Enter the wonderful world of widgets and get coolest free apps

Apple's new operating system upgrade - Tiger (OSX 10.4) - has brought a load of controversy along with its many new features. The most notable of the controversies revolve around Dashboard, an innovative new model for interfacing with and utilising micro-applications.When a hot-key is pressed, Dashboard flashes an array of already running applications (called widgets) to the top of your desktop. Each Widget application is a lightweight, one-trick pony appearing as a specially designed, colourful, 3D button that displays or finds one specific bit of data. The controversies contend that (1) Apple stole the technology from a small shareware publisher called Pixoria, maker of Konfabulator, and that (2) the automatically downloaded and activated micro-applications are a major security hole that could be used by bad guys to destroy data or worse. It has been shown, however, that Apple demonstrated the widget principal as a desk accessory back in the early days when the Mac platform was just being formed. And as to the security vulnerability, turning off the auto launch of 'Safe Applications' in Safari's preferences window effectively handles the problem. As to the usefulness of the feature, I originally thought it was just some glitzy new distraction that would tax my computer's resources and potentially conflict with needed work applications. But I was wrong. These little widgets are wonderful, and it seems that the entire world of software developers is creating for this new medium. Best of all, most of these incredible little apps are free.The widgets are essentially mini Safari browser pages and work using the popular JavaScript. Because they are made of HTML (like a standard webpage) they can show films, photos and play music. Each widget simply goes out to your machine or the internet and gets (or computes) one piece of information. Examples of widgets that come pre-installed with Tiger are:Stock Widget, which displays all your favourite investments and how much up or down they are for the day. Weather Widget, which displays conditions around the world including the highs, lows and a six-day forecast for your area.Dictionary that finds definitions, synonyms and antonyms. In Safari, if you select a word, Dictionary will open with that word defined.Phone Book includes publicly listed addresses and businesses in the United States. If you click on the phone number it displays extra large so you can see it while you dial.World Clock, open one for each city you are interested in.Translator has two spaces, the upper into which you type a word and the lower that displays that word translated into the chosen language.Flight Tracker shows if a flight is on time and, if the flight is in progress, displays where the aircraft is on a world map.Unit Converter handily shows you the equivalent for weights and measures including currencies, temperature and speed. Address Book is ready to enter or edit new contact info or bring someone's up.Old standbys: sticky notes, a calculator and a new game made of tiles.Remember the concept here is minimal computer overhead displayed instantly at the push of a button, when you need it, and a colourful, simple interface.In addition to the widgets that come included with Tiger, 120-plus widgets or widget modification tools appeared on the www.versiontracker.com website within the first 10 days following the Tiger release. All are free except for eight. Interestingly, these applications are some of the handiest and most useful applications in any format. My favourites are:Air Traffic Control finds wireless access points and tells you if they are encrypted and basic network info including signal strength. It is handy for travellers, troubleshooters and security scrutinisers.TV Tracker lists the programmes showing on a long list of channels. This one's a winner.Britannica Search connects to Encyclopedia Britannica's site and gives quick access to the contents of the encyclopedia. There is one for Wikipedia.