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Are you using WordPress as a CMS and a blogging app? If you are and you are wondering how to make sure that the readers of your blog would feel that each of your posts and articles would have specific ‘weights’ in terms of special articles, regular ones and asides, you could actually set it up using Musil as your theme. The good thing about it is that it’s a really simple looking theme that would not make you feel too overwhelmed.
Positive points for Musil:
- Distinguish the different kinds of entries that you have.
Maybe you have things you consider as ‘special features’—how should these appear on your site? Having them appear differently from the rest would be good so that people would have that clue that they are there as special features.
- Asides are really seen as asides.
If you’re someone who wants to put sidenotes, no need to worry about how to fiddle around much. Seems like sidenotes work without a hitch here.
- Widget support
Whether you are a newbie in blogging or a pro, you could customize your blog further through the use of widgets. There are some widgets that are automatically included in this theme and you just need to activate them. The widgets are: Related Posts and Scrobbler. Check out the plugins so you could activate them, as needed.
People are getting more and more conscious about how readers would benefit more from the layout of their individual blogs. Musil is definitely one of the themes that think about such factors as well as the usability of it from the user’s perspective. Maybe if you are someone who simply needs to know what would work out of the box and have a nice theme to look at at the same time, this is an option you could choose. If you’re running a news and features blog, you might also want to check this out or even modify it.
GTalk, Google’s own instant messenger, has been around for a few years now, and more and more people are using it. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that businesses are using Google Apps more, so it follows that Gtalk becomes the instant messenger of choice.
We all have to admit, however, that Gtalk does have its downsides. For those of us who have been using another instant messaging client for years (Yahoo Messenger or MSN Messenger), the adjustment may not be welcome. Believe you me, though, the adjustment period does not take that long. And, with the improvements that Google is making, everything just becomes much more convenient.
Take for instance the new widget that allows file transfer in the web version. This file transfer feature has been available in the independent Gtalk client for quite some time now, but those who do not have the client installed know how frustrating it can be to have to attach a file to an e-mail rather than instantaneously transfer through the chat window.
Well, your frustrations are over. Late in March, Google added the functionality to the web version as well as Orkut. This means that you can use any computer, log on to your Google account, and transfer files using the chat window without having to create a new message.
Oh, I have to be clearer I think – this functionality is available through iGoogle chat and NOT the Gmail account. In the near future, though, this should also be available via your Inbox chat as well.
Two of the most recognizable names on the Internet today have joined forces, causing quite a stir, especially in the world of social media. Both names – Yahoo and Twitter – have been around for quite some time and have gathered their own set of ardent followers. Due to the merger, more possibilities are arising, creating a lot of excitement.
What’s the best thing about this move? You may already know that Twitter users can access their tweets AND update their tweets through Yahoo’s plethora of products. In effect, we can say that Yahoo has made itself a Twitter client. Obviously, this allows for more flexibility and accessibility on the part of the user – which is always a good thing.
On the widgets end, I will not be surprised to see widgets at the center of this flexibility and accessibility campaign. Perhaps in a few months – maybe less – we will be hearing of Yahoo-Twitter widgets that will make tweeting an even easier and more fun activity.
There aren’t a lot of specific details as of now, but it seems that both parties are very excited about the merger. According to Bryan Lamkin, the senior vice president of Yahoo’s consumer products group, they’re “turning the key to the online social universe — you will find the most personally relevant experiences through Yahoo! We’re also simplifying people’s lives by bringing their social worlds — and the world —- together for easy access.”
Twitter is just as happy with this statement: “The information in one single tweet can travel light-years farther with this Yahoo! integration. Tweets in more places brings relevance where and when you need it most.”
I suppose it’s a win-win for them, but my question is: will we (the users) also come out as winners? I hope so!
This year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is over and done with, but the air (at least the Internet “air”) is still buzzing with what was shown in the event. Year in and year out, technophiles look forward to this event as it showcases some of the best in “toys” – both existing and those that are yet to come.
The recently concluded CES is no different in that there were gadgets everywhere, but it seems that there is one hot topic in the realm of software: widgets for TVs. As an aside: I can’t believe how advanced TV sets are these days. I still remember that big old television set that my grandma used to have. It was encased in a wooden frame that took up almost the whole wall in the living room. Now, we have (almost) paper thin TVs that can do practically anything!
Anyway, with this new generation of television sets, other companies are taking advantage of their features – the ability to use widgets one of them. The idea is for the TV to be connected to the web so that anytime you want to check something out without having to use another device (such as your computer or your phone), you can simply call up a widget and you will get the information you need.
Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, eBay, Yahoo – these are merely a handful of the most recognizable names online today, and they are all offering widgets for various TVs. For now, there are probably around 50 widgets that one can choose from. Manufacturers say, however, that by the end of this year, we can expect that figure to double.
It was just a matter of time, really, and I suppose that that time is NOW. Google has announced some details about its service regarding music online. Dubbed Google Music Onebox, the service basically allows users to stream music without additional effort. All that users would have to do is search for music on Google. Naturally, they had to partner up with music streaming services in order to make this possible.
Some music streaming services that have been named as Google’s partners in this venture are Lala, iLike, Pandora, Imeem, and Rhapsody. This is where widgets come into the picture – to manage the streaming of the music. You’d think that Google would have created a universal widget that will manage the streaming of the files regardless of the streaming service used, right? Well, you thought wrong.
This is actually one issue that people are already bringing up. From what I have been hearing, the widgets that will come up when you listen to a song will depend on the service providing the streaming. Even worse, they say that you will have no choice as to which widget will come up. Basically, you are at the mercy of whatever rules govern the service. I suppose that if you are not particular about the widgets, then Music Onebox should do well enough. The ability to stream music simply by doing a Google search is definitely buzz worthy. Still, I really hope that Google create its own widget – the one widget to rule them all. Now THAT would be cool.
Photo courtesy of Geek.com
Poker has become a huge thing in the recent years. Perhaps it is due to the immense exposure that it has enjoyed, thanks to celebrities playing poker and to poker players becoming celebrities themselves. I’d like to think, though, that poker is such an exciting and challenging game that this popularity couldn’t be helped – exposure or not.
In any case, it is quite common for people to create their own poker leagues these days. Bars hold their own tournaments even. If you have a poker league or tournament of your own, you might want to check out the widget from PokerDIY, which is a web site that connects poker players from all over the world. The people behind PokerDIY describe their baby as a “lovechild of the union between a social network for poker players and online poker league software.” Basically, through the web site, poker enthusiasts can find likeminded people and join existing home games or tourneys or invite others to join their home game or tourney. Of course, there are other tools available on the web site, such as forums and poker-related software.
This brings us to the poker widget that they are currently promoting. The widget basically allows a user to show off poker tournament statuses and scores on any web site and Facebook. Other information such as statistics can also be shown through the widget. The best thing about the widget is that it is FREE for use!
If you are already using PokerDIY, go ahead and grab the widget code. If you’re still looking for a good poker league management tool, go visit PokerDIY now and see how it can work for you.
Sports fanatics will certainly appreciate the convenience that widgets offer the freshest news about games and teams right on your TV. I know that this is perfect for those who cannot always watch what they want on TV. Perhaps you’ve even heard of them – Yahoo Sports Widgets and USA Today Sports Widgets.
I have not had the personal chance to compare both of these widgets but the review at CNET has quite convinced me to choose the former over the latter:
Both widgets open up to a window with a number of quick links, including headlines. Selecting one of these on both widgets brings up the first paragraph of the article. The Yahoo widget draws its content from the AP, and so these snippets of text tend to be pretty informative as the AP consistently puts their ledes at the top of their articles. The other widget, of course, uses USA Today for its content, which tends to have more literary or anecdotal starts. This means that, at times, the USA Today headlines are just a tease without providing the information that you’re really looking for.
Another convincing point is that Yahoo gets information from AP, and for some reason, I prefer AP’s information over USA Today – although that is not to say that one is superior to the other. The bottom line is that here are two excellent widgets which you can use – the choice is up to you!
This post is for web developers and other individuals who are interested in making use of their spare time and having fun while at it. Samsung has fast made a name for itself in the mobile phone arena, and has consistently provided users with great options. One of the things that mobile phone users look forward to is the release of new widgets, which make the phone experience all the more interesting and useful.
This year, Samsung is encouraging the creation of new widgets with Innovation Quest. Also known as SIQ or Samsung IQ, the event this year is focusing largely on the GT-i8910 home screen. The competition is being co-sponsored by The Symbian Foundation.
Those who will be joining the competition are in for an exciting event for sure. More than simply being participants and coming up with something new, contestants are going to be equipped with a lot of tools and resources, which the sponsors are providing. For example, a series of technical papers on widgets for mobile purposes is to be made available.
If you are worried that you are not an expert and you merely like to dabble with software development, you should rest easy. The event is meant for the expert as well as the novice.
At the end of the competition, the SIQ winner will take home around $25,000 and the potential income from the sales of the winning widget. Register at Samsung Mobile Innovator to join now. Deadline is 14 August, so it’s not too late!
Yahoo used to be THE thing when it came to the Internet. I remember more than a decade ago, when the Internet was only starting to become big, it was Yahoo that was on everyone’s lips. Today, however, Yahoo does not have that distinction anymore. The Internet, and technology in general, has evolved so rapidly and so many players are on the field now.
Yahoo is not giving up on its existence yet, though. In fact, even if it has a lot of competition, Yahoo is still a major factor to consider; and it continues to evolve and offer new things to users. One of the recent revelations on the Yahoo Blog is the fact that they are offering a host of new widgets and apps which will allow users to do a lot of things without having to leave the Inbox.
This has gotten a lot of attention and it seems to me – even if I have not personally tested all the widgets and apps – that this piece of news is being received favorably. Reuters actually featured this earlier this month. Some of the most notable widgets and apps mentioned were:
There’s a PayPal application that can integrate into a user’s Yahoo mail, as well as apps from personal finance service Mint.com and blogging tool WordPress which can be weaved into a person’s MyYahoo start page. Nearly 20 new widgets are now available for use in various Yahoo products, including a handful of apps for Internet enabled-TVs.
I am all for this, though I have one question: how is the speed of the interface?
Language is one of the main barriers that we have to face on a daily basis. The Internet has brought countries and cultures together, and still we do have our language differences. While I will never stop marveling at the complexities of language, I find it difficult to communicate sometimes, and I am sure that you have similar experiences.
Here is some good news for those who use Google Friend Connect: the widget now has a language feature, which allows users to post and comment using their own language. Information Week has this story:
The revised comments gadget allows Web site visitors to post and read comments in their own language through Google’s automatic translation technology.
“With this gadget, visitors from all over the world can leave messages in their native tongue, and other viewers will be able to instantly translate these comments into the language of their choice,” Google Friend Connect product manager Mussie Shore said in a blog post.
The benefit for Web site owners and visitors is obvious: greater community engagement. The downside—of gadgets in general—is ceding more page real estate to a third party. While Google may be a welcome houseguest on many home pages, the presence of its software takes up room that might otherwise be used for unique content. It also raises questions about whether Google and other gadget makers are privy to too much information about what goes on at the Web sites they’re enhancing.
Now we can interact more with people who do not really speak English! My only concern? I hope their translator is accurate!
