Media Player Vista Gadget

Even though desktop gadgets have been natively supported only in two Windows flavors, namely Vista and Windows 7, they have been quite popular among users due to their flexibility and the numerous functions they can fulfill. For example, Media Player Vista Gadget can be used to play tracks from the Windows Media Player (WMP) library.

Installing the gadget does not require expert computer skills as it will instantly be displayed on one’s desktop and start playing the tracks it detected within WMP collection. It goes without saying that users first need to add songs and albums to Windows Media Player in order to be able to enjoy the benefits of the newly installed gadget.

Basically, once some playlists are found, Media Player Vista Gadget automatically plays the songs without the user needing to manually choose the items. When needed, users can access the Options window to disable automatic playing at startup or enable shuffle and repeat modes.

Not only does it play the songs, but it also displays the album cover, music genre and the full artist name, provided these details are included in the ID3 tags of the source files. The visualization mode chosen in Windows Media Player is also shown within the main window of the gadget.

Right-clicking the gadget window provides users with access to various playback options, as specified in WMP, so that one can easily adjust the play speed, stop, play or pause the currently playing track.

Overall, while not very complex, the functions of Media Player Vista Gadget can help users save time when it comes to browsing their WMP playlists and enjoying their preferred music.

The only downside of the app is that it is a desktop gadget, and desktop gadgets are no longer supported by Microsoft, even though they are still operational on Vista and 7. The bottom line is that those running XP or Windows 8 need to look for other tools if they want to benefit from similar features.