After a fairly long time (couple of months including the development for System Control), we are releasing a little update for the Ultimate Explorer.  Why the 2.0?  Cause this bad boy has been completely redesigned from the ground up.  I’ll get to the specifics in a moment, I just want to point out that this thing is a monster and in the right hands will be a nearly unstoppable information gobbler capable of fetching the Internet straight to you.  Okay, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but this gadget can search up to 50 different websites.

That’s right.  50.  50 Different websites brought to you on your Desktop.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Features:

• Search 50 Different Websites
• In Gadget Results For:  Amazon, eBay, PriceRunner, Drugstore, YouTube, and Digg
• Web Searches For:  Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, And More
• Introducing The Home Engine:  Weather, Date & Time, and Shutdown, Fully Customizable
• 4 Sizes:  Mini, Small, Large, and Super
• 4 Themes:  Dark Vista (Default), Brushed, Crystal, and Teak (All Redesigned)
• Calendar & Events:  Event Reminders Plus Calendars!
• Web Search Groups:  Perform Searches In Flyout Or Browser
• New Pseudo-Web Browser Flyout:  It’s Sweet.
• Expanded Flyout Functionality:  And You Thought Amazon Looked Good Before…
• 16 Engines Overall
• Improved Snap Search:  Graphical, 8 Buttons Instead of 6
• In-Gadget Help Flyout If You Get Stuck
• Improved Persistent Settings
• Improved Update System
• Brand New Vista Oriented Style

Catch your eye yet or have your eyes just kind of glazed over?

Download:

Download @ Live Gallery

Download @ BuildAGadget.com

Download @ Widgipedia.com

Note: Super Size is fairly stable but can on occasion cause the gadget to crash.  We’re working on it, but if anything happens, just re-add the gadget to the sidebar and that should fix it.

P.S.:  This gadget is still very much a work in progress.  We do appreciate bug reports and suggestions.  In addition, we are going to make some engine upgrades as time goes on to help accommodate more international sites.  Thanks for your patience.

P.P.S:  We will update the manual soon, but it’s probably going to be completely re-written.

I realize that this type of site isn’t on the popular side of people’s browsing habits these days, but I thought it would be nice to announce that the redesign to URLot.com has been launched this morning.  The interface a lot nicer than it was, there are more options for link shortening, there are more options with the user accounts, and well, there’s just a lot more to it.  In case anyone still has a few long links to shorten, do check out:

URLot.com

P.S.:  There is also the possibility of using this site
as the basis for a gadget, any thoughts?

This is just a quick update to patch over some stuff from the last update.  I know, everyone is waiting for more buttons and commands and what-not. 

Don’t worry, we are still planning and working on various things, including the next version of the Ultimate Explorer gadget (which is going to have some really cool stuff, BTW).  In any case, here’s the update:

• Update Checker has been fixed so that you no longer need to have an internet connection to use the gadget.  I know, this was a pain, not too many people probably noticed it, but I put the update patch in kind of quick and missed a couple things.  But don’t worry, it’s all fixed now.

Download:

Download @ Windows Live Gallery

Download @ BuildAGadget.com

Download @ Widgipedia.com

Seems like only yesterday we launched this little gadget and so far the response has been absolutely stunning.  Over 30,000 downloads in 8 days.  We’re happy, you’re happy, life’s good.  So here’s an update to help out some people who requested a couple features and some clarification on the StandBy button.

• Added The Ability For The Gadget To Check For Updates Automatically. 
• Added The Ability To Turn Confirmations Off And On At Will From Settings.
• Renamed StandBy To Sleep / Hibernate.

Why did we rename that button?  Cause Window’s Vista Power settings are a little schizophrenic.  For most people, the button will use Hybrid Sleep, which saves your current documents and profile and goes into a low power mode for 3 hours before shutting off.  If you have a laptop however, go into your Advanced Power Settings and switch off Hybrid Sleep and viola!  The Button will now work as a Hibernate only.  Sadly, Sleep only is a different command and if you’re going to use it, I would suggest Hybrid Sleep instead as it’s better functionality and better power saving.

So we hope you all enjoy the new update, let us know if you run into any problems or have any questions. 

Download:

Download @ Windows Live Gallery

Download @ BuildAGadget.com

Download @ Widgipedia.com

Since the initial release of System Control, we’ve gotten quite a few requests for either a “Sleep” or a “Hibernate” button as opposed to StandBy, which is supposed to be similar to “Sleep” (But only if you use Windows XP, evidently).  So, here’s what I’ve learned about the mess that is Windows Vista power options:

- Most systems will start with Hybrid Sleep, which saves your information like Hibernate, but goes into low power mode for 3 hours before shutting off.

- If disabled, you then have separate Sleep and Hibernate options, but the only real difference here is power, they essentially do very similar things.

- The command I use for StandBy is different depending on the power setting of the computer.  And you have to go into the advanced power options to even check out what it will do when you hit it.

Suffice it to say, I’m not exactly sure how to proceed from here.  I’ve requests from both sides, but since Hybrid Sleep fulfills both requests, people should probably be using that instead of generic Sleep anyways.  If you have a laptop and are concerned with power, just disable Hybrid Sleep and the StandBy button automatically does Hibernate instead.  I know it’s a little confusing, but that’s the weird way it seems to work.

I like the idea of Hybrid Sleep, but Microsoft probably should have been more forthcoming with the details of the power options and made them more customizable for people.  This being the case, I really don’t see the absolute need right now to add in a duplicate button, because all a user has to do is look at their advanced power settings to tell the button what it should do.

I will still be adding in an option to turn the in-gadget confirm on or off, but the power button issue might take a bit longer to have everything set up.  I was hoping to have a more definitive solution in place today, but it looks like there kind of already is.