Widget Directory for iPhone users By WidgetBox

Posted on April 29, 2008
Filed Under iPhone Web Apps

Apple has created the site with its own directory of iPhone Web applications mainly for desktop users, not taking care of people on the portable handset. It is still easy for Apple users to bookmark Web applications by adding a quick link from inside of Safari Mobile, but the official directory is still not for iPhones, only if they are not on speedy Wi-Fi connection.

Widgetbox appears to be cleverer and issued a directory of iPhone friendly widgets. Those mini Web applications can be set up on the home screens. The mobile Safari web browser is built in all iPhone and iPod Touch and uses the same Safari desktop technology that is supported by Widgetbox.

By tagging your work with iPhone you can add converted widgets from Web content to the directory. There is even a widget-building wizard for inexperienced users to make their own iPhone widget application.

The limitation is on the maximum widget width that should be 290 pixels with any height. Also all references to Flash files will not image.

Widgetbox thumbnail images of web gallery are 96 x 96 pixels. The icon of each installed widget is 56 x 56 pixels. In this case the images more than 56 x 56 pixels cannot be seen.

Another indignation is that iPhone widgets don’t take up the entire screen and reveal themselves like in the directory with most of the examples. They also have Widgetbox branding and links back to the directory, and you have not much time to load while on EDGE 2,5G connection, so try to minimize the amount of data for widget to transpher.

Anyway, that’s the whole lot better than to load the entire Web page. Three-fold load time decrease was observed in comparison with BART’s home page with Quick Planner for local Bay Area trains.

Just take your iPod or iPhone and travel to iPhone.Widgetbox.com to go to the directory. Here is also the official docs.