Understanding The Many Different Types Of Widgets & Gadgets

Posted on 19 November 2008 by Patrick FlanaganNo Comments

(5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

So your interested in launching a widget.  OK, that’s a cool idea.  But which type?  Better yet, I bet you didn’t realize that there was even more than one type.  Deciding which type of widget should be one of your first decisions in charting out a widget development plan and launch strategy.  Let’s begin by doing a quick survey of the four (4) main categories of widgets and gadgets that exist today so that you can get on your way to launching your own.

1. Platform / Site Specific – So these type of widgets have a large strike against them from the start. The user has to first download and install the required run time platform.  An example of the platform specific type would be Yahoo! Widgets which forces all users to first install this baseline one-time program (which Yahoo! calls the ‘Konfabulator‘ engine) or the Google Desktop Gadgets which also requires a platform installation to happen first before individual gadgets can be installed on top.  In both cases, the potential audience and distribution is limited to those whom have (or are willing to) go through all the trouble to download and install the base platform level program.  An example of a site specific widget would be the iGoogle Gadgets where these widgets can only be displayed on a user’s personalized iGoogle homepage. Given the other strong options out there, I would avoid this category of widget at all cost.
   

   A Yahoo! specific widget that Best Buy ran last Holiday 2007

2. Downloadable – Sometimes these widgets require a baseline widget platform and other times do not.  An example of one that requires a run time environment would be an Adobe AIR widgets (or desktop application).  An example of one that does not require any run time would be the Staples Easy Button or the Southwest Ding! widget.  In either case, the actual widget has to be downloaded and installed on the end user’s machine. Again, given the other options in the marketplace I would stay away from this type if maximum distribution is the goal.
   

   A ShopLocal powered Adobe AIR Desktop widget that is in-store deal focused

3. Desktop / OS Specific – If you are a Microsoft Vista or Mac OS X user, then you are probably familiar with this type of widget.  In Vista, these are called ‘Sidebar Gadgets‘ and within OS X these are called ‘Dashboard Widgets‘.  In both cases, these type of widgets only work on the specific OS platform that they were designed for.  They are also downloaded and installed locally on a specific machine.  At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would take a pass on using this type of widget as well.  The distribution is just not there.
   

   A shopping based OS specific widget from Woot

4. Universal - This is the type of widget to use if maximizing the size of distribution is the goal.  This widget requires no run time or platform software to be installed.  The actual widget itself is never downloaded and installed.  Instead these type of widgets are ’snagged’ or ‘grabbed’. The user just has to embed the widget into their personal or social web site of choice. So typically within a few easy clicks, the user can essentially take the widget with them and post it within their blog or favorite social site.  This is what makes this widget immensely more powerful than the other types documented above, as it is uniquely positioned to be spread in a viral manner.  There are a few many providers or the widget technologies out there that make it very easy to take your mini-application and ‘widgetize’ it.  Just check out Widgetbox, Gigya, YourMinis or Clearspring.  All of these widgetization providers have great easy-to-use and often free services to allow you to easily wrap and package up your application into a universal type widget.  The core concept to catch about this type is it is supports all computers (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc), browsers, sites/publishers, etc.  There is literally not a web page out there that a universal widget could not easily be placed on.  So instead of having all sorts of barriers to use (like run time and widget downloading) these widgets excel at having none and making it so easy for users to grab and share.
   

   A universal widget that ShopLocal helps power the weekly ad content area

Related posts:

1. Expanding Beyond The Browser And Onto User’s Desktops Ahh, the wonders of the WebTop.  In this new...
2. Weekly Ad Based iGoogle Gadget AND My Yahoo! Open App Live The possibilities of distribution points for weekly ad content...
3. Great Example Of A Weekly Ad Widget On A Retailer.com Homepage If you check out Shaws.com homepage right now, you’ll...

No Responses so far | Have Your Say!