Google has released Google Universal Gadgets, which also known as Google Modules, Google Widgets or Homepage Contents to the general public for use on personal websites and blogs. Google Gadgets are mini applications, sometimes called applets or widgets that perform specific tasks or provide information or as a games. Previously, most of the applets have been restricted for usage on the desktop (Desktop Gadget), Google Desktop, Google Pages, and Google Personalized Homepage (Universal Gadget). Elsewhere at Yahoo! and Microsoft, the gadgets or widgets are also only available for desktop or specific Yahoo! or Microsoft related customized pages.

Google now has a gallery of more than 1220 Google Universal Gadgets, which contains minimal code that function as dynamic applications when installed on a website or blog, with a variety of abilities. Among the functionality of the gadgets include check weather, get news headlines, play games, miniature look-up for Google Maps or Google Calendar, search tool for Wikipedia or Dictionary.com, download smileys, translate with Babelfish and etc.

To embed or add Google Gadgets to your website or blog, search for the gadgets you want at Google Homepage Content Directory (discontinued). Then click on “Add to your webpage”, and customize gadget’s width, height, border, title and other related options. When done, click on Get Code to locate the HTML source script to insert into your blog or website.

Update: Google Gadgets are mostly depreciated as most services that it can be deployed are either discontinued or dropped the support to Google Gadgets.

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