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Widgets: "iPhone apps, I am your father."

by Michael Grothaus Dec 11th 2009 at 9:00PM

Don't get me wrong, I love the iPhone and its App Store juggernaut, it's just sometimes it seems that people have forgotten all about the iPhone app's father: the Dashboard widget.

First introduced in Mac OS X Tiger in 2005, widgets changed the way people quickly accessed simple information on their Mac. And though Apple did not create the concept of a widget, it did present them in the best way.

With the press of a button I had access to my portfolio, my Yahoo! news, my local weather, calculators for everything, translators, you name it. Widgets were small, simple, and beautiful. They performed one function and did it exceedingly well. Widget ports created half of the first apps ported to the iPhone (think the Weather app, Calculator app, Clock app, and Stocks app).

So in honor of the widget being partially responsible for the origins of iPhone apps, I'd like to present you with my four favorite ones. I hope you'll list your favorite widgets in the comments section too.
1. TimeScroller. I've used this widget for years. TimeScroller is a utility for quickly finding a suitable time for an overseas phone call or conference, or simply just to check if now is a good time to call. Given that I live overseas and have family and friends all over the world, this widget has been invaluable. Unsurprisingly, its also become an iPhone app. [iTunes link]









2. iCal Events. It's a widget that shows you your upcoming iCal events in a quick, simple interface. You can set it to see all your events from any calendar for one day to two weeks in advance. There's no iPhone app of this widget, but Apple would be smart to add this functionality into a new iPhone OS homescreen.







3. App Update is a free Dashboard Widget that can automatically check for updates to your installed software. It searches Apple's Downloads site, MacUpdate and Version Tracker. I've used this widget for years. It saves you time from checking the sites for updates manually. Get this widget and you're always assured to be running the latest version of your Mac applications.

4. Widget Update is a free Dashboard Widget that can automatically check for updates to the all the other widgets that you have installed. It's made by the same guys who do App Update. Again, this ensures that all your widgets are always the latest version.

So, those are four of my favorites. There's lots of them out there. Be sure to tell us your faves in the comments!

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Don't get me wrong, I love the iPhone and its App Store juggernaut, it's just sometimes it seems that people have forgotten all about the...
 

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Jacob

Haha, whats funny is you can run widgets on the iPhone, something called MobileDashboard. Prettty cool, I bought it, I think it's worth it.

December 13 2009 at 5:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
steve humann

Also I think it was one of Bob Newhart's patients who invented Widgets first. Shortly after he invented Hors D'oeuvres. It was that episode where they're all in the ski lodge I think.

December 13 2009 at 12:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
steve humann

not a fan of the Dashboard or its Widgets and I tried pretty hard to integrate them a while back. Funny thing is I just rewatched the iPhone introduction keynote again after and SJ called both the Weather and Stocks apps 'widgets' on the iPhone.

December 13 2009 at 7:00 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Andrew

I agree, Mac Widgets compared to any other system's is half done. Why do we not have the option to put them on the desktop?

I hate using Mac widgets, I hit a button and they pop up, but its a mess, and if you have a busy desktop, they are almost impossible to see? Awful.

I don't want to have to pay $30 for a third party app that allows me to have widgets on my desktop (which is where I want them).

OK, so you can activate the developer mode and have them on your desktop floating above everything else (which is ugly, and useless - other than for testing your widget works), but why not just add that extra step so that they can exist on the desktop below everything?

That you can't do this defies all logical sense.

Very much a missed opportunity for apple here, and anyone who makes a statement that "this is the best implementation" has lost all objectivity.

Bad apple, bad.

December 13 2009 at 5:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bobm

Is it just me or is Dashboard broken on some widgets?

I'm using Radar in Motion and some other widgets and I've found times where the dashboard app will freeze up. I've removed Radar in Motion and all seems to be better.

Oh and the folks that complain about having to press a key to get to a widget, you can set a corner activation and not have to hit any keys.

I do that and have added an extension called Corner Click (http://greg.vario.us/cornerclick/) to further enhance it.

December 12 2009 at 10:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mrharoharo

My favorite widgets are iStat Pro, Chi Pet, and the default Unit Converter and Translation widgets. Though I want to look for a better translation widget since the default one seems to be down fairly often and as you get better at learning a language it becomes more limited.

December 12 2009 at 5:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Julius

Uh, you too seem to have a short memory. Konfabulator begat Widgets.

December 12 2009 at 4:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ahren

Gotta go with:

TV Forecast
Minutes
EasyEnvelopes
Shredder
RadarInMotion

December 12 2009 at 3:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
c-mac

I'll throw in my favorites:

iStat Pro: Still the best system monitor tool out there, bar none.

Delivery Status: Along with Deliveries for the iPhone, this is my godsend, as I get lots of packages and it keeps stuff in sync across systems and platforms

Junior Mint: Gotta keep track of my site stats

MAMP Control

December 12 2009 at 2:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
alansky

Only in your dreams. Widgets are fine. They are also, for the average user, totally forgettable add-ons. The iPhone/app combination is a total game changer. There's no comparison at all.

December 12 2009 at 12:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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