Sick of getting rained on? Then get the ultimate weather gadget for your Windows Sidebar

If, like me, you check the state of the weather forecast 623 times a day, then having a weather gadget in the Windows Sidebar is a bit of a blessing.

But the weather gadget that comes with Windows Vista can be, well – a little hit and miss.

Sure, it looks pretty, but the forecasts are more often than not inaccurate (probably because it doesn't update quickly enough to cope with the variable UK weather) and it doesn't give you any indication of the weather to come.

The Met Office has now released its own weather gadget which seems much more promising. It doesn't look quite as nice, but it's far more comprehensive.

You can set your exact region and location, check what the weather is going to be like over the next few days, look at incoming extreme weather warnings, and there's even a fancy satellite image that shows the changing weather system in real time.

I'm hoping at some point the Met Office will also add a few more features to make it even better, such as wind speed and humidity.

To download it and add it to your Windows Sidebar, just go to www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/gadgets/vista.html and click on Download gadget.