iGoogle
What Is iGoogle?
If you are somebody who doesn’t spend hours per day online then you probably don’t know much about iGoogle. Well, in order to get you more up-to-date with some of Google’s fun services available, allow us to quickly discuss a few facts about this particular service. So what is iGoogle? iGoogle allows users to create their own personalize homepage that contains a number of gadgets of your choice below the Google search box. These gadgets comes in all forms and sizes and allows you to access activities and information from across the web without needing to leave your iGoogle page.
This customizable AJAX-based startpage or personal web portal was originally launched by Google in May 2005. Some of the features the original version of iGoogle had available included the capability to add web feeds and Google Gadgets that were similar to those of Google Desktop. Originally known as “Google Personalized Homepage”, Google reconsidered the name and on April 30, 2007, renamed it to “iGoogle”. On October 17, 2007, Google made the service available in many localized versions that sported 42 different languages and more than 70 country domain-names.
iGoogle Gadgets And Themes
Some of the developer-made gadgets that are available to users includes “Meteo-si” which displays selected area’s current weather and weather forecast, and the “Ebay gadget” that allows the user to search for items on Ebay. Utilizing Google Gadgets API, iGoogle gadgets interact with its user, is public and allows all of its users to develop a gadget to meet any of their needs. iGoogle also allows users to create special gadgets without requiring the usage of Gadgets API but rather the use of online wizard that can be shared with family and friends. These special gadgets created by users must belong to one of the following types:
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Countdown timer;
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Daily Me which shows the user’s current mood and/or feelings;
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Daily Literary Quote served up by ModeRoom Press that displays literature-related quotes;
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Free Form that enables the user to add text and images of their choice;
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Framed Photo which displays a series of photos;
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Google Gram that is the creation of special daily messages;
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Personal List which allows the user to create their own kind of list of items; and
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YouTube Channel where videos of the YouTube channel will be displayed.
During 2009 iGoogle also released a sidebar located on the side of the home page which altered the overall appearance of the iGoogle pages. This feature allows users of Gmail to chat from their homepage without having to go to GTalk or their Gmail account. Furthermore it allows users to organise their tabs vertically instead of horizontally along the top of the page. This addition of the sidebar feature did however upset a few users of this service who voiced their opinions in the Google Forums, complaining about the fact that there is no way the user can opt-out the change of the site design.
One thing that users can change though is theme of their iGoogle homepage. There are a number of themes available designed by Google itself and a few by other users, and from April 2008 Google also incorporated themes designed by professional artists to really give your iGoogle that special appeal.
Some of the benefits of iGoogle includes just how easy it is for you to keep up to date with everything, including the weather, your emails, chats, latest news, and so forth. You can store bookmarks for quick access to your favourite sites and will be able to also access it from any computer anywhere. At the end of the day Google has provided us with a service that simply makes life just a little bit easier, and seeing that we are living in a world that is all about the here and now, it also saves you a lot of time by having all these tabs placed available on one page. Should you like to learn more about iGoogle feel free to contact us at iLead Online. With our experience and knowledge of all things online we will provide you with additional fun facts about this innovative service that Google provides.
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