Good Day

I am trying to test the Vista Gadgets but cannot seem to get this to work. are there any examples of this function? I cannot find any. I am trying to create something that notifies the client if there are any news on his branch or messages. Thought the gadget might do the trick. I have seen a clip in French where they added a reminder to the calendar and it popped up from the task bar with a photo and part of the message. How do I accomplish something like this. If anyone can assist please help me to get this figured out.

Thanks a lot