iGoogle Gadgets learn to talk to one another

Google has rolled out a new beta feature for its iGoogle personalized homepage. PubSub (short for Publisher/Subscriber) is basically a new framework that allows iGoogle gadgets to communicate with one another.

For example, if you've got a search box in one gadget, you can type a query that will affect the results in other gadget. So if you've got a news gadget, a maps gadget, and a calendar gadget all connected to that search bar, you could pull up relevant news, locations, and appointments.

This won't work with all iGoogle gadgets, just those that have been built to take advantage of PubSub. And they'll have to be installed on the same page. You can't have a gadget on one page or iGoogle tab interact with a gadget on another page or tab.

If you want a sneak peak, you can install an iGoogle tab with several interactive gadgets.

[via Google Operating System]

Tags: gadgets, igoogle, pubsub