Dashboard Widget Contest Winners

[MacRumors]

Apple has posted (http://developer.apple.com/macosx/tiger/dashboard/) the winners of a developer's contest for Dashboard Widgets for the upcoming Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger).

The two winners include:

Send SMS which "combines the instantly available Tiger Dashboard with Short Message Service, or SMS. SMS is a text message service that enables short messages of generally no more than 140-160 characters in length to be sent and transmitted from a cellphone."

WikityWidget which is a personal notepad which "lets you easily jot down and organize notes with hypertext links so they're easy to find and instantly available via the Mac*OS*X Tiger Dashboard".

[StrikerObi]

Isn't there already a Stickies wedget planned? The WikityWidget seems kidna pointless.

[aricher]

Except that WikityWidget looks a bit more robust than stickies. Kind of sad that is all developers could come up with for a contest.

[Thirteenva]

Currently you can send SMS messages to cell phones through iChat.

[puckhead193]

The SMS seems cool as i'm always "txting" my friends

[Lollypop]

Cant wait for Tiger, these widgets sound very cool!!

[master.shake]

Cant wait for Tiger, these widgets sound very cool!!

Between this and the "Downloads" page categories yesterday, and the pro pages from yesterday - I think Tiger is going to be announced within the next two weeks, tops. Are there any major events that Apple is going to attend soon?

[master.shake]

[mad jew]

Currently you can send SMS messages to cell phones through iChat.

How do you do this? That'd be really cool. :cool:

[varmit]

It looks like Apple is just working on getting the loose ends tied up. Tiger might be out sooner than WWDC, where Apple will be demoing right to the developers and helping them use the newer technology in their apps. I don't think there will be much demoing in the keynote of Tiger if it seems to be coming all together already. They have the site up and right demoing all the new stuff and how it works.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/

[iGary]

Between this and the "Downloads" page categories yesterday, and the pro pages from yesterday - I think Tiger is going to be announced within the next two weeks, tops. Are there any major events that Apple is going to attend soon?

[master.shake]

Nope, not happening.

[nagromme]

How do you do this? That'd be really cool. :cool:

Just put the phone number (no punctuation) preceded by "+1" (for the US) into iChat as a "New Chat With User." For instance, send to "+18885551234". (Doesn't work directly from Address Book though, even in the AIM field, so you must paste the number into iChat each time.)

[mad jew]

Just put the phone number (no punctuation) preceded by "+1" (for the US) into iChat as a "New Chat With User." For instance, send to "+18885551234". (Doesn't work directly from Address Book though, even in the AIM field, so you must paste the number into iChat each time.)

Thanks heaps, so how do we get charged? Who foots the bill?

[jelloshotsrule]

Thanks heaps, so how do we get charged? Who foots the bill?

generally sending via the internet (either by websites like verizon's vtext.com or i'd guess through aim as well) is free for the sender (no way to charge you really) and then the normal fee for the recipient of the message... in my case i think it's 2 cents or something

[nagromme]

I used to think having every widget look different was annoying, and a bad violation of UI consistency. (I still think some things in Tiger--like Mail's toolbar--are bad for visual consistency.) But I've come around on Dashboard.

There's a good REASON for all that visual variety and bright coloring! it lets you visually locate what you want faster. It's as though every widget IS its own icon. (The Widget Bar isn't for primary use--it's for customizing Dashboard. Dashboard ITSELF is the primary widget interface: the ones you use regularly are all "just there.")

So... you summon ALL your chosen widgets vie Exposé, instantly spot what you want, use it, and then dismiss Dashboard. Get in, get out! Fast!

That wouldn't work well without a lot of visual variety--in shapes and colors both.

I get it now.

And I think the Wiki idea is cool :) These winners are PRACTICAL tools, not showy toys. Good!

[Porchland]

Apple now has a WWDC blurb on the front page. It's in 90 days. Tiger is going to be the big topic at WWDC, so releasing there seems like obvious. Since Tiger will likely be locked in soon, I think Apple will use the time cushion to get its distribution together and actually be able to say, at WWDC, that Tiger is ready and that there are 1 million shrink-wrap copies waiting for orders.

That was more or less the iLife '05 strategy for MWSF. I ordered mine a few days after MWSF, and it came in the mail almost immediately.

[mad jew]

I used to think having every widget look different was annoying, and a bad violation of UI consistency. (I still think some things in Tiger--like Mail's toolbar--are bad for visual consistency.) But I've come around on Dashboard.

There's a good REASON for all that visual variety and bright coloring! it lets you visually locate what you want faster. It's as though every widget IS its own icon. (The Widget Bar isn't for primary use--it's for customizing Dashboard. Dashboard ITSELF is the primary widget interface: the ones you use regularly are all "just there.")

So... you summon ALL your chosen widgets vie Exposé, instantly spot what you want, use it, and then dismiss Dashboard. Get in, get out! Fast!

That wouldn't work well without a lot of visual variety--in shapes and colors both.

I get it now.

And I think the Wiki idea is cool :) These winners are PRACTICAL tools, not showy toys. Good!

Yeah, that's a good point I haven't thought of. I'm still from the school of thought that it looks incoherent though so why can't Apple give us the option of having the widgets be colourful or Aqua-style?

One of the main reasons I'm not impressed with Tiger is the GUI inconsistencies. I know this sounds shallow but meh! One of the best reasons to buy a mac is because of the stunning GUI.

Back on topic though, this is a pretty disappointing display from Apple developers all things considered. Maybe they're not contributing on purpose because of how Apple handled the whole Konfabulator thing...

[AgtAlpha]

If you read the article, you'd see that these are more than just simple webpages. The SMS Widget uses backend code and an Address Book plug-in to send the SMS. This is if you have your Bluetooth phoned paired with the Address Book. (You can currently send SMS messages from Address Book by clicking on the phone number, then selecting "SMS Message", which is only available when your phone is paired.) This is just a Widget interface for existing functionality.

As far as the Wiki Widget: It uses the SQLite database that is coming in Tiger to store all of its information. This way you have persistent Wiki-ified (is that even a word) notes that can link to each other or the internet. Also, it uses a Mac OS X supplied search field (available only to Widgets) to leverage fast searching through all of your Wiki notes.

It was because these entries showed a unique take on interapplication communication that they were chosen. I think it shows great innovation, especially the Wiki entry, using SQL to store its information. Also, check out the linked article on Widget development: there is much more information in there as well.

[AgtAlpha]

Thanks heaps, so how do we get charged? Who foots the bill?
You're charged whatever you normally would be for sending the SMS. When you send with the Address Book or this new SMS Widget, the message is actually sent through your phone itself.

[mainstreetmark]

Just put the phone number (no punctuation) preceded by "+1" (for the US) into iChat as a "New Chat With User." For instance, send to "+18885551234". (Doesn't work directly from Address Book though, even in the AIM field, so you must paste the number into iChat each time.)

Yeah - when I stick it in the address book, it makes that user permanently offline. But, when I start a new chat with just the +1number, then I can add that person to my buddy list and she has stayed online all mornin.

[emw]

Just put the phone number (no punctuation) preceded by "+1" (for the US) into iChat as a "New Chat With User." For instance, send to "+18885551234". (Doesn't work directly from Address Book though, even in the AIM field, so you must paste the number into iChat each time.)This is awesome - I had no idea!

I was able to set up a new buddy with my cell phone number as the AIM account, and I can simply select that buddy and do "Send Instant Message..." So I would guess you could do the same with any cell phone account you wanted.

What's even cooler is that you can reply easily from the phone. The number is just a 6-digit number in my reply to field, which was weird, but it works fine.

[virividox]

coudlnt u also send sms via adress book

[emw]

coudlnt u also send sms via adress bookIf you're in Address book and looking at an "SMS-able" entry, then you can launch the iChat messaging window directly from Address Book.

I don't see where you can SMS right from AB.

[Diatribe]

coudlnt u also send sms via adress book

Yes you can. The guy who won the contest also wrote an sms plug-in for Address Book.

[BakedBeans]

is there a list of all widgets yet?

will it be apple supplied or will there be tons of downloadable ones from various different places?

[mainstreetmark]

Yes you can. The guy who won the contest also wrote an sms plug-in for Address Book.

That plugin appears to want to use a bluetooth phone for SMS, not AIM/iChat.

I bought a LG PM-325 just cuz it had bluetooth in it, but alas, all it appears to be good for is headsets. I can pair it, but I can't use it for anything at all. :( I wanted to send/receive SMS w/ the computer, since i hate T9 word.

[sw1tcher]

Apple now has a WWDC blurb on the front page. It's in 90 days. Tiger is going to be the big topic at WWDC, so releasing there seems like obvious. Since Tiger will likely be locked in soon, I think Apple will use the time cushion to get its distribution together and actually be able to say, at WWDC, that Tiger is ready and that there are 1 million shrink-wrap copies waiting for orders.

That was more or less the iLife '05 strategy for MWSF. I ordered mine a few days after MWSF, and it came in the mail almost immediately.

Steve Jobs should annouce Tiger's availability the same way he did during MWSF's announcement for the iPod Shuffle. Something along the lines of, "I hear the Apple store down the street has a few copies of Tiger..."

What a sight it would be to see a bunch of WWDC attendees rushing out of the Moscone center and running down the street... :D

[Philsy]

How do you do this? That'd be really cool. :cool:

Much simpler to pair your Mac with your phone via Bluetooth and then text via Address Book – clcik on 'Mobile' to the left of the number and you get the option to send messages. Easy!

(just read some other posts - no this is not a plug-in but an integral part of Address Book)

[bdkennedy1]

Except that WikityWidget looks a bit more robust than stickies. Kind of sad that is all developers could come up with for a contest.

Gonna have to agree with you there.

[Diatribe]

That plugin appears to want to use a bluetooth phone for SMS, not AIM/iChat.

I bought a LG PM-325 just cuz it had bluetooth in it, but alas, all it appears to be good for is headsets. I can pair it, but I can't use it for anything at all. :( I wanted to send/receive SMS w/ the computer, since i hate T9 word.

Hmm, I dunno then. I haven't really tried that plug-in since my cell phone doesn't have BT... I'll be getting a new one this week though.

[kirk26]

Cant wait for Tiger, these widgets sound very cool!!


Yea, you can get them here (that's at least where Apple got the idea):

http://www.konfabulator.com/

[Diatribe]

is there a list of all widgets yet?

will it be apple supplied or will there be tons of downloadable ones from various different places?

This is a good place to start. (http://dori.com/dashboard/)
All the widget sites that exist as of today are listed there.

[nighthawk]

Steve Jobs should annouce Tiger's availability the same way he did during MWSF's announcement for the iPod Shuffle. Something along the lines of, "I hear the Apple store down the street has a few copies of Tiger..."

What a sight it would be to see a bunch of WWDC attendees rushing out of the Moscone center and running down the street... :D

Since developers get free copies of all OS X releases, Apple would probably be handling them out as people file out of the doors after the keynote.

[Applespider]

Just put the phone number (no punctuation) preceded by "+1" (for the US) into iChat as a "New Chat With User." For instance, send to "+18885551234". (Doesn't work directly from Address Book though, even in the AIM field, so you must paste the number into iChat each time.)

Doesn't work in the UK either trying with my +44 UK number.

I'll have to stick with the Address Book SMSing - I've got 500 free texts a month in any case to send so not a big problem

Incidentally, I can't believe you have to pay to receive messages - perhaps the UK 'pay to send' model is why sending via iChat doesn't work over here

[Rower_CPU]

Yea, you can get them here (that's at least where Apple got the idea):

http://www.konfabulator.com/

That topic has been discussed ad nauseum - let's not rehash it further. Thanks :)

[rDLr]

Yes you can. The guy who won the contest also wrote an sms plug-in for Address Book.

What plug in are you talking about? I am currently using iChat2Cell. Is that it. In any case this program is cool. It allows the mobile number of your address book to be used. You select the person and click Send SMS. It switches to iChat and initiates the message for you.

It is at www.ifthensoft.com

[ASP272]

Won't use the first widget, but wickitywidget sounds cool!

[Philsy]

Doesn't work in the UK either trying with my +44 UK number.

I'll have to stick with the Address Book SMSing - I've got 500 free texts a month in any case to send so not a big problem

Incidentally, I can't believe you have to pay to receive messages - perhaps the UK 'pay to send' model is why sending via iChat doesn't work over here

Using the Address Book to text is so simple I'm amazed not more people do it - I find it one of the most handy features of OSX. Using the tiny phone keypad is fine for very short messages or if you're 11 years old, but for me the ability to use my Mac keyboard is great. You can also receive messages this way, so long as your phone is paired.

[Mechcozmo]

The real question is, when can I use any of these!?

[nagromme]

You're charged whatever you normally would be for sending the SMS. When you send with the Address Book or this new SMS Widget, the message is actually sent through your phone itself.

But if you send through iChat as I described, you pay nothing--your phone is NOT involved, the Internet is used. The receiver pays what they normally would. 10 cents per message, for the people I know. But they only found that out AFTER I SMS'd them :D

[Philsy]

But if you send through iChat as I described, you pay nothing--your phone is NOT involved, the Internet is used. The receiver pays what they normally would. 10 cents per message, for the people I know. But they only found that out AFTER I SMS'd them :D

You mean you pay to receive messages in the US? No wonder SMS has not really caught on over there - be a great way of annoying people you don't like, just send them dozens of text messages! :D

[nagromme]

Also, to those who think these winners seem simple on the surface, and therefore they (or Dashboard as a whole) are disappointing...

SEEMING simple is a success in my book!

That goes for these widgets AND for a lot of what Apple has done over the years to hide complexity so well that it almost makes their programmers seem to have done less! On the surface.

[Applespider]

Using the Address Book to text is so simple I'm amazed not more people do it

I only ever use it when I'm charging the phone through in the kitchen and my Mac and I are elsewhre in the house. The rest of the time I find that Bluetooth runs the battery down too much to leave it on permanently.

[cliffjumper68]

Steve Jobs should annouce Tiger's availability the same way he did during MWSF's announcement for the iPod Shuffle. Something along the lines of, "I hear the Apple store down the street has a few copies of Tiger..."

What a sight it would be to see a bunch of WWDC attendees rushing out of the Moscone center and running down the street... :D

I can see it now, sleeping bags lining Apple stores. By the way I am not knocking it I would probably have my own there.

[stingerman]

It's a neat but not thoroughly well known. If you have a bluetooth enabled Mac and a paired bluetooth cell phone, you can turn on the SMS function in Address Book. It makes receiving and sending SMS messages a breeze.

[Montserrat]

Doesn't work in the UK either trying with my +44 UK number.

I'll have to stick with the Address Book SMSing - I've got 500 free texts a month in any case to send so not a big problem

Incidentally, I can't believe you have to pay to receive messages - perhaps the UK 'pay to send' model is why sending via iChat doesn't work over here

I'm glad to here that! I've been plugging away at my +44 number with no success. I'm using BT via Address Book with the ubiquitous Sony Ericsson T610. Seems to work OK.

The new widget seems really good - it'd be really nice just to have it on hand all the time rather than to delve into Address Book all the time.

[jsw]

Much simpler to pair your Mac with your phone via Bluetooth and then text via Address Book – clcik on 'Mobile' to the left of the number and you get the option to send messages. Easy!

(just read some other posts - no this is not a plug-in but an integral part of Address Book)Actually, you can do it with any phone number, not just those marked "mobile" - though, of course, it won't work with the non-cellular numbers. But it works fine with numbers not expressly labeled "mobile". As mentioned, AB must be paired with a BT phone - the BT button at the top of the AB window will be blue.

[Applespider]

Actually, you can do it with any phone number, not just those marked "mobile" - though, of course, it won't work with the non-cellular numbers.

Ah... something that does work in the UK. If you accidentally send an SMS to a landline now, British Telecom pick it up for you and call you. When you answer, you get the SMS number and message read out to you - which sounds pretty much like OS X trying to read stuff to you.

Of course, while on the mobile, you know who's sent you the message since it comes with the person's name from the address book. Over the phone, you end up trying to figure out who it's from in context or desperately trying to remember part of the number so you can go look it up in Address Book

[swissmann]

It seems like most the widgets are already available in a different form now. Many of which can be found it sherlock and the current calculator. Mostly just the form is changing. I hope they develop this.

[manu chao]

You mean you pay to receive messages in the US? No wonder SMS has not really caught on over there - be a great way of annoying people you don't like, just send them dozens of text messages! :D

That's really hard to believe. Why would anybody pay for incoming 'calls' without being asked first? I've never heard of anybody paying for receiving SMS in Europe.

Maybe the people sending SMS over the internet simply use a service offered by a company trying to attract traffic (and therefore ad revenue and also customers for additional paying services). These companies allow you to send a limited number of SMS for free through their webpage. They naturally get a big discount from the mobile operators (or they are operators themselves).

In my case my university is offering this service, allowing me to send SMS by sending an e-mail to special e-mail address.

[bit density]

WikityWidget which is a personal notepad which "lets you easily jot down and organize notes with hypertext links so they're easy to find and instantly available via the Mac*OS*X Tiger Dashboard".

This will be only cool when they turn caps lock on, and disable half of the keys....

TXTN S KEWL UR SXY

XTRM DOOOD

[veedubdrew]

That's really hard to believe. Why would anybody pay for incoming 'calls' without being asked first? I've never heard of anybody paying for receiving SMS in Europe.


Believe it. I get charged US $0.10 for each incoming text message.

-Drew

[Applespider]

That's really hard to believe. Why would anybody pay for incoming 'calls' without being asked first? I've never heard of anybody paying for receiving SMS in Europe.

I have - but only 2 ever. They were users on very old low-use/low cost tariffs. I don't think it's been part of phone contracts in Europe for a long time.

[jouster]

You get charged to receive a regular voice call here in the US as well. That kinda sux..

Still, at least the txting from iChat is free.....for the moment.

[Dagless]

wow, i know im just echoing but you really have to pay to recieve Txt's in america? thats kinda bad. ive had no credit on my phone since before xmas but ive had countless important txts. eep.

as for the widgets, sounds quite good. im not a huge txt fan (like having no phone credit for months :rolleyes:) but still people will like that.

Tiger gets sweeter with each little announcement from Apple.

[mpinsk]

nice widget, but i already have that functionality with BluePhoneElite (http://www.reelintelligence.com/BluePhoneElite/), which is free and works beautifully with my Sony Ericsson T610.

It let's me send SMS messages and notifies me of incoming calls. I'm just hoping Tiger will let me use my ibook's microphone and speakers to make speaker-phone calls with the bluetooth connection to my phone, and I can just add my cell phone numbers to ichat to easily make voice calls from my ibook without picking up my phone.

-mark

[mrpaperknife]

I'm really excited about Dashboard. but i hope it can use the hotcorners the way expose does.

[cyanide]

i dont get charged for incoming texts, just outgoing. incoming charges is ridiculous! and as for the outgoing, most of the time i just use the web, which is free! basically i never pay for text messages. ever. and i live in the us.

[beatle888]

Yea, you can get them here (that's at least where Apple got the idea):

http://www.konfabulator.com/



spoken with true lack of knowledge. konfabulator got the idea from apple. people are so prejudice.

[Monk Edsel]

Sadly there are a lot of Bluetooth phones Apple doesn't fully support yet, mine being the Motorola v551, which has been out for a few months and honestly is only marginally different from a lot of the other phones in the "v" series, so I am not sure what the deal is. I can transfer files (mp3 ringtones, yay... and pictures) and can use it as a wireless modem, but I can't sync with it, which sucks, because I was really looking forward to that function. In turn, I also cannot (SMS) text anyone from Address Book, I didn't even know that was possible.

Regarding SMS in America, I pay for incoming messages as well (I get 100 a month, which counts both incoming and outgoing). In any case, as far as I know texting is pretty big here. I think in general it takes a back seat to actual voice conversation, but everyone I know texts, some people at a furious rate.

[intendedaccel]

How about a SSH widget. I know that would be WAY handy for system administration. Easy to write too.

[68k_575]

I like the sound of the WikiNote (makes all this stuff must faster and easier), but does anyone know if Tiger ships with just a barebones 'notepad'-style widget? Not that it's really a big deal, since third parties would be on top of that one in no time at all; but it would just seem weird for Apple to not include something like that in Dashboard, since there are loads of times where you just need to take something down or paste it in.

[nagromme]

That's really hard to believe. Why would anybody pay for incoming 'calls' without being asked first? I've never heard of anybody paying for receiving SMS in Europe.
I find the mobile situation in the US completely intolerable. I WANT a mobile phone, but every time I am about to go for it, another one of my friends demonstrates why it's more trouble than I'm prepared to deal with at current prices.

Some day things will improve to my standards :)

And I know nobody who EVER text-messages here... except when I was doing it for the heck of it from iChat and making my friend's bill go up :D


I like the sound of the WikiNote (makes all this stuff must faster and easier), but does anyone know if Tiger ships with just a barebones 'notepad'-style widget? Not that it's really a big deal, since third parties would be on top of that one in no time at all; but it would just seem weird for Apple to not include something like that in Dashboard, since there are loads of times where you just need to take something down or paste it in.
Tiger comes with a Stickies widget. It does some neat things, but doesn't take the place of regular Stickies (which is still there too) if you want stuff always on your screen. (Plus I don't think Dashboard Stickies are sizable.) I'll use both, but regular Stickies will be for long-term "lists" and stuff. Dashboard Stickies will be how I jot down quick notes etc.

[fisious]

How about a SSH widget. I know that would be WAY handy for system administration. Easy to write too.

I have no idea how to write these things yet.

But certainly this would be handy for me. Something like JellyFish, which I use exhaustively, would be the go.

[Abstract]

I want a widget that looks like an email screen. If we had that, we could quickly write an email without opening any programs like Mail or Entourage or anything of the sort.

A countdown timer widget would also be cool. You can set it to ring like an alarm clock after 55 minutes have passed (say you're cooking something), or after any period of time you want. :) It'll be like iCal, but much louder and persistent (and annoying!). :)

[CaptainCaveMann]

i dont get charged for incoming texts, just outgoing. incoming charges is ridiculous! and as for the outgoing, most of the time i just use the web, which is free! basically i never pay for text messages. ever. and i live in the us.I know what you mean. Text messeges can get very pricey. I have Cingular so i get 750 text messeges a month for 8 bucks i think it is. Abstract " Fat kids are harder to kidnap "!? Haha thats hilarious thanks for the laugh. :D

[The Black Rock]

A countdown timer widget would also be cool. You can set it to ring like an alarm clock after 55 minutes have passed (say you're cooking something), or after any period of time you want. It'll be like iCal, but much louder and persistent (and annoying!).

Voila! (http://josephcreates.com/alarmclock/)

[The Black Rock]

Here's a nice collection of Dashboard widgets: http://www.thedashboarder.com/archive/

Some very pretty stuff, but the forums on that site are kinda dull.

[Sky Blue]

Voila! (http://josephcreates.com/alarmclock/)
Nice to see a mention of Southampon Uni!

[Philsy]

Nice to see a mention of Southampon Uni!

Nice. Makes you wonder why Apple has never included such a timer - much easier than iCal when you have to remember to do something.

Now we just need the OS to run it... :cool:

[Philsy]

Here's a nice collection of Dashboard widgets: http://www.thedashboarder.com/archive/

Some very pretty stuff, but the forums on that site are kinda dull.

I like Babel Bloody Fish :D

[eXan]

Tiger, Tiger, we are waiting for you! :D

[The Black Rock]

I like Babel Bloody Fish :D

Yeah, me too! I can't wait for the other English dialects. English has a remarkable knack for variation. From New Zealand and Australia to South Africa and Kenya to Ghana and Liberia to Jolly old England, everyone will soon learn to talk American! :p :D

Tiger, Tiger, we are waiting for you! :D

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright...*

*who can place that one?

[JFreak]

I know nobody who EVER text-messages here...

i can now see what you talk about - just last week i visited us/canada and was astonished how little you guys use cellular technologies. i mean - really - regarding cell tech you are so 80's over there :D before that visit i couldn't have understood that at all.

in finland, sms is so everyday and ordinary that even 8-yr-old kids do it on a regular basis. and 80-yr-old seniors too. everybody just sms when some little bits of information has to be delivered - fast and easy. you will get hooked some day...

[Applespider]

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright...*

*who can place that one?

...in the forests of the night (and then something about fearful symmetry)

Either way it's the first line of 'Tiger' by William Blake.

[dernhelm]

Isn't there already a Stickies wedget planned? The WikityWidget seems kidna pointless.

Wow, it seems like almost no one likes this one except for me. :-) I really think sticky notes that can be searched and wiki-linked is way too cool for words! This is one I'd get immediately! And I would make use of on a regular basis.

Its the SMS widget I don't understand. I have SMS functionality on my phone and I almost never use it, and if I did want to, I'd just pick up my phone and do it. This isn't functionality I need on my computer. But then I never quite thought much of the camera phones that are flying off the shelves either...

[The Black Rock]

...in the forests of the night (and then something about fearful symmetry)

Either way it's the first line of 'Tiger' by William Blake.


*Tips hat to Applespider*

[iEric]

Wow! Because of the Send SMS thing I would FOR SURE buy Tiger!! I can't wait!! YEEE! I hope it's not limited to US only or whatnot. I'd be piiiiissed.

[sparkleytone]

i can now see what you talk about - just last week i visited us/canada and was astonished how little you guys use cellular technologies. i mean - really - regarding cell tech you are so 80's over there :D before that visit i couldn't have understood that at all.

in finland, sms is so everyday and ordinary that even 8-yr-old kids do it on a regular basis. and 80-yr-old seniors too. everybody just sms when some little bits of information has to be delivered - fast and easy. you will get hooked some day...

the '8yr-old kids' are the ones using all the cool tech here in the USA. Generally this means the under-25 crowd :) I live off of SMS sometimes. Its just easier when you are busy. We are behind in cell-tech, but thats not due to the market >:o

[bryanc]

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright...*

*who can place that one?

Blake actually wrote it as "Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright..." but I certainly knew what you meant.

I'm thinking some of it might make good marketing for the new Mac OS:
"On what wings dare he aspire?*
What the hand dare seize the fire?*"

Cheers

[mpw]

Believe it. I get charged US $0.10 for each incoming text message.

-Drew

A little while ago I heard an interview with some exec. from Vodaphone UK on the radio. He dropped the statistic that on the stroke of mid-night New Years Eve 2003 13million SMS messages were sent in the UK saying 'Happy New Year'. That's about £1.3million in just a few seconds (and that could've been just Vodaphone).

If I was a US mobile phone company I'd set my system to text every subscriber a 'Happy New Year' message and sit back while the cash rolled in. Most people would just assume another friend was texting them and never question it. :D

[Applespider]

There were 133 million (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4148899.stm) UK SMS sent on 1 Jan 2005! And 26 billion (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4194191.stm) in 2004 as a whole.

The two links above give some of the more creative ways to use them in addition to airlines letting you know flights are on time, the London Underground sending you details of problems in your commute. Did you know you can type GOODPUB to number 81530 to get a text back with details of your nearest good pub? and then NEXT to the same number to find the next one on the crawl? :)

[Philsy]

A little while ago I heard an interview with some exec. from Vodaphone UK on the radio. He dropped the statistic that on the stroke of mid-night New Years Eve 2003 13million SMS messages were sent in the UK saying 'Happy New Year'. That's about £1.3million in just a few seconds (and that could've been just Vodaphone).

If I was a US mobile phone company I'd set my system to text every subscriber a 'Happy New Year' message and sit back while the cash rolled in. Most people would just assume another friend was texting them and never question it. :D

I'd guess that's just Vodafone. The UK has a population of (I think) 55 million and we have more mobile phones than people! The problem with this is that the mobile networks grind to a halt at midnight at new year...

[pubwvj]

Send SMS

Gee, more spam. Glad I don't have a cellphone.

WikityWidget

jNotes is far better and doesn't require this extra Dashboard interface which is just a case of featuritis.

Pretty lame winning entries.

[curoms]

is there a list of all widgets yet?

will it be apple supplied or will there be tons of downloadable ones from various different places?

One site that tracks new widgets is:

http://www.widgettracker.com

[BWhaler]

is there a list of all widgets yet?

will it be apple supplied or will there be tons of downloadable ones from various different places?

www.dashboarder.com

[minton]

Wow, it seems like almost no one likes this one except for me. :-) I really think sticky notes that can be searched and wiki-linked is way too cool for words! This is one I'd get immediately! And I would make use of on a regular basis.
Here's a stickies widget: http://www.dashboardlineup.com/

It seems that http://www.dashboardwidgets.com/showcase/ has the best "just show me the damn widgets!" interface.