As an easy-to-use application that provides information at a glance, a gadget allows users to quickly and easily obtain weather information, RSS news feeds, and much more. In Windows Vista, there are two types of gadgetsSidebar and SideShow gadgets and Microsoft MVP author Wei-Meng Lee covers both. You ll begin by walking through the development of a simple gadget, and then each successive chapter breaks down the specific APIs that are relevant to enhancing a gadget so that you can clearly learn how a gadget is built.