Accelerators for Windows 7: Missing in Action
Accelerators, a softer name for Smart Tags, are neat little shortcuts a user can use to perform an action based on some selected data, without having to cut and paste it anywhere else. For example, rather than paste an address into Live Maps, you can simply highlight 1 Microsoft Way and access an Accelerator to map out the location immediately. It’s magic! (not really)
With Sinofsky now behind the wheel, steering Windows development, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Accelerators have made their way onto the Windows desktop. Ribbons made it, so why the heck not?
Accelerators for Windows toolbar in Windows 7 Build 6780
Accelerators for Windows made a quiet debut back in an older Milestone 3 builds of Windows 7 and can be found in leaked build 6780.
Accelerator implementations in Windows 7 (left) and Internet Explorer 8 (right)
Just like in Internet Explorer 8, you select some text and access the available Accelerators by clicking the big blue button housed in a toolbar on the Taskbar (or by pressing Winkey+Shift). A menu will appear with the stock choices, allowing you to define, email, map, or perform other activities on that word or phrase. Easy stuff.
The next button over, sporting a grape-drink purple, gives access to Voice Shortcuts also accessible via Winkey+Ctrl.
Tying a Voice Shortcut to an Accelerator via the Accelerator configuration applet
Use of a Voice Shortcut is similar to that of an Accelerator, no surprise as they’re tied together. You select some text, click the button (or use the associated shortcut) and speak your mind. If you’re lucky, it won’t confuse ‘define’ with ‘log off’.
And guess what? Accelerators for Windows haven’t been seen since.
Today, with builds of Windows 7 approaching beta candidacy, Accelerators for Windows have yet to re-appear, suggesting it was either canned, boxed, and thrown into a dark moldy closet along with Longhorn pre-reset goodies or simply removed for some more retooling (that GUI definitely needs some TLC).
If it was indeed canned, maybe the team could bolt it on later as an Ultimate Extra? Oh wait.
[...] made a quiet debut back in an older Milestone 3 builds of Windows 7 and can be found in leaked continua Windows 7 Tutte le info – Installa Vista sul tuo Notebook o Desktop senza Crapware – Software [...]
and thank god; accelerators are horrific and nobody uses the stock choices either. just as well they are gone.
[...] Source:→ Within Windows [...]
Only “accelerator” one needs is “Search with Google (or Live)”. Every other activity listed can basically done from that page onwards.
I’ll take something like Automator that does full GUI automation. Many fail to see its potential and write it off, few can “see what it does” for non-scripters. Mac OS X isn’t raved for no reason.
imho accelerators should stay in IE, theres no bid for them on desktop… same useless thing like activedesktop
I think a few of you have it backwards. I think they belong in the OS, not in the individual applications.
Why have to add the same or similar functionality separately to IE, Firefox, Word, Adobe Reader, FoxIt, etc when the OS can provide the plug-in model to enable this functionality across the board?
I never saw the Accelerators in Windows 7 in action, but I love the ones in IE – the pop-up definitions and maps would be amazing if they worked in the other applications i listed above.
I think people miss the point of accelerators that its not just a simple menu item taking you to a web page – some of the accelerators pop up the information right there in front of you without you leaving your context.
I couldn’t agree more with Tim… most people miss the point about accelerators. The functionality they add is huge IMHO.
You jsut select some text and you can now blog it, post it (to Facebook/LiveSpaces/Blogger/etc) search for it, map it, define it… they’re awesome!.
I think accelerators on Windows would be neat. Instant information, quick. Sometimes, it appears with just a hover. It’s also much quicker than copy & paste. I just hope to see more to download.
Hey! I loved those Longhorn pre-reset goodies! But honestly I think that Accelerators in W7 are actually a pretty nifty idea. Like Aero-Snaps!
“Leaked build 6780″?! When did 6780 leak? I have only seen screenshots of it… AFAIK only 6519, 6801, 6936 and 6956 have leaked so far.
(BTW are there any protected features in 6519? :-) )
i really love the accelerators once i got the hang of it in IE8
One major problem with them – they all use Windows Live services instead of Google :o)
i just noticed something… this little feature got dropped from win7 though people liked it and it wasnt hurting anyone… and also the latest wlm beta dropped support for the personal sounds people could hear from you coming online
Weren’t “Smart Tags” originally supposed to be in Windows XP and/or IE 6? So says Paul’s XP Road to Gold story:
“IE 6 went through a few changes since its inception–most notably the removal of Smart Tags and the Personal Bar–due to tester feedback.”
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_gold2.asp
[...] worried because previous features such as RSS-fed wallpapers and Accelerators for Windows were also in a similar hidden state before having been ripped out of the OS in later builds. Rumor [...]
I’m a big fan of Accelerators in IE 8, IMO, they’re great productivity tool. I was really looking forward seeing them in Windows 7. So I was really surprised that it’s not available on the beta build (AFAIK). However, I imagine it “universally” available via context menu and not as a toolbar in taskbar. I agree that it’s a little strange seeing it there. Imagine highlighting something in notedpad or Word and then just right-click to do a search for the term. The possibilities are endless!
I’m hoping that it will be included on the final build as context menu.
Effective nutrition is moderate in protein, carbohydrate, and fat. ,