Convergence

Web 2.0 and the Future of Pervasive Computing

Monday, August 28, 2006

Behold, Widgify.com is Live!

If you had not noticed already, I am a big fan of Widgets. Big ones, small ones - I love them all. Because I love them so much, I figured it was about time to write a blog focused on the topic entitled...

WIDGIFY

For those of you that are interested in discussing the emerging Widgetsphere, you should definitely check it out. I will still obviously keep posting on broader topics on the Web 2.0 on this blog.

Enjoy...

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Monday, August 07, 2006

Leaked KickApps Demo

For those of you interested in the emerging social networking platform "White Label Wars," check out this leaked demo of the Kick-Apps platform. This demo is interesting because it features not only their "canned" social functionality, but also the use of Widgets. Kickapps is just one of the contenders in this emerging space. Other players include:

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Thursday, August 03, 2006

Part II - WTF is a Widget?

In our last episode, I promised to start brain storming on the definition of Widget. Good to my sequel promise, in this post I will try to dive into the depths of Widget philosophy. Ironically, this question came up several times this week, so it is a good time to start thinking about a decent answer! With further adieu on with our show...

According to the kind folks contributing to Wikipedia:
A widget (or control) is an interface component that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box. Widgets are sometimes qualified as virtual to distinguish them from their physical counterparts, e.g. virtual buttons that can be clicked with a mouse cursor, vs. physical buttons that can be pressed with a finger. Widgets are often packaged together in widget toolkits. Programmers use widgets to build graphical user interfaces (GUIs).
That is a pretty decent start, but is still a bit too high level for me. Given the fact that it is a bit tough to define generically, I am going to take a slightly different cut at this. Specifically, let's start by taking a stab at a more specific term - Web Widget. According to the all knowing Hoo-pedia the definition is as follows:
A Web Widget is a portable software application, or module, that can be installed and executed within one, or more separate browser-based application platforms by an End User without requiring additional compilation.
Whew. Does that make sense? That basically covers all the bling you can place on MySpace, as well as the more utilitarian services that you can use across MySpace and blogging platforms like Typepad, etc. That is my two-cents. I wonder what Pete Cashmore, Richard MacManus, Dion Hinchcliffe and other Web 2.0 thought leaders think. Maybe I will ask...

More on this to come. Tune in next time for more fantastic fun with your friendly neighborhood Hoo-man. Yee-haw!

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