NETSPEAK
Widgets: the new landscape
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Meant for accessing online applications
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Web-based widgets that operate from web pages constitute a major share of the new widgets being rolled out.
WIDGET, A tool for accessing an online service with ease, is fast becoming an essential component of a web-based service. NetSpeak profiles the latest trends in the `widgetosphere.'
As mentioned in an earlier column (http://www.hindu. com/biz/2006/08/14/stories /2006081401291600.htm), widgets are tiny programs meant for accessing different online applications without having to visit them. These program snippets work from both the desktop and web pages.
A desktop widget generally needs a widget engine for it to run.
For instance, the `Reuters Widget' (http://today.reuters.com/sponsored by/reuterstogo/widgets.aspx), created for prompting latest news items on your desktop requires the Yahoo! Widget Engine to run.
Thousands of such widgets are being generated. Besides the Yahoo! Widget engine, several others are also in the fray.
SpringWidget (http://www.springwidgets.com/) is another example of a Widget engine. After installing/running the engine, you will find its icon displayed on the system tray. Lots of useful widgets are also hosted on this site.
For instance, the widget 'Simply Hired' (http://www.springwidgets.com/widgets/view/47) could come in handy for job hunters. You can easily get the latest relevant job openings on your desktop without browsing the job search service (http: //www.simplyhired.com/).
Desktop widgets are just one part of the `widgetosphere.' Web-based widgets that operate from web pages constitute a major share of the new widgets being rolled out.
Web-based widgets help web authors enrich their sites with additional features. For instance, if a visitor of your site stumbles on a difficult technical term, he/she may jump over to an appropriate online service for obtaining the definition/explanation. Now, if a tool helps him/her fetch the meaning of the term without having to move from your site, it becomes more valuable.
The AnswerTips (http://www.answers.com/main/answertips.jsp), the widget from the famous online answer service Answers.com helps you enrich your site with this feature. Once this widget is embedded on your web page, a visitor can check the meaning of any term by just double-clicking on it.
It is likely that your site visitor wishes to communicate with you through Skype (or Gtalk or some other similar means) while on it. If your tool's online status (such as Skype's `away', `online' and `offline') is displayed on the web page, it becomes easy for the visitor to communicate with you.
Several widgets are available for this purpose. The SkypeMe widget (http://www.widgetbox.com/widget /skype), developed for showing your Skype status on a web page, is a good one.
Widget technology lets an online service install multiple access conduits for helping users avail of its facilities/functionality from varied platforms (such as web pages, blogs, desktop and the like). Widgets help a provider widen its reach and deliver services directly to the customer.
In fact, an online service without one or more widgets is a recipe for its downfall. The `widgetosphere' is exploding with new and innovative widgets daily.
To keep up with the latest information on widgets, you need to regularly scan through widget repositories and blogs. TagWorld Widgets (http://www.tagworld.com/guest/widgets/Default.aspx) is a good information source for locating details on the latest widgets being released.
Widgetbox (http://www.widgetbox.com/), a widget directory, is an excellent location where you can find a variety of widgets organised under categories such as blogosphere, communication, interests and so on. The facility to create a widget for a blog is another advantage of this service.
Snipperoo (http://directory.snipperoo.com/) is another widget directory worth a regular scan.
You may also check out widget-related sources such as Widgipedia (http://www.widgipedia.com/) and Widgets Lab (http:// www.widgetslab.com/) .
Stumble video
As mentioned in the past, the StumbleUpOn (http://www.stumbleupon.com/) service lets you discover new web sites. Of late, this service has added another web-based product for helping you discover interesting videos. Based on the videos viewed from the service, Stumble Video takes you to other similar ones available in its database. Access the service, StumbleVideo (http://video.stumbleupon.com/), select the channel of your choice (from the listed categories such as computers, science, humour, politics and so on), click on the `stumble' button and the service will immediately take you to an online video.
In the past, we have come across several open source/free software repositories, developed for helping us download different tools/utilities for free. Now, do you wish to grab commercial programs for free? If so, check out Giveaway (http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/), the innovative software distribution service, tipped off to this author by Kripesh Nambiar, a NetSpeak reader from Bangalore. Everyday, this service offers commercial software titles, downloadable from it, for free.
Under this scheme, a product notified on a day has to be downloaded in 24 hours.
J. MURALI
He can be contacted at: jmurali@gmail.com
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