There is a powerful but little known Gmail feature that lives in Labs called “Add any gadget by URL.” Once you turn it on, you can add iGoogle gadgets (or any gadget specified by an .xml file) to the side of your Gmail account. While most of these gadgets are built by third-parties and not owned or maintained by Google, they can be super handy.
To install any of these gadgets, follow those steps:
1) From your Gmail account, go to the Labs tab of Gmail Settings.
2) Look for the Lab “Add any gadget by URL.” Enable it, then click “Save changes.”
3) Go to the new “Gadgets” tab under “Settings” and add the relevant .xml address.
Here’s a list of a ten I’ve found worth trying out:
Wikipedia
Look for a specific query right from Gmail.
http://www.google.com/ig/modules/wikipedia.xml
Google Calculator
Make some quick calculations while typing an email.
http://calebegg.com/calc.xml

Note
Add a sticky note to the corner of your Gmail account.
http://www.google.com/ig/modules/sticky.xml

Remember the Milk
If you’re a fan of this task management system, accessing all your “Remember the milk” notes from right within Gmail can be super handy.
http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/modules/gmail/rtm.xml

PolyClock
Gives you the time of day for any place in the world.
http://gad.getpla.net/poly/clock.xml

Currency Converter
A real time currency converter.
http://helloworld123---.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/currency-converter.xml

bit.ly URL shortener
Lets you shorten URLs in a single click.
http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/107368512201818821991/bitly-shortener.xml

Chuck Norris fact generator
Displays a different “Chuck Norris fact” every day of the year.http://marsupialmusic.net/stu/scripts/chucknorris.xml

Finally, you might be familiar with the last two gadgets, since they are also available as individual Gmail Labs:
Google Calendar
Displays your Google Calendar agenda right from Gmail.
http://www.google.com/ig/modules/calendar.xml

Google Docs
Gives you quick access to your most recent documents.
www.google.com/ig/modules/docs.xml

You can find lots of other gadgets optimized for iGoogle on this page, and many of them work well in Gmail, too.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
10 Gmail Gadgets you Might Want to try it
Google Calendar's Design Refresh
After Google Search and Google Maps, it's time for Google Calendar to switch to a Google+ interface. The new design is a lot cleaner, even if no important feature was removed. "Quick add" is now available if you click the arrow next to the "Create button" (not very intuitive), "Print" and "Refresh" are now buttons instead of links, the month view below the "Create" button can be collapsed, "Save" and "Discard" buttons are only displayed at the top of the page.
The New "What do you love?" From Google
What do you love?, is a new service from Google to search the things you love, and google would show you results from many different Google services like YouTube, Google News and Blogger, All in one page. Like if you searched for the word Khogali you'll find many results from many services like Picasa and Blogger.
Here's some screen shots :
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| Home Page |
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| Some Search Results |
Automatic mobile rendering for Google Sites
As the dramatic growth of the mobile web changes the way people consume content, it’s becoming increasingly important for publishers to provide a good mobile experience. With this in mind, Google just added automatic mobile rendering in Google Sites for iOS 3.0+ and Android 2.2+ devices, and a mobile version of the Google
Sites lists.
By going to General settings under More actions > Manage site and clicking on Automatically adjust site for mobile phones, your Google site will be automatically adjusted whenever it’s viewed from an iOS or Android 2.2+ device:
| Before | After |
As more people unplug from their desks and interact with content on the go, new doors are opening for everyone.
A New Interface for Google Search Results Pages
The latest design updated not just in the home page, but also in search results. Google uses a new color scheme for the sidebar, adds grayscale icons next to the specialized search engines, replaces the standard search button with a label-less blue button, uses a smaller Google logo and adds a gray background color to the header.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Google's Gay Rainbow
"Google supports its LGBT employees in many ways: raising its voice in matters of policy, taking a moment to remember the plight of transgender people around the world and going the extra mile to ensure that its employees are treated fairly."
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Know when your bus is late with live transit updates in Google Maps
Often when I’m taking public transit, I arrive at my stop on time only to anxiously check my watch and look down the street for my bus, which is running late once again. Those extra minutes I’m forced to wait seem like an eternity, and the only information I can access on my phone is when the bus was supposed to arrive.
Starting now, Google Maps for mobile and desktop can tell you when your ride is actuallygoing to arrive with new live transit updates. Google partnered with transit agencies to integrate live transit data in four U.S. cities and two European cities: Boston, Portland, Ore., San Diego, San Francisco, Madrid and Turin.
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| Live service alerts when receiving transit directions |
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| Live departures and alerts on desktop |









