Nokia Launches New Widgsets Library, Confuses Everyone
When Nokia first announced Web RunTime Widgets, my first question was ‘how is that different from Widsets?’ Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out exactly what the difference is, and Nokia isn’t making things any easier. They’ve recently started melting the two together, with a new mobile Widgsets library available. No, that’s not a typo. I’m calling it Widgsets, since the two seem to be the same thing, only slightly different.
Widgets.Nokia.Mobi offers a one-stop shop for your Widsets/Widgets needs, including a handy list of phones that are capable of using standalone ‘Widgets’, and a link to download either Widgets or Widsets. Widsets is a java app, and is thus capable of running on nearly any mobile phone on the market today. Widgets require Web RunTime support, which only a handful of S60-powered cell phones have currently.
Also, for some reason, you’re asked to login to download any of the standalone Widgets. Why? What’s the point of needing to create an account if these things are basically apps that sit on my phone? Is there a benefit to me to registering and logging in?
There are a handful of free and premium Widgets available on the mobile library, so cruise over to check them out, but don’t be surprised if you’re not quite sure which to click on. I am, too.
Edit your title G! Spelling mistake.!
Busy day?
> Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out exactly what the difference is, and Nokia isn’t making things any easier.
How can it be so difficult? With widsets you always have to run the widsets application to use the widgets.
Webkit widgets can be run as standalone applications and can be used without hassle of starting widsets and logging in. Webkit widsets make it easy to rapidly build small applications. Developers can for example make use of the immerse amount of available dashboard widgets as they can be ported with quite a small effort. More info from http://www.s60.com/widgets
@Jussi - it’s confusing from a consumer standpoint. Technically, it’s easy to see the difference, as you point out.
However, try explaining to your mom or dad that they can use Widsets, which gives them widgets on their phone, or they can use Widgets, but only if they have a specific phone, and that phone could use both Widgets and Widsets, if they wanted. Some Widsets aren’t available as Widgets, and likewise some Widgets aren’t available as Widsets. Widsets is always free, while some Widgets are premium.
Feel free to take a picture of the deer-in-headlights look on their face afterwards.
I see your point
However it’s complicated only because you want to think it like that.
Because on mobile devices screen real estate is so limited, the only way to really use any widgets is how widsets are being used. Remember, widgets are supposed to be small complimentary applications, not full-fledged desktop applications.
The reason webkit applications are called widgets is because the technology is the same that is being also used on desktop widgets. But i can see that it may a bit misguiding if you already know about widsets. Maybe they ought not to be called widgets at all. However they are not real native or java applications either. What would you call them then?
@Jussi - touche, and to be honest, if I’m going to complain, I should have at least offered a suggestion to address the confusion, rather than just complaining. It won’t happen again.
I see your point against simply calling them applications, though I wonder if consumers really care what the technology behind it is, as long as it accomplishes what it says it does. I.e. if you have a native application that connects to the internet to get current weather updates (mWeather or Handy Weather) or you have a Widget from The Weather Channel that installs like an application, gives you an icon like an application, and simply accesses the internet to get current weather updates, do consumers really care which technology powers them? Do they necessarily *care* that they use different languages in the background, so long as the consumer gets the same end result of an icon that they can click on to get current weather reports?
I’ve tried a battery widget which ran nicely on my N82.
However the abilities wasn’t in my opinion in par with other diagnose tools.
It looks nice with some fancy screen with the battery and all, but besides looking nice it didn’t do anything more than that.
I would rather see something informative and boring rather than getting in presented to me fancy and taking up resources.
I do believe that it will get better after a while and that the widgets we’ll see will offer more practical purposes.
However I rather like the idea of having one application whereas other widgets/”mini apps” runs inside it.
That way it won’t be so many icons on the phone which makes it such a cluster.
I do agree that most people don’t look under the hood of the technology as it works, but I do believe that what I mentioned will play some important role.
As long as it works and it’s tidy people are happy.
Hi Guru,
I agree with you that most people don’t care about the technology behind an application. Here’s an attempt to separate the tech from the solution.
- Widgets are little Web apps, and come in many shapes and sizes
- WidSets is a service that distributes widgets.
- With some widgets, you need some sort of widget program (like the WidSets client) to see them.
- If you have an S60 phone, you can use fancier widgets that can do more stuff and can be launched directly from the application menu.
Hope this helps,
-Oren (from Nokia/S60)
Oren -
Thanks for chiming in. I think that’s a fair pitch or description that covers most of the bases. I like that.
Thanks! I posted it to the See Into S60 blog for more general edification.
I must say for now I actually preffer WidSets. Why? Well the “+” telling you “this has updated”, for one. The push email “widgset” is great.
Also the advantage of WideSets opening your connection once, if you have it set to “always ask” for your net connection (which you need to do if you travel a lot), using WRT widgets gets REALLY annoying REALLY fast, whereas WidSets only asks once, then shuts up (as long as you keep WidSets running).
An ideal world would have something simliar as WidSets in the Widgets, i.e. a way to launch the WRT app, and allow the WRT app to modify the icon in the app list (i.e. add the “+”, change a temp readout or sun/cloud in a weather widget, or similar) such that you can “start” a set and just have them “running” without having them “Open”. And a “auto launch when phone starts” feature would be nice too….
/Z