This weeks roundup of interesting widget news, trends and analysis:

• Windows Mobile Widgets are Coming
  Microsoft has confirmed that widgets will indeed a part of the new Windows Mobile 6.5 OS that hits the market later in the year. Widgets will be compliance with the emerging W3C standard for mobile widget applications. Simply called “Windows Mobile Widgets, these widgets will be powered by IE Mobile 6.0 and will support web technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript; as well as Flash and ActiveX controls.
• TV Widget to be More Popular than Expected
  I have covered TV widget several times in past posts and recently the Diffusion Group released new data suggesting that the appeal of widget-enabled TV will be far greater than many expect. According to TDG's research, 76% of consumers believe having a widget toolbar on their primary TV would be valuable (48% "somewhat valuable" and 28% "extremely valuable") with only 13% being neutral and 11% negative. Sony also announced new line of HDTVs with Yahoo widgets this week.
• Verizon opening up its FiOS Platform to Widget Developers
  Verizon which first announced widget plans for FiOS last year, has already added widgets that display news and information on the screen, but it wants to take that one step further and open a "Widget Bazaar" in the fall to showcase some of the apps developers will submit.
• "Social" Widgets Outperform "Utility" Widgets for Brand Advertisers
  A study by Gigya, Inc shows that Social widgets outperformed Utility widgets, when installed by users on Social Network pages, in the categories of User Interaction, Widget Longevity, and Widget Virality. No surprise!