Zoho continues to crank out the goodies. Zoho Gadgets are mini versions of various Zoho apps that you can embed in online services like iGoogle, Gmail, and Facebook.
First out of the gadget gate: Zoho Contacts, Zoho Calendar, Zoho Docs, Zoho Mail, Zoho Planner, and Zoho Tasks. We’ve covered many of these great Web apps in the past, but you’re probably wondering: What’s the point of embedding them?
Convenience, mostly. If you use iGoogle as your start page, for instance, now you can peruse your Zoho docs and data without having to go elsewhere. It’s all about making important information available wherever you want it.
To that end, Zoho Gadgets support the OpenSocial standard, meaning you can embed them just about anywhere: sites, blogs, etc. And I’ll let Zoho’s own blog explain another techie detail:
These gadgets support oAuth when plugged into iGoogle or Gmail. This means Zoho Gadgets can be accessed without entering Zoho Credentials inside iGoogle/Gmail. Also, as you know, we do let you login to Zoho with your Google credentials. This means, we automatically show your Zoho contents if you use this option to login to Zoho.
Speaking of gadgets, don’t miss Dave’s recent post about Amnesty Generator, which lets you add nearly any gadget to the Windows Sidebar (including Zoho’s, no doubt). And while you’re at it, check out my post on productivity-boosting Sidebar gadgets.
