Are you thinking that the calendar you have on your sidebar is not enough? Are you looking for a different kind of widget to make it work to your advantage? Are you tired of seeing how ordinary and boring your calendar looks and behaves compared to those on the other blogs? Look no further. You have the King Calendar widget for WordPress.
The King of all calendar widgets!
It has features you won’t be able to resist:
- support for the Events Calendar Plugin
- four HTML fields available for customization
- set it to show up on any of the following pages:
- Home / Search / Archive / 404 page
- all pages or a special Page (just set the page_id or slug of where you want it to show up)
- all or special single Article (as with pages, just set where you’d like it to show by indicating the id or slug)
- all or special Category listing
- inside a special Category, List or Article
The nice thing with these features is that you could so much more with the Calendar. If for example, you have a category called Events (where you put the schedule of your events and maybe a bit of news), it would be nifty to have the calendar show up. Also, if you allow it display the Events (especially if you are using the Events Calendar Plugin), that is awesome. You don’t need to have so much trouble in setting it up.
Customizing your blog so that your calendar will be different, thanks to those additional HTML fields, is also a nifty thing. You can make sure that it would stand out or blend in on your page.
Download link.
Prerequisite: King widgets framework.
Would you like something soothing on your blog and still be widget-friendly so that you would not find it difficult to work with it? If so, there is the blue horizon theme by Kaushal Sheth. It is a predominantly blue and green theme and as such, you could feel the calm and cool aura of the theme.
Things to like about the theme:
- The cool and calm feel.
This is really amazing. The header image is that of rolling hill and you could see the clouds there too. Really soothing.
- Header navigation – you could put your links to your blog’s static pages there. Or a link to another blog you update regularly.
- Blockquotes – The style is cute. When you blockquote something, there are left and bottom borders, even for the ones nested inside those blockquotes. Really cute because you could distinguish the blockquotes from the rest of the posts.
- Fonts – sans serif and rounded fonts
- Categories and subcategories – They are indicated underneath the titles of the posts.
- Widget-friendly – This is definitely something positive about it.
This is one of the themes by Kaushal Sheth and it really looks quite usable. Any blogger could easily use it and feel at home with it. This theme might be quite good with blogs with themes that center on reflection like a parenting blog or maybe travelling, especially if you feel like the default header image reminds you of your favorite place to relax. You could view the testrun here. You could also download the theme from here.
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.
Google Buzz has been active for quite some time now, and yet it seems to me that it isn’t buzzing as much as some people thought it would. Perhaps it just needs to grow on more people. Perhaps they need to add features and update the service. Whatever the reason is, all I know is that I only have a few friends using Google Buzz and many still prefer to use the tried and tested (and sometimes irritating) Facebook.
If you have an Android phone, though, and you are liking Google Buzz (I actually do like it, to be honest with you), you might want to know that there is a widget that will help you use Google Buzz more easily. I am still wanting a Google Nexus One phone, but only God knows when that is going to happen. I did have a chance to play with one – a friend is lucky enough to have the means to purchase one immediately – and I have to say that it rocks!
Anyway, so what’s the buzz about the Google Buzz widget for Android phones? For one, it lets you post text with a single tap! Not only that, you can upload photos with the same amount of effort. Pretty neat for lazy people, huh? More so, the app has the capability of working in the background, allowing you to do other stuff (PLAY) on your phone while it uploads whatever you want. Those of you with Android phones – here’s your chance to play!
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!
If you’ve been using the Flash-based Twitter widget on your blog or web site, you might have noticed that it isn’t working. That’s because Twitter has disabled this widget due to security concerns. The problem lies in a vulnerability that was discovered in the widget. According to the people at Twitter, a security analyst raised the red flag about the widget. Apparently, the vulnerability can lead to hackers finding out the login details of the user.
Twitter was quick to respond to this issue and promptly disabled the widget. Gaj-It tells us more:
“We’ve been notified about a vulnerability in our Flash widget and out of an abundance of caution we’ve disabled access as we assess the situation,” Twitter’s staff said in a status update.
Despite this action, the configuration error reportedly stems from a basic programming mistake back in 2006. Mike Bailey, a senior security analyst with US-based company Foreground Security, said that the problem exploits a widely known vulnerability in the Adobe Systems Flash programming language.
Bailey emphasizes however, that the problem is not Adobe’s fault. He says that it is actually the programmers who make the mistake and that Adobe has already issued guidelines on how to avoid this flaw when creating Flash programs. Indeed, he says that there are a lot of other widgets with the same vulnerability – thanks to “bad programming.” That is, the programmers do not follow the recommendations of Adobe, hence exposing widgets users to the risk of having their login details hacked.
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.
Do you have a blog about pets? Or maybe you have another kind of blog but you love pets. If this is the case, then you might want to take a look at a widget that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has created for pet health and safety. Aptly (if not creatively) named the Pet Health & Safety Widget, the tool provides information for both the blog or web site owner and the readers. The information comes from the Center for Veterinary Medicine, so you know it’s legit and reliable.
From what I see in the FDA web site, the widget is pretty enough. It is narrow – the width of a small side bar – and long, perhaps a little more than 2 inches long. The code is provided, but it doesn’t seem as if there is a user interface to tweak the parameters of the widget. You can try to change the values for height and width, though – I think that will work.
The widget is mainly color blue, with various shades thrown in. There are two tabs – TIPS and UPDATES. There is also a small image which takes up most of the space of the widget, and there is a title (presumably for the article) at the bottom of the image. You can scroll left or right for more tips. I tried it out and there are only two topics available – purchasing pet drugs online and how to report pet food complaints. As to the frequency of updating, I have no idea.
Give it a try, grab the code from the FDA web site.
Are you one of us? Those who tweet on a regular basis, that is. If you have not discovered Twitter yet, then it’s about time! Once you try it out, you’ll find yourself tweeting non-stop. Ask anyone who uses it and you’ll hear the same words.
Anyhow, Twitter has just released a new widget on its Goodies page. If you log on to the platform, you can find the link to this page at the bottom of the home page. The new widget basically allows Twitter users to display their tweets on another web site or blog. It also is compatible with the more popular social networking web sites such as Facebook and MySpace. With this widget, you do not need to copy paste your tweets to change your status!
There are currently four different kinds of widgets which you can from. These are Profile, Search, Faves, and List. Naturally, to make it easy on the users, Twitter provides the codes that you will need to embed in your site of choice. Everything will be done automatically, so you just need to do whatever it is you do with Twitter and the changes will be reflected on the web site.
You may also tweak the widget. For example, you can choose the settings for the frequency of refreshing. You can also choose the specific information that you want to show on your web site. Another important tweak is the ability to resize the widget so as to fit your site properly. Go get the widget now!
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
