(Click here for a larger view of NetFront browser widgets popped up on the Windows Mobile home screen)Since earlier this year, Access has been promoting its widgets technology, an offshoot of the company's
NetFront 3.5 web browser for Windows Mobile. Widgets are small applications that employ a web browser's rendering engine to run, but do not display the browser's standard border, menus, and other "chrome." They give handset users convenient pop-up utilities, such as a world clock, memo pad, or calculator, says Access.
NetFront's Photos and Twitter widgetsIn July, the company released its Windows Mobile
NetFront Browser Widgets Player, a cut-down version of NetFront, and sample widgets that included Twitter, Flickr, photos, world clock, weather, memo pad, calculator, and calendar functionality. Today, Access has launched upgrades to the player, along with standard and mobile versions of its "NetFront Browser Widgets Community Site," showcasing downloadable widgets.
Player and toolsAccording to Access, the improved NetFront Browser Widgets Player now runs on Windows Mobile 5 and 6.x Standard devices, as well as the Windows Mobile Professional touchscreen devices that were previously supported. A PC is required to install widgets on the Windows Mobile Standard version, while the Windows Mobile Professional and also-available Symbian S60 Players can download and install widgets from Access's Mobile Widgets website, the company says.
Meanwhile, Access also released new content development tools, "for the purpose of promoting an open widget community." The free tools are said to include the NetFront Browser Widgets Packaging Tool v.2.0.0, the NetFront Browser Widgets Viewer v.2.0.0, documentation, and content creation tutorials.
New websites
NetFront Widgets
Community Site
(Click to enlarge) |
Currently, the NetFront Browser Widgets Community Site (right) does not list any third-party applications. Instead, it features the following thirteen widgets, all said to have been written by Access:
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Digital Clock
- Groups
- M Search
- Map
- Memo Pad
- Number Place
- Photos
- Twitter
- Websnapr
- World Clock
- World Weather
The Widget WarsAccess touts widgets as beneficial to users because they can conveniently pop up over other applications, for quick access. Meantime, the company adds, they're also a way for carriers and software developers to create branded user interface elements, without the complicated process of writing compiled software applications. Widget-based user interface elements can be updated over the air, much like a website, without risky modifications to a device's actual operating system firmware, Access adds.
While the widgets concept appears laudable, the marketplace is clearly fragmented. Access competitor Opera Software promotes a
similar widget technology, as does Google with its "
gadget" technology, and Yahoo!, with its
Yahoo! widgets. All of the above are said to be based on web "standards" such as Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), or Document Object Model (DOM). However, changes are apparently required in order to port widgets between their NetFront, Opera, Google, and Yahoo! implementations.
Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of Access, said "Opening the official NetFront Browser Widgets Community Site is another step forward in realizing our vision of connecting every device to the Internet. By stepping up the development of leading-edge technologies and solutions for new mobile and integrated device markets, Access will help to create fulfilling digital lifestyles for users around the world."
Further informationAccess' NetFront Browser Widgets Player for Windows Mobile, widgets, and development tools, are downloadable now from the company's website. The mobile version of the NetFront Browser Widgets Community Site is available,
here, and a desktop version,
here.
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