Yahoo! Desktop Products just announced on their blog the release of the Yahoo! Search widget for Windows Vista.

The Windows Vista Sidebar is a new feature in Vista that, similar to our own Yahoo! Widgets or Apple’s Dashboard, allows you to run mini applications (called gadgets) on your desktop that are connected to the Internet without having to open a browser. Since Yahoo! Search is one of our most popular services, it was a logical choice for our first ever Windows Vista Sidebar gadget. We designed the Yahoo! Search gadget to feel at home in Vista’s new visually rich environment with animations and four shiny colors to choose from. And whether docked in your Sidebar or floating on your desktop, the Yahoo! Search gadget puts Yahoo! Web Search, Answers, Local, Video, and more at your fingertips. Of course, there are a number of other ways to integrate Yahoo! Search into your Vista experience, including search plug-ins for IE7 and Firefox as well as the Yahoo! Toolbar also for IE7 and Firefox.

This is the first desktop toy designed for Vista that I discovered. Yet, I’m not going to try it: I uninstalled Windows Vista one hour after installing it, because I could not find any antivirus to run with it. My digital camera’s software did not work either, nor did my TV tuner’s software. And I’m not going to buy new gadgets only for the sake of a new operating system.

Now I understand why Microsoft had to give away those laptops for the Windows Vista review. What do you think? Did you have any Vista experience you wish to share? Be my guest!