is in the Air By James Yum Heart-shaped fireworks simulate the graffiti inspired by first love. What could be more romantic?
	Flower Pot By Google Inc. If you're too late to order flowers for your honey, try giving virtual flowers instead. You might even try to convince your valentine that electronic flowers are ecologically superior to chemically treated flowers that have been transported hundreds of miles. Good luck with that.

You can find Valentine's Day gadgets and more at our holiday gadgets page. If you feel inspired to create your own holiday gadgets — pi Day, anyone? — visit our Developer Site and be sure to grab the Google Desktop SDK.

Happy Valentine's Day from the Google Desktop Team!

Holiday Gadgets

Posted by James Yum, Support Engineer

We've released some very fun and festive gadgets just in time for the holidays! Try these out:

	Christmas Tree by EK Chung and James Yum [USA] A tree that you can decorate. Choose lights, bows, stockings, and ornaments for your tree to add distinctive holiday cheer.
	Countdown to New Year by Teodor Filimon [Romania] A winter calendar that shows how much time is left until January 1. This gadget's main purpose is to count down these final days of the year, so be sure to have it running New Year's Eve!
	GX'mas Tree by Lahiru Lakmal Priyadarshana [Sri Lanka] A nice "Xmas" tree right on your desktop, with lights that reflect your CPU usage. Choose your favorite holiday song to play in the background.
	Christmas Frame by Bijoy Thangaraj [India] A dynamic Christmas frame that plays a carol when you click on the tree!
	Virtual Christmas Tree by Catalin Avram [Romania] A beautiful tree that you can decorate just like a real one. (Hint: Click the Ornaments box at the bottom of the tree, choose a decoration, and then click everywhere you want the decoration to appear.) You can also listen to carols, watch the snow fall, or shop for a holiday gift.

Many thanks to the talented developers of these fine gadgets. We encourage all of you to create and share yours for holidays you celebrate. To get started, visit our Developer Site and be sure to grab the Google Desktop SDK.

Happy Holidays from the Google Desktop Team!