Chat and email release

So, there's a new release of WidSets. As always there's many new things included, but this time we have introduced two new features related to communication between our users, Chat and Email. They have been requested by our users, and we now have the first versions available. Let's see what we've got.

Chat

You can now chat with other WidSets users on your mobile phone, either in private or public. Private chat groups can be created by sharing a chat widget (with the private channel) with your friends, and anybody can participate in a Public chat group. If you have a camera-enabled mobile phone, you can also include pictures in the chat. (Note that this currently works only on some high-end phones).

Email

Some of you have probably used the old email clients in the Library, which have provided you with the messages to your phone.

We have now introduced and email client where you can not only read messages, but also reply to them, and delete them. This works with any email service that supports IMAP4 or POP3. There is a wizard for setting up the email widget, so it should be very easy to get started.

Other

You should be receiving better widget recommendations from WidSets, and we will be improving this all the time. Thank you for the feedback!

The rest of the features are mostly "under the hood" i.e., all kinds of optimization and platform enhancement needed for supporting the masses of users we are getting. And as you might have noticed, we are still fine-tuning that part...

Web and mobile release

We've been busy developing some major enhancements and new features, so there hasn't been a release since the beginning of December. This is alarming, our last release was last year! :-) But let's take a look at what's new on the web side, on the client side, and somewhere in between.

On the Web

The most visible change is the main page on WidSets, where we have put lots of efforts on making using it simple, as well as into making it easy for the first time users to get started. We will improve this a lot in the upcoming releases, but I think this is a great start. You can now choose widgets on the web and explore what it will look like on your mobile. You can even preview "the real stuff" on the mobile phone simulator. And when you've played around with it for some time and think you're ready, you can download what you selected to your mobile.

As you might remember, we introduced the alpha version of something called recommendations in the last release, back in December last year.  We have now improved that and hopefully it will provide you with much better suggestions for cool widgets, making it much easier for you to find interesting widgets in the 1000+ widget library.

On the mobile

Related to the first-time user we've also improved the registration process. The easiest way is still to go to www.widsets.com with you laptop browser and register there. But the mobile registration has now been streamlined a lot, so the sharing feature we introduced back in October last year can now be utilized to its full extent. Next time you're in a bar with some friends and (hopefully :-) showing them WidSets, share a widget with them and get them on board, imediately!

On the mobile the biggest change is in the default widget (system), where we have introduced a lot of new views to the WidSets Library. You can new find widgets using the familiar views from the web i.e., the most popular widgets, the latest ones, the slick picks, based on categories, and of course using general search. It is now much easier to start using great widgets directly from your mobile.

Developers

For widgets developers we have expanded the "Published widgets" view on the web with lots of statistics. For all of you who have created a widget, you will now get statistics about how often it has been seen in the Library (impressions), opened, picked (over time), and of course how many people are using it.

Other

We've also (finally) updated the supported phones page, and we have provided more help and statistics for people to check how popular their particular mobile phone model and brand is on WidSets.

And you'll of course find all kinds of new cool widgets in the Library, but I'll get back to that, later.

Upgrading....

At the time of writing we are in the middle of an upgrade to a new release of WidSets. Since there are major changes on many fronts, you won't be able to use WidSets before the upgrade is finished. I'll be back with information about the new release, soon!

Updated... we still have a few hick-ups, but hopefully things are going back to normal, soon. Follow the discussions in the WidSets Forum for details. Thx!

Library Release

So, it's time for a new release of WidSets. As everybody has seen, the growth of the Library has been so rapid that it has been quite tough to find what you want from it. That's the reason for why we have concentrated on making the Library available for you, the way you want it, and the content you desire. This might sound very boring, but read on, and you will most probably change your mind! For even more details, check the Forum and the section General News and Announcements, as well as the Tricks and Tips.

Mobile Library

You have most probably used the New widgets in the System Widset. We have now expanded that with a full Search, which provides you the whole WidSets Web Library on the mobile. And naturally you can also Pick the widgets you are interested in, and start using them immediately.

The guys got up to speed and implemented also an Auto-arrange function, so you should have a much better overview of your dashboard after you have picked new widgets to it.

Recommendations

We have something like 900 widgets in the Library at the moment. They do all kinds of things, they provide you all kinds of content in different formats, and in different languages. Most people are probably not interested in all widsets in the Library. That's why are introducing Recommendations for you. Our system will suggest widgets from the Library, which match the ones you are already using, making it much easier to find the content that you like. It is in early Alpha, but we hope that it will be something really cool over time. Naturally, we won't remove the current Library tools, so you will be able to find whatever you are interested in, just like before.

Popular Choices and Related widgets

In addition, it is now easier to find the original and "official" version of the widget that you are looking for. Before this release you could easily find a service or content that had the same name, and you didn't know which one to choose. If you are uncertain, or don't want to check out all the versions, look for widgets that have the WidSets logo in the icon. It doesn't automatically mean that it's the best stuff in the world, but it is usually a safe bet.

As mentioned above, people are often also interested in widgets that are related to the one you have found. If you double-click on a widget on the web, you will now also get a list of related widgets in the Library.

Mobile Registration

Oh, and one more thing. People can now register directly from their mobile, by pointing their mobile browser to get.widsets.com and getting started immediately with WidSets. And when they want to have more features, they can go to the WidSets web with their web browser to fill in the details needed for full registration, later.

Upgrading...

We are in the middle of a bigger upgrade when it comes to both the servers and the client. This is a rolling upgrade, so some users will encounter some slowness and problems with the connections, whereas others will have everything working perfectly all the time. Check the Forum and "Open Floor" area for comments and discussions. Thx!

WidSets Reloaded+

It's been such a long time since we've announced any enhancements to WidSets, so we thought we'd do that now :-) For users with the "WidSets Reloaded" client this is an optional upgrade, i.e., you have to go the WidSets web (Settings/Reload) to get the new one (1). For anybody with a really old client, this will be an automatical upgrade (you'll get a message when starting the WidSets client). Here's a list of the new things available:

• There are some enhancements when it comes to delivering big pictures to the phone, so if you have experienced slowness on that side, upgrade your client.
• We also pimped the "Lite client" a little, so check it out if you are using that version
• We realised that our developers are too fast, so now also the FAQ is up-to-date
• The "share your widset with a friend" feature is now implemented fully, i.e., you can pick recommended widgets from your system widget inbox, on your client
• When it comes to new widsets, you've probably seen the ones related to games and email, and there's new ones being created by someone all the time. Check the Library for news.

After this we'll concentrate on the next big release and won't bother you with upgrades for a while. Bear in mind, though, that we have adopted warp speed...

(1) We'll try to confuse you at the client upgrade, but stay cool, and just do the upgrade... (yes, 0.95 is bigger than 0.95 :-)

WidSets Reloaded – Third Release

The WidSets service was launched a little over 3 months ago, and now is time for the third release, meaning it's time to reaload your mobile client and make the most out of the new improved WidSets.

We've been working quite a lot on the usability over the summer, but the major improvements were made to the WidSets client itself. For example, the client can run in either Lite or Full mode depending on the mobile device model that you use. Read more on the subject in the Most Popular Devices section and remember to reload the WidSets client to your device.

One of the key improvements we are proud to announce is the ability to view rich content, such as pictures, using WidSets. We also made it far easier for you to publish your own blogs or favorite feeds and share them with your friends via email or mobile device. And if that’s not enough, play around with the improved tools in the Studio section for creating fancy widgets yourself.

Here are a few cool things you can do with the new improved WidSets:

• View rich content such as pictures from blogs and other services
• Easily create and publish widgets for your own blog or website
• Share articles and widgets directly from your WidSets client
• Hack your own application widgets
• Optimize your WidSets client with the improved options menu
• Pick widgets using your WidSets client
• Find out what others write about WidSets in the Press & Buzz-section

Check out the WidSets Reloaded – Full Feature List-entry to read more about the newest release and its features.

As you can see we've been working hard tying loose ends and smoothing out edges. We realize we're at the beginning of an interesting journey, and that we have lots of fixing, tweaking, and improving to do. We hope that you will continue providing us with your excellent feedback in the Forum, so that we can make WidSets become the solution you want it to be. You can of course also comment on this post, directly.

Lastly, I'd like to send out a big THX to the WidSets team for all the hard work, for the attitude and focus, for coming up with solutions to things that seem impossible to do, as well as for coping with my bad sense of humor. And now back to preparing the next release...

WidSets Reloaded - Full Feature List

On the WidSets website

Improved website navigation

We improved the look and feel of the WidSets website, both for new WidSets users, as well as for the existing ones. The Home page includes widget examples and a Learn more section, so that you can find out how to use WidSets in the most optimal way, depending on your interests. We’ve also done some improvements to the Library, so that you can find and take into use the widgets you are interested in much easier. We also have a list of most popular phones used by our users, providing you with examples of reliable mobile devices that run WidSets.

Great new widgets

At the time of writing, I have to admit that I don't know for sure which new widgets will make it to the new release, but there are a lot of them "in the funnel". I've seen games, comic strips, and all kinds of fun stuff being demoed in the corridors, as well as some really useful, but flashy widgets. I'll let you check out the functionality of our renewed Library, and the new views, to find those widgets.

Press & Buzz

You'll find a new link on the web pages, in addition to the blog link. I'll try to gather information about what has been said about WidSets in the press and in the blogosphere. It should give you an understanding of what people out there think about us, what they like (and don't like), and so on. And of course we do like to promote people who write nicely about us...

Application widgets

We have added more and better templates, which means that it is now even easier for you to mobilize your favorite service, blog, or your own web service. You have now lots of choices when it comes to the logo/picture placement, as well as the look-and-feel of the widget. In fact, now it's so easy and good, that even I will start using them!

And then to the WidSets client

Rich content from blogs and other services

Another feature that has been requested by our users is the possibility to view pictures from various feeds. Well, now it's here. If the service or blog you like feeds pictures, you can now watch them on your mobile. If you want only text to be sent to your mobile device, you can choose that from the WidSets client Options-menu. In addition to that, we have also added multi-lingual support, so whatever language is used, it should be displayed correctly on the mobile.

Sharing articles and widgets

This is a feature I really like. If you're reading an article or posting in a widget, you can share the article with a friend using email. Just go to the Options menu, type in the email address of your friend, and the article in question will be sent to him/her! You can even pick the email address directly from your Phonebook, saving you a few typos :-)

In addition, if you believe that some of your fellow WidSetters would be interested in a specific widget, you can now share that widget with them. Click on Options for the widget in question, type in the phone number of your friend, and off you go. The guys even added the possibility to pick that information from the Phonebook - or even call the person in question!

Note that the Phonebook access is currently phone-dependent, but if it works on your phone, it will be enabled on it, so you don't have to be afraid of crashing anything.

Client options

We've re-worked the Options-menu for easier navigation, and we added a few features and options to it. Let's take a quick look at what's in there.

• In the main client view, under the Options/Widget menu you'll find the earlier mentioned Share widget feature ("send)" along with the general settings and potential tags for the widget in question.
• In the main client view, under the Options/Client settings you can find (among others) an optimization feature for your client. It is related to the way the client communicates over the network. If you are having trouble connecting at all, you can toggle between "socket" and "http" to see if it helps. You'll also find the Lite/Full mode setting here.
• If you open a widget and read an article, the Settings there will include the earlier mentioned Share article feature ("send") for news articles and other interesting stuff.

WidSets expands with new features

The WidSets service was launched three weeks ago, on June 6th, and now it's time for a feature update. We're responding to the feedback from you, guys, and enhancing existing functionality, as well as introducing new features, making mobile usage even easier and more flexible. Some valid user feedback will unfortunately not yet be included in this release, but is noted, considered valid, and we are working on getting them implemented in the next release. Anyway, keep that good stuff coming!

The key new features are

• two-way functionality
• more to read from the feeds
• audio alarms
• skin editor for widget creation
• more interesting information from the system widget

One of the main features in WidSets has been the push-based alerts functionality, which keeps you updated with what goes on in your favourite services, automatically. This feature makes it possible to consume the services also on low-end phones. We now introduce two-way functionality, so that you can modify your widget preferences on the go, directly from the mobile phone. This feature is being updated as a write, and will be available later today. Check out the Options.

We have also provided commenting functionality to WidSets. The first service using this API is called Summeri, a local TV channel, where the users can send their comments online. Kids have more fun!

We now also provide more to read from the feeds. Earlier, the result you saw from some services was so short that you really needed the Bookmarking feature to check it out later, with your laptop browser. And for those of you who wanted to see the pictures in the blogs, we'll have that implemented soon, too!

Another feature that our users have requested is Audio Alarms, telling when there is something new going on with in their favourite services. Well, it is addictive, and available now, see the Options.

People have created lots of widgets themselves using our widget templates in the Studio. We have noew added a skin editor, so that you can design your own widgets more easily, getting a better result.

The System widget has so far provided you with the Inbox, showing new information about the service, as well as the Traffic Monitor, showing you how much data you have consumed using the WIdSets service. There are lots of widgets being created, so now you can also get a list of new widgets to your phone. And you can Bookmark those you are interested in.

We have also added a Slick Picks section on our web site where you can find some interesting services directly, without having to search in the Library.

All our existing users need to do is to accept an update request, which they'll get when starting WidSets on their mobile the next time. However, since this was our first service update ever, there were of course a few glitches, check out this Forum posting for that.

Anyway, try it out!

Two weeks old

We opened up the service only two weeks ago, on June 6th, but since that it seems that millions of things has happened. I actually spent those two weeks off-site and I tried to catch up to things remotely, but now after coming back I really realize how dynamic things have been.

What I'm most excited about is how lively the Forum has become already, with lots of good discussions, as well as great feedback and ideas. I wish to thank all our active users, as well as Tuomo and his team for managing the discussions and forwarding the input to our development team! Keep that stuff coming, we're definitely listening to you!

Related to that we have a new release coming up at the end of this month, which sounds like after a long time, but taking a look at the calendar... it's pretty soon! We have some of your feedback and improvement suggestions implemented already, as well as some nice new features. More information about that when the release is out. As a summary, those who checked us out the day we opened up the site will be mighty surprised when seeing the features we have coming up during the Summer months. Almost as surprised as when a lady tested a coke machine here in the corridor (which works with RFID) and received a can of beer!

When it comes to the widgets in our library, our users have been very active there, too! There's lots of new stuff being created using our templates in the Studio, and some people are even using our initial, rudimentary SDK instructions! Now, that really requires some determination - impressive!

We will continue working with interesting service providers out there, creating great widgets of their services for you to enjoy. In addition to showing the most popular and new widgets, we will thus also be showing widgets from those cool services. Anyway, don't forget to rate the widgets you use, and comment on them in the Forum. We really want to know what you think!