Nokia embraces widgets

Nokia Corp. has joined the mobile widget bandwagon.
The handset maker said it initially will use the icon-based applications on its S60 platform, providing one-click access to mobile Web sites via icons on the phone’s screen instead of requiring users to launch a browser and type in URLs. The applications can be customized, allowing users to receive content such as news, weather reports and traffic information from the Internet automatically.
Widgets are becoming popular among computer users, but have only recently come to wireless as developers grapple with the limited size of the third screen. ZenZui, a Microsoft Corp. spinoff, last month unveiled a widget-based application, and uLocate Communications Inc. recently launched a widget-based, GPS-enabled offering that provides local content.
“With the constant development of new widgets and new, exciting content, the possibilities of using widgets are limitless,” Nokia said in a statement.
Nokia also unveiled a new Web application development environment for developers, dubbed Web Run-Time.