Widget -- Engadget Mobile

widget posts

Samsung launches TouchWiz SDK for cross-platform bliss

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 17th 2009 @ 2:03PM

Now that Samsung's standardized on the TouchWiz interface across its entire touchscreen line -- dumbphone and smartphone alike -- they've created a fertile playground that offers developers the opportunity to reach a good chunk of the world's second largest phone manufacturer's devices. A dedicated software development kit for TouchWiz is now available direct from Samsung, and since your average code monkey doesn't necessarily have access to fifteen different phones running multiple versions of every platform Sammy supports, they're also offering up their Virtual Device Lab that'll let devs test their wares on everything the company has on tap. For distribution, Samsung will have a number of channels available: its Application Store, a new Widget Gallery that'll premiere on Verizon's Omnia II launching later this year, and -- perhaps most tantalizingly for developers -- the possibility of inclusion right in the frickin' ROM if Samsung really loves what you've done. Considering that you're targeting S60, WinMo, and a wealth of proprietary OS devices in one fell swoop, this could end up being a huge distribution channel.

Android 1.5's widget support gets detailed

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 22nd 2009 @ 3:06AM

One of the huge features missing from Android at its initial launch was proper widget extensibility -- as far as the official SDK was concerned, what you saw on the home screen when you took your phone out of the box was what you got, no questions asked. Fortunately, this is a marquis addition in 1.5, and the official Android Developers Blog is detailing exactly how this is all going to go down. In short, it looks like devs have complete control -- as it should be -- with the ability to infinitely tweak widget update intervals and appearance. As any G1 owner can attest, this action can't possibly come soon enough.

Nokia's N97 Widget Competition kicks off, plethora of Twitter clients inevitable

by Jacob Schulman posted Dec 22nd 2008 @ 8:02AM

You've seen the announcement and read our hands-on, and now the only thing on your mind is "how can I get a free pre-release N97 and give it to my friends at Engadget?" Well, apparently if you've got the coding skills, it could be as easy as writing a widget for this slick device. That's right, just have your submission completed by February 27, 2009 and you could walk away with a production version of this feature-rich handset, complete with your creation pre-loaded ahead of the public release. Hit the read link for all the details and to download a copy of the design package.

[Via The Nokia Blog]

Yahoo! takes Go to version 3, releases widget platform

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 7th 2008 @ 4:08PM

Yahoo's been taking it's mobile strategy pretty seriously over the course of the past couple years, having zoomed through two revisions of its Go portal app on multiple platforms. They've officially unveiled yet another major version today -- 3.0, to be exact -- featuring a new icon view (in addition to the old-school carousel view) and support for widgets. Widgets, you say? Yep, that's the real meat of today's announcements: Yahoo has opened the floodgates to third party development with its Mobile Developer Platform, promising a future rich with widgets that'll plug into Go and make it even meatier than it already is. eBay, MTV, and MySpace have already crafted widgets for the platform, too, so it's a promising start. Yahoo! Go 3.0 is available now for a wide variety of S60 and BlackBerry devices, and we're guessing that Windows Mobile will be following on shortly.

Read - Yahoo! Go 3.0
Read - Yahoo! Mobile Developer Platform

Spelunking through iPhone's firmware reveals new widget hints

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 1st 2007 @ 5:06AM

It seems like a healthy percentage of iPhone users currently in circulation are twiddling their collective thumbs, waiting for Apple to drop a feature-bomb on them in the form of a plump firmware update (and no, 1.01 doesn't count) -- but the present-day build may already be lending clues as to what's to come. It turns out that one of the iPhone's preference files makes mention of several widgets that seemingly don't yet exist; among others, Unit Converter, Translation, and Radio seem the most promising. An FM radio add-on from Apple certainly isn't without precedent, and the others have obvious analogues on the desktop, so it's all believable enough -- whether Apple gets 'em out before the homebrew community, though, is another question entirely.

[Thanks, Kai]

Nokia releases widget platform for S60

by Brian White posted Apr 18th 2007 @ 8:08PM

If you're a fan of Apple's Widgets and Microsoft's Gadgets, Nokia's software engineers hear you. Nokia's Symbian-based S60 platform now has support for dashboard-like widgets thanks to the recent introduction of its "Web Run-Time" tools for web developer types. Nokia is claiming its S60 widgetry to be a first for a mobile platform, although Microsoft may be readying the same concept for Windows Mobile 6. So, if you're ready to stock up that slicker-than-slick N73, just remember that you're going to need Nokia's S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 to get those new widgets -- then let the WeatherBugging begin.

[Via Mobilewhack]