What Are Gadgets?
Gadgets have got to be iGoogle’s biggest selling points. There’s no more waiting around for Google to code new gadgets or features, because it lets (and teaches!) the community how to develop them. When you have an already great product and you allow the community to leap in, you end up with truly a treasure. Gadgets are little mini-applications that users can add (not download) and install on there iGoogle homepage. They occupy a “block” similar to an RSS feed. (see iGoogle screenshots) Simply looking at the Gadgets list, a Gadget can: • Have the ability to check your e-mail accounts (see iGoogle screenshots, I check my Gmail and Hotmail on the same page) • Give you Joke-of-the-days, Tip-of-the-days, Horoscopes, daily comics, anything like that. • Dictionaries, Thesauruses, Wikipedia search boxes • Gadgets using your favorite websites: Youtube search, latest Digg articles, Craigslist search • Much, much, MUCH more.
