Opera Software reports that its community website now hosts more than 1,000 user-contributed “Widgets” — small, freely downloadable Web applications that run on the desktop of Linux- and Windows-based PCs and embedded devices equipped with the Opera 9 browser.

(Click for images of most-downloaded Widgets)

Additionally, Opera has re-launched its My.Opera.com website, aimed at helping Opera users “blog, share photos, chat, and make friends,” the company says.

Opera introduced Widgets last June, when it shipped its Opera 9 browser for desktop PCs. Three months later, it added Widget support to Opera 9 for Devices, which targets Linux-based set-top boxes, portable media players, game consoles, and other devices.

Opera describes Widgets as “powerful content sharing tools” that add unique and convenient functionality, while improving and personalizing the user's browsing experience. They are developed using web standards, such as HTML, CSS, Javascript, and so on, and thus can be created, maintained, and modified with relative ease by most anyone. They run inside an instance of Opera that lacks the border, menus, and other “chrome.”

Opera says the 1,001st widget posted to its Widgets.Opera.com site was a “visitors” widget created by Dantesoft, a long-time member of the My Opera community. The Widget reportedly uses site analytics from Hitslink to create visitor maps that bloggers can post on the sites, Opera says.

According to Tatsuki Tomita, VP of Opera Mini at Opera Software, “Widgets are a community-driven, grassroots movement. Hundreds of Web developers create Opera Widgets to showcase their skills at building fun, addictive, and useful applications. By creating an Opera Widget, their work will be seen not only by those with PCs, but anyone running an Opera-powered device such as a mobile phone or even a TV.”

“Widgets are the first true ubiquitous development framework,” continued Tomita. “Instead of coding for a specific platform, developers now code for the Web. A Widget written for the PC is easily ported to the mobile phone, or any platform with an Opera browser. In the future, the most popular application on your phone may have been written for your TV.”

Availability

More than 1,000 Widgets are available for download now from Opera's website, here.

 
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