Widgets Everywhere: Opera for Devices announces support for Widgets

Oslo, Norway – May 30, 2006

 

High-res version

Opera Software today announced that the Opera SDK forDevices will include Web-based Widgets in its next version, Opera 9 for Devices.Widgets can now be delivered to devices such as TVs, set-top boxes, portable mediaplayers or even game consoles. Opera’s Widgets for devices are expected to beavailable to device manufacturers and operators in the third quarter of 2006.

 

Widgets are small programs that are created using Web standards including AJAX, HTML,JavaScript, XML, CSS, DOM, RSS, SVG and Canvas, and appear as stand aloneapplications that can be viewed in partial or full screen mode. Able to present bothonline and offline content, Widgets can power the user interfaces for unique Webapplications or Web services from content providers directly to connected devices,without having to write native code such as C++.

 

“Widgets open the door for advanced Web-based dynamic content, services andpromotions on a wide range of devices,” says Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice Presidentfor Devices, Opera Software. “Through these Web-based applications end users can viewcontent and services incorporating the latest weather, sports, news headlines, TVguide information or casual gaming. Desktops users have already discovered thewonders of Widgets, now it’s time to bring them beyond the PC.”

 

Widgets were first introduced by Opera in the Opera 9 beta for Desktop on April 20,2006. This version is available for download at http://www.opera.com/download/.Opera 9 brings powerful new features to enhance the Web browsing experience andempower Web 2.0 developers. The Opera 9 SDK for Devices with Widgets will beavailable in late 2006.

 

To request the Opera for Devices commercial evaluation kit, visit http://www.opera.com/products/devices/.

 

About Opera for Devices

 

Opera provides an optimized implementation of Internet technologies for handhelddevices, digital TV and other devices, with innovative and powerful features thatseamlessly adapt the Internet experience to suit varying screen sizes and inputdevices. In addition to being a full Internet browser, Opera is a high performanceexecution environment for Web applications and dynamic user interfaces based oninteroperable open Web technologies such as AJAX.

 

http://www.opera.com/products/devices/