Widgets Come to BlackBerries

Users of BlackBerry smartphones now have access to small Web-based, info-gathering programs called widgets. What's a widget good for? Quick and easy access to sports scores, news headlines, and much, much more.

Wikipedia defines widgets as, "a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation." Apple first put widgets on its desktop computers several years ago. Anyone familiar with them knows they can be used to gather specific information from the Internet without having to open a Web browser. In other words, they can be used to save time.

Widgets have been slowly working their way into the mobile sphere. Nokia, for example, offers a platform for creating and using widgets on its more advanced phones. Now, the power of widgets is available for users of BlackBerry smartphones.

The Zumobi widget platform went live today, and contains a wide variety of widgets that BlackBerry users can take advantage of. Some of the widgets offer access to news, sports, weather, entertainment, games, AP Olympics reports, Major League Baseball scores, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. End users can also create their own mobile widgets from just about any Web content with the new Tile Creation Wizard now available on Zumobi's website.

Being able to create your own widgets is especially useful for those who need or want specific information that isn't already availalble from an existing widget. Want to see the latest headlines from The Journal of the American Medical Association? No problem. Use Zumobi's tools so you always know what the most recent research says.

You can find the platform at www.zumobi.com, or get.zumobi.com from your BlackBerry.