9 Gmail gadgets to try

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 9 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

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