Vendio Launches Widgipedia.com - The Ultimate Widgets Resource

SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Vendio(TM) Services, Inc. today announced the official launch of Widgipedia.com, a new website devoted to accelerating the development and distribution of Web and desktop "widgets" across a growing number of widget development platforms.

Widgets have exploded over the last several years as the Web 2.0 ecosystem has enabled developers to use open interfaces to extend website functionality to the desktop and to embed features of one website into another. A YouTube(TM) video seen on a site other than YouTube.com is a widget. Widgets also enable you to get the local weather forecast on your computer without going to a web page.

Also know as gadgets, gizmos, or desklets, there are two main classes of widgets: Desktop widgets and Web widgets. Desktop widgets are small applications that run on a desktop and usually (but not always) require the user to download and install an "engine" in order to run them. Yahoo(TM), Google(TM), Apple(TM) and Microsoft(TM) all have developed widget "engines." Web widgets are "sections" that can be inserted in any Web page, such as a personal blog, a MySpace(TM) page, an eBay(TM) auction, or an online store. Each of these two types of widgets can be built using multiple platforms, which can make for a confusing development environment.

After 3 months of beta testing, Widgipedia now provides a central resource for those creating widgets across all development environments for both the desktop and the Web, and includes developer forums, code samples, "engine" information, and a variety of helpful hints. At launch, widget development is supported at http://www.widgipedia.com for the following platforms:

Web Widgets

-- Flash Widgets

-- DHTML Widgets

-- Java Widgets Desktop Platforms

-- Yahoo! Widgets (Windows)

-- Yahoo! Widgets (Mac)

-- Dashboard (Mac)

-- Standalone Widgets (Windows)

-- Standalone Widgets (Mac)

-- Microsoft Vista Sidebar (Windows)

-- Opera (Windows, Mac, Linux)

-- DesktopX (Windows)

-- Kapsules (Windows)

-- Samurize (Windows)

-- KlipFolio (Windows)

-- AveDesk (Windows)

Developers can also submit their widgets to the Widgipedia gallery for download by others. Widgets can be found in the Widgipedia gallery by browsing, identifying items in the "tag cloud," or by searching, including a smart search that enables widget discovery by keyword, user and development platform. Widgipedia also makes it easy to promote your own widgets or any widgets you like by placing small pieces of code that embeds summaries of downloadable widgets in other pages.

In addition, Widgipedia uniquely offers developers and publishers a place to host web widgets free of charge. To avoid Flash errors from cross-domain data access, developers can use cross-domain.xml or take advantage of Widgipedia's redirect feature for a smooth end-user experience. Developers can add several parameters for their widgets that users can select to customize their web widget prior to copying the small bit of code needed to add it to their web pages (blogs, MySpace, etc.).

"Widgipedia.com has quickly become a valuable resource for anyone who deals with widgets, from the professional coder to those using widgets in a blog, MySpace page, or website," said Rodrigo Sales, CEO and co-founder of Vendio. "The need for a single, comprehensive online presence for the development and distribution of widgets is significant and growing rapidly. After many months of testing, user feedback and ongoing development, Widgipedia.com now is poised to become the ultimate cross-platform widget development and download resource."

Widgipedia.com was conceived and constructed by a team of widget enthusiasts at Vendio who got their start in the area by developing one of the world's first and most popular web widgets, Vendio Gallery, a Flash widget currently found in millions of eBay auction and storefront listings.

About Vendio

Vendio enables merchants to reach consumers, manage transactions, and profitably grow their businesses. Dealio, Vendio's new comparison shopping service, empowers consumers to find the best deals available quickly and easily, while driving valuable leads to merchants. Vendio's award-winning sales management services include Sales Manager Inventory Edition (named by eBay as the most innovative application for the eBay platform in 2005), Vendio Gallery, Vendio Image Hosting, and several other applications that save merchants time and money and increase their sales.

Vendio was founded in January, 1999 and is the independent leader in online sales and marketplace management. Each year, tens of thousands of small businesses use Vendio's sales management and merchandising services to sell over $1 billion of merchandise on both their own branded stores as well as the Web's leading marketplaces. Vendio, which recently celebrated its fourth year of profitable growth and acquired the assets of long time competitor Andale(TM), Inc. Vendio is headquartered in San Mateo, CA with offices in Bucharest, Romania and Bangalore, India. Vendio is backed by Lighthouse Capital Partners and MVC Capital.

NOTE: Widgipedia, Vendio, Dealio, and Andale, are trademarks of Vendio Services, Inc. eBay is a registered trademark of eBay, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners, without intent to infringe.