Google Coop has quietly expanded and now can embed data from gadgets (i.e. widgets) as subscribed links. In English, as opposed to Googlese, what this means is that you can opt-in to have important live data pop-up when you enter certain search keywords.
Right now there are only a handful of gadgets you can sign up for. All of them are from Google, but they are handy. They include: time/date, translations, traffic and weather radar/conditions. If you have a Google account and you opt into these links, when you search it will trigger the data to load above the search results. You need to enter certain keyword commands, such as: "what time is it" or "weather 10036" or "new york traffic" or "translate hello into spanish." Google Coop has all the documentation, but see the sample in the screen shot below...
Given the size of the Google Gadget ecosystem, this is an important development - especially if developers begin tweak their gadgets. It turns Google into a giant command-line interface for web data.
However, one wonders if Google will eventually rolling this all up into their new universal search and "widgetsense." As you look down the road, you can see this as an avenue to deliver one heckuva an opt-in online ad. The key is that the information delivered must be compelling enough.
