Intel and Yahoo have announced plans to introduce widgets to television via set-top boxes.

The application is called the Widget Channel and will allow viewers to use rich Internet applications designed for TV while watching programs. The channel will be powered by the Yahoo Widget Engine.

It seems investors have been reading the National Retail Organization’s suggestion that 55% of e-tailers want to focus more of their marketing dollars on widgets.

Little desktop gadgets that reside inside a computer monitor deliver extra information to the viewers who opt to make them part of the daily browsing experience.

CBS has launched a local ad network for local TV stations, local bloggers and social media sites in CBS-owned station’s markets.

You have to feel a bit bad for AOL and Goowy – here they are with a solid arrangement in place, and Microsoft’s mammoth offer to Yahoo is all anyone can talk about.  Ah, well.  We’ll try to toss a few paragraphs their way, and begin by pointing out that AOL acquired Goowy.

More than just technology companies and marketers are taking advantage of the widget concept. Political activist group MoveOn.org has released several of them for use on blogs and open platform social networking sites like Facebook.

OK, forget what we said about 2007 being the year for mobile content. 2008 is where the mobile action is at!

Hot on the heels of Google’s Android initiative, Yahoo is announcing its own developer platform. The Yahoo! Mobile Developer Platform will provide tools for developers to code and launch mobile widgets for a wide range of cell phones. Here are the details from Yahoo:

Several changes to Yahoo’s mobile strategy will start with an open developer platform and updated offerings to those who access Yahoo from a wireless phone.