Widgets Everywhere: Opera for Devices Announces Support for Widgets
Opera Software recently announced that the Opera SDK for Devices will include Web-based Widgets in its next version, Opera 9 for Devices. Opera’s Widgets for devices are expected to be available to device manufacturers and operators in the third quarter of 2006. Now Widgets could be brought to devices such as TVs, set-top boxes, portable media players or even game consoles. The Nintendo Wii will be sporting an Opera web browser.
If the term “widget ” means something else to you (the race of the midget-like people in He-Man cartoons, a gremlin or something of that sort), well let us tell you what widgets are. These babies are small programs that are created using Web standards including AJAX, HTML, JavaScript, XML, CSS, DOM, RSS, SVG and Canvas, and appear as stand alone applications that can be viewed in partial or full screen mode.
Able to present both online and offline content, Widgets can power the user interfaces for unique Web applications or Web services from content providers directly to connected devices, without having to write native code such as C++.
According to Scott Hendrick, EVP for Devices at Opera Software, “widgets open the door for advanced Web-based dynamic content, services and promotions on a wide range of devices…Through these Web-based applications end users can view content and services incorporating the latest weather, sports, news headlines, TV guide information or casual gaming. Desktops users have already discovered the wonders of Widgets, now it’s time to bring them beyond the PC.“
Widgets is still quite new to Opera, they were first introduced last April 20,2006 in the Opera 9 beta for Desktop. Let’s just hope that it work wonders for Opera SDK for Devices, because if it does, the Wii will be one of those who would benfit from that improvement.
Opera Software recently announced that the Opera SDK for Devices will include Web-based Widgets in its next version, Opera 9 for Devices. Opera’s Widgets for devices are expected to be available to device manufacturers and operators in the third quarter of 2006. Now Widgets could be brought to devices such as TVs, set-top boxes, portable media players or even game consoles. The Nintendo Wii will be sporting an Opera web browser.
If the term “widget ” means something else to you (the race of the midget-like people in He-Man cartoons, a gremlin or something of that sort), well let us tell you what widgets are. These babies are small programs that are created using Web standards including AJAX, HTML, JavaScript, XML, CSS, DOM, RSS, SVG and Canvas, and appear as stand alone applications that can be viewed in partial or full screen mode.
Able to present both online and offline content, Widgets can power the user interfaces for unique Web applications or Web services from content providers directly to connected devices, without having to write native code such as C++.
According to Scott Hendrick, EVP for Devices at Opera Software, “widgets open the door for advanced Web-based dynamic content, services and promotions on a wide range of devices…Through these Web-based applications end users can view content and services incorporating the latest weather, sports, news headlines, TV guide information or casual gaming. Desktops users have already discovered the wonders of Widgets, now it’s time to bring them beyond the PC.“
Widgets is still quite new to Opera, they were first introduced last April 20,2006 in the Opera 9 beta for Desktop. Let’s just hope that it work wonders for Opera SDK for Devices, because if it does, the Wii will be one of those who would benfit from that improvement.
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