Here is a quick roundup of a couple of recent interesting widget news and trends:

• Chumby – the real “Widet Box”
  Chumby makes a super cool $199 Linux-based “always-on” Internet media player with over 1,000 Flash-based widgets in more than 30 categories . Chumby recently partnered with Samsung to power a widget-enabled digital photo frame! Definately worth checking out!
• Widget from FDA Saves Lives! – Potentially
  Kudos to the FDA (yes, the US Government puts out widgets) for putting out a widget about the peanut butter salmonella recalls!
• New President Obama has Appetite for Widgets!
  Obama staffers are well versed in the art of social media marketing and make good use widgets including: Blist for doc sharing, iGoogle and WidgetBox “Spread the Word” and fund raising widgets during the campaign. Hopefully other politicians will follow!
• Widget Platforms Get Funded to the Tune of $50M!
  iWidget, a widget tools developer, recently raised $4.1 million in Series A funding. KickApps, a social media and widget platform closed a $14 million Series C in December, Gigya closed a $11 million Series C in October of 2008.  In November, widget developer RockYou raised a $17 million Series C. That same month, Javascript widget platform provider JS-Kit raised a $3.6 million Series B. Looks like a lot of money is being raised, all to make lil widgets! Did VC just put over $50 Million into widget companies in the last six months?