14 DAY TRIAL // Widgets have emerged like mushrooms after the rain. They are little applications that provide free services for the user. They cover pretty much everything regular software can provide, but within some limits. The name is supposedly the short for "window gadget". They are small, lacking in complexity apps that appear on your desktop at users' whim, providing all sorts of services.
The best example is Yahoo! Widget Engine that is required to run them. It comes complete with a set of widgets that can display an analog clock, display the computer memory status, personal contacts management, notepad, Yahoo! Search, weather status in your area, maps, day planner, calendar, etc. This information is pretty important and having a tool at hand to quickly check something means that it has a high functionality level.
Taking into consideration that the world of widgets is continually expanding, you can only imagine the fields these little apps can cover.
For every Windows widget to run on your computer, installing Yahoo! Widget Engine is mandatory. That is the only condition to benefit from this type of applications. It runs in the background and will not intrude over the other windows you have opened, silently retrieving the information from the Internet and bringing it to your desktop.
A new widget on the market is Trailers. The name practically says it all. But for making it clearer to you, I will reveal all the "intricacies" of this widget. First of all, besides the Yahoo! Widget Engine, you are also going to need an Internet connection. Considering the spread of the Internet nowadays, I do not think it will be too hard to fulfill these two requirements.
There is no need to install and a simple double click on the file will launch the application. The first window appearing displays a warning that says the application is not built by Yahoo! or a trusted partner and that it should be used only if you believe the source to be trustworthy.
Trust me, it is safe to use it and you will also be provided with information on the latest trailers posted on Apple's movie trailer website. Using the Internet connection, Trailers will get in touch with the website and provide the latest trailers available also supplying the synopsis of the movie.
The trailers are displayed chronologically and you will be shown the date of the update. The downside of the display is that it is limited to only eight trailers. Clicking on one of them will activate a slide window which contains more details about the movie. The new window contains a picture of the movie and a short description. The vertical slide bar allows viewing all the description.
I bet that most of you are disappointed by now. But the greatest feature is yet to come. Just bear with me through the Preferences window and the two menus available.
The first tab available in Preferences is General and contains the update bar. The user can set from here the interval the application should check for updates. The interval ranges from five minutes to an entire hour. Just drag the slider and set it to the desired value.
Window tab is richer in options and allows the user to set the level of window (the level you want the widget to appear: Floating, Topmost, Normal, Below, and Show Only In Heads Up Display). The window position can be locked thanks to the check box that makes the option available. The last option is setting the opacity level in order to make it less intrusive.
The greatest feature available in Trailers is linking you with the original website the updates are made from. Clicking on the picture is the way to do it and will even take you to the selected trailer. This way, you can also watch the teaser or trailer instead of searching it all over the Internet.
The Good
You will be up to date with the latest trailer made available by Apple's trailer website. The ease of use and low level of intrusiveness recommends it to all users.
The Bad
The number of trailers on display is limited to eight. I wish it was not a widget but a fully functional software that allowed users to see trailers from more databases and also offer the chance to download them.
The Truth
Considering it is a widget, the application is very good. Let aside the limited number of trailers displayed and the updating from only one website, it still provides you with very accurate information on what is yet to come in movie land.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
