10 Gmail gadgets to try

10 Gmail gadgets to try: "Posted by Martin Gruau, Consumer Operations



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.

"

Introducing appointment slots in Google Calendar

Introducing appointment slots in Google Calendar: "Posted by Irene Chung, Software Engineer



(Cross-posted on the Gmail Blog.)



Google Calendar is an essential tool for organizing your time and sharing your schedule with friends and coworkers. But what about letting others know about your preferred availability? Likewise, when you look at a business's online calendar, do you wonder why you can't just book an open slot instead of remembering to call during regular business hours? Now, with appointment slots in Google Calendar, any individual or business can manage appointment availability online 24/7.



Creating appointment slots



To get started, set up blocks of time you’d like to offer as appointment slots. Simply click anywhere on your calendar and then on 'Appointment slots.” From there, create a single block of time or automatically split a larger block of time into smaller appointment slots.





Every Google Calendar has its own personal appointments sign up page; you can embed it on your website or give the URL directly to friends and clients. You can find the URL for your appointment page at the top of the set-up page, which you can access via the Edit details link.





Signing up for an appointment slot



When someone visits your sign up page, their calendar is overlaid for convenience and they can sign up directly for any available appointment slot. When they sign up, Google Calendar conveniently creates a new shared event on both of your calendars.





At Google, many people are already using appointment slots to manage their office hours. We’re starting to roll it out widely today, and appointment slots should be available for everyone within the next few days.

"