As you probably know, S60 5th Edition brings WRT 1.1 with support for S60 Platform Services through JavaScript Service APIs. Of course, the new Web Runtime environment is backward-compatible, so widgets created for WRT 1.0 run normally with WRT 1.1 (but you should take touch UI or different display sizes into consideration when running WRT 1.0 widgets on newer mobile devices). It follows logically that widgets created using the WRT 1.1 Service APIs do not work with WRT 1.0

What's new in widgets?

In addition to "old" widget, menu, MenuItem objects and Systeminfo Service API (sysinfo object) developers get new S60 Platform Services and Service APIs that allow to: 

• access and launch applications on a device using the AppManager Service API (e.g. retrieve a list of user/pre-installed applications; launch an application as embedded or stand-alone, based on an application ID or given document or MIME type),
  
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• access and manage calendar information using the Calendar Service API (e.g. access, create, and manage calendars and calendar entries stored on a device; import and export calendar entries),
  
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• access and manage information about contacts using the Contacts Service API (e.g. retrieve information about contacts, contact groups, and contacts databases; create, edit, and delete contacts and contact groups; import and export contacts; organize contacts into contact groups; also worth mentioning is that the information can reside in one or more contacts databases stored on a device or in the SIM card database, so you have all you need!),
  
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• access and manage information about landmarks using the Landmarks Service API (e.g. retrieve information about landmarks, landmark categories, and landmark databases; create, edit, and delete landmarks and landmark categories; import and export landmarks; organize landmarks into landmark categories),
  
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• access device location information and perform location-based calculations using the Location Service API (this API relies on the GPS capabilities of the device to provide location information),
  
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• access device logging events using the Logging Service API (e.g. access mobile device logging events such as call logs, messaging logs, and data logs),
  
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• access information about media files stored on a device using the Media Management Service API (widgets can retrieve metadata about the media files stored in the Media Gallery of an S60 device, so you can create widgets such as a custom photo viewer or audio player, that display or otherwise incorporate media),
  
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• send, retrieve, and manage messages such as SMS and MMS using the Messaging Service API (widgets can use the Messaging Center of an S60 device to send, retrieve, manage or notify the user when new messages arrive or even change the status of a message),
  
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• access data from the physical sensors of a device using the Sensors Service API (The data from a given sensor is mapped to one or more sensor channels, which the API can listen to. That is, you can search for sensor channels available on a device; listen for data provided by one or more sensor channels; retrieve information about and modify sensor channel properties; notify the user when a sensor channel property is changed; Of course, the available sensors depend on the device.),
  
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• access and modify system information on a device using the SystemInfo Service API of WRT 1.1 (as opposed to 'old' SystemInfo Service API of WRT 1.0, you can also modify system attribute values).
  

That's all for this time - next time I'm going to write about security of widgets, so stay tuned for some interesting facts...

Now, let's get widgetized!