Widgets Arrive for the iPod

The iPod is still largely a closed development platform, but that's not stopping some folks from creating widgets that run on it. Kooloroo has two products that bring handy information to the iPod. One is a tip calculator. The other is a color wheel. More here.

Over time, all handheld devices will get widget capabilities. It's the perfect venue for them. The challenge will be that many these devices today are not yet Internet-enabled.

When you think about it, Java apps that run on phones are basically widgets. One of the key trends to watch for is synchronization - users will want to run the same widgets on their mobile devices as they do on the desktop or web-top. We'll also see even more innovation once marketers get wind that widgets are a ticket to getting on mobile phones.