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November 6, 2007

Five New iGoogle Themes

Here are some new iGoogle themes that will probably added soon to the customization dialog (the descriptions are from Google). To add one of these themes to the active tab, go to iGoogle and type in the address bar the JavaScript code you'll find below. Then click on "Save" in "Select a Theme For This Tab", without selecting any theme. The first theme (Solar System) changes daily, while the rest of them change depending on the time of the day.

Solar System: For those of you who like to space out, this theme will help you do so. Enjoy a different scene from our solar system on your iGoogle homepage, each day of the week.

Go to iGoogle and type in the address bar: javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/planets.xml');



Autumn: The leaves are falling and the air is crisp. It's fall, and the raccoons are enjoying every bit of it. Follow them through the day as they tackle the onslaught of leaves and prepare for a barbecue feast.

Go to iGoogle and type in the address bar: javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/autumn.xml');



Hong Kong: It's the Hong Kong skyline in soft beautiful colors. Add this lively cosmopolitan city to your homepage and watch as the day goes by.

Go to iGoogle and type in the address bar: javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/hongkong.xml');



J. R.: Introducing J.R., the friendly giant monster who makes his home on your iGoogle homepage. Follow him throughout the day as he keeps himself busy going about his daily chores and hanging out with his friends.

Go to iGoogle and type in the address bar: javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/jr.xml');



Aja Tiger: From the cave looking out, follow the Aja Tiger through the day and the seasons. This Korean theme is a fun and friendly one for your iGoogle homepage.

Go to iGoogle and type in the address bar: javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/tiger.xml');


{ via Blogoscoped Forum }

Update: the new themes should be available directly from iGoogle.

75 comments:

  1. Those links to enable the themes don't work for me.

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    Replies
    1. Same here. So glad I am not the only one having difficulty getting them to work.

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  2. You're right. Google uses a unique ID in the et parameter, so those links only worked for me.

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  3. I tried the solar system. thanks

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  4. Worked fine for me over here in the UK, run the javascript command, hit save, and they appear to be permanent.

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  5. Cheers they work fine i got the J.R.theme. also in the UK.

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  6. I initially used some URLs that worked, but only for me. Google included some security code that prevents hijacking your iGoogle page.

    Anyway, I'm still undecided between J.R. and Autumn. Solar System is also nice.

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  7. it's autumn, not autumns:

    javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/autumn.xml');

    my current theme right now :)

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  8. Solar system theme looks great on my iGoogle page! Thanks.

    Btw, in your screen shots you have a "Google Gadget Documentation" gadget, but I can't find it in the directory anywhere or a reference to it in the docs. Where can I install it from?

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  9. I love the Hong Kong one. Thanks.

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  10. @Schultzer:

    Here's the URL, but it doesn't quite work.

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  11. After I used the correct link for the autumn theme, every theme works for me with my German iGoogle Page. Thank you!

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  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. initially, from another site, the urls didn't work for me, but these do.

    Thanks!!

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  14. Very nice. I finally got the Solar System to work, it looks great!

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  15. Planets one is really cool, thanks! Apparently the style sheet changes according to your location. I was able to manually change the style sheet using firebug to the other planets (your screen shot is Mars). There is also a moon and a sun. They're all pretty neat to look at.

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  16. I had to copy-n-paste the javascript while inside each one of my tabs to make it permanent. If you have multiple tabs and it's not working, try that.

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  17. theme:Autumn, in China must use
    javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/autumn.xml');

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  18. The Solar System theme changes daily so this should be the schedule just in case you're wondering:

    Monday: Moon
    Tuesday: Mars
    Wednesday: Mercury
    Thursday: Jupiter
    Friday: Venus
    Saturday: Saturn
    Sunday: Sun

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  19. I used the solar system theme. Looks great, thanks for the post.

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  20. Frankly, google themes are great but they take up too much of screen space with a large banner on top like feeling. Google should spread this to the whole page with the picture and objects appearing as the background.That would be really cool. Any hack for that?

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  21. is "the friendly giant monster" a metaphor for google :)

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  22. "The Solar System theme changes daily so this should be the schedule just in case you're wondering:

    Monday: Moon
    Tuesday: Mars
    Wednesday: Mercury
    Thursday: Jupiter
    Friday: Venus
    Saturday: Saturn
    Sunday: Sun" [/quote]

    So I discovered that from the xml, too, but then if you go to the css file, you can find the links for the images themselves. And some further testing shows that the images for Earth, Neptune and Uranus exist as well (and are just as impressive). The page for Pluto, alas, serves up a 404.

    What's even more intriguing is that the following is found in the css file:

    /* ===============BEGIN BSD LICENSED PORTION============= */
    /*
    Copyright (c) 2007, Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
    Code licensed under the BSD License:
    http://developer.yahoo.net/yui/license.txt
    version: 2.2.0
    */

    and other refernces to YUI (Yahoo! UI).

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  23. It's nice to have the splash of color up there, particularly if it does something useful like reflect the time of day or weather, but they all take up more room than the default logo theme. So far, I think the beach theme is the only one that is close in size to the default.

    I've also heard of "easter eggs" associated with these things, but I've never heard what they consist of. Anybody ever have anything interesting happen in the themes? Maybe that would make giving up the space worthwhile (but I doubt it).

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  24. Thanks, I was getting pretty, darn bored with the old ones. I like and appreciate the additions!

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  25. In my german iGoogle I can select these themes now! Thank you Google!

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  26. Sigh... iGoogle will no longer retain my gadget layout! Can't figure out how to fix...

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  27. I have the same problem, rick!
    Now I can't get any of my themes to work!! Ouch!

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  28. They still have the sun rising in the West (left) and setting in the East (right), unless of course you are facing South. :-)

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  29. existe alguma ferramenta para usar no igoogle? gadget editor?

    http://rafadeveloper.blogspot.com/

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  30. Chesk this out

    http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=http%3A%2F%2Figskins.googlecode.com%2Fsvn%2Ftrunk%2FcustomSkins.xml

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  31. Why are most of the themes so "cutesy." Does Google think that the only users of their iGoogle themes are high school girls? I was happy to see the solar system. At least I can use that theme and not feel I have to turn in my "man card."

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  32. Thanks for the new themes! They are fun - I especially like Solar System. Keep up the great work!

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  33. The new themes are great! I'm wondering what will happen to the characters in "Seasonal." Are they going to be bundling up for the winter? Will they find new friends? Will they continue to live on in an eternal summer (which although quite pleasant would also be creepy).

    Those two are great, and I'd love to see more activities, possibly even dreams over their heads as they sleep...

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  34. I just love those racoons man, they are so darn cute!

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  35. I like the racoons but have to take their parenting skills to task. It's 9:44pm and they are still on the bedtime story.

    OK, I need to get back to work and stop worrying about the lives of virtual woodland critters.

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  36. I think they are fantastic. I especially like the solar system theme. Is there some place to find those pictures to get them as desktop backgrounds, or at least similar pictures?

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  37. They're pretty small to use them as wallpapers:

    Venus:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/venus/header_bg.jpg

    Earth:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/earth/header_bg.jpg

    Mars:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/mars/header_bg.jpg

    Mercury:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/mercury/header_bg.jpg

    Jupiter:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/jupiter/header_bg.jpg

    Saturn:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/saturn/header_bg.jpg

    Uranus:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/uranus/header_bg.jpg

    Neptune:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/neptune/header_bg.jpg

    Sun:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/sun/header_bg.jpg

    Moon:
    http://img0.gmodules.com/ig/images/skins/planets/moon/header_bg.jpg

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  38. but maybe they where cropped from a bigger image?

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  39. My friends and I absolutely adore Aja Tiger.
    We want to see more of him/her!!

    Can iGoogle please enable Aja to move?
    Not anything too complicated or high-tech, but some small motions would be great.
    Perhaps Aja snoring when he's sleeping, moving around, etc.
    Please! So many people would appreciate it and loooove it even more!

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  40. Love the new themes! Any chance we could see one for Winter???? Soon???

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  41. When is the Winter Theme coming???

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  42. will the autumn one change depending on the season?

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  43. Yeeeeah, JR is rad.

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  44. I know winter officially begins December 21, but it looks and feels like winter here, and I can't get the winter theme on my igoogle. Will fall automatically turn to winter, or do I need to install it? It doesn't show up as a choice when I go to "Select Theme".

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  45. Here's how to add the winter theme to iGoogle:

    - go to iGoogle
    - copy this in the address bar:

    javascript:_dlsetp('preview_skin=skins/winterscape.xml');

    - press Enter
    - click on the Save button in "Select a theme for this tab"

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  46. It worked! Thank you!!!

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  47. Thanks for the link :) will there be a different theme for each season?

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  48. What happened to the Winter Village theme? Does anyone know how to install onto the iGoogle homepage? Thanks!

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  49. Sorry, meant the Holiday Village that was up for about one day last week.

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  50. what happened to the google gadget that you could have access to about 20 other themes?? apparently google decide to not allow inlining.

    These are nice, but I had one I liked.

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  51. Why does the sun rise in the West?

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  52. just because it rises on the left doesnt mean that the west, maybe the pictures are facing south

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  53. I love your software. It works great and I only use gmail and google search and will probably never use outlook again. My only complaint is the skinning. I prefer a black background with a metalic silver borders. Most people who game or are into technology prefer these these darker color schemes. Cant wait to have my gmail in black (: ty Neil

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  54. Anyone know why on one system the links above the iGoogle theme banner appear above the banner and why on other systems they are inside the banner (immediately above the search textbox)? I'm vexed big time. Thanks!

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  55. can crafters get a crafting theme?? I have a special tab for my crafting newsletter links and would love to have a theme to go with it...the others don't seem to fit. ALso can we get less "cutsie" themes for things like "tea room" etc....thst sort of thing doesnt appeal to a lot of us--how about something that's more Monet-like??

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  56. I'm a guy and I use Aja Tiger and love it! I agree it's a bit girlish though, but then what do you expect from Google "baby blue" Inc.?

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  57. I've tried Hong Kong and Solar System.

    Now I'm on J.R. the friendly monster and I'm loving him, the art style is great and the different scenes are funny:

    Theres:
    J.R. battling Mecha J.R. at night
    J.R. getting a boattug of ice cream from the city he's protecting
    J.R. fighting a loving huge female octopus

    Please add more scenes! I find myself checking into igoogle more often just to see what the monster is up to :)

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  58. These themes are all very fun but how do you switch them off again?

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  59. @litsl:
    Just choose the classic theme.

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  60. hay...where is that old google theme of colored smudges that change throughout the day...was signed by japanese designer...has no catalogue of old skins, and no one to answer the question...anybody to help?

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  61. Check out the new theme from Ecko:

    http://www.google.co.uk/ig/directory?type=themes&sort=newest&url=widgets.ecko.com/google/themes/mgf.xml

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  62. it does not help to choose the classic theme for when you move back to igoogle it is there again and then you cannot choose any of the official google themes, it just doesn't change!

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  63. autumn theme is absolutly amazing i loved it sooo much

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  64. cool, those r some awesome themes for igoogle
    i think i might get one of these awesome themes u have posted here!!!!!!! :)
    thanks for the theme ideas .... 8D smiley faces lol haha

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  65. I want my Tea Room back!!!!!!!!

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  66. The Autumn theme is outstanding. All of us at work have this particular theme on our iGoogle pages and are hoping that maybe a similar racoon theme will be available for winter!
    Please make it so...

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  67. Hey, my name is Lily and I have 17 years old and I think the autumn is cool but the most beautiful theme is: Spring Scape
    I love this theme and the theme isn't the same all the day the theme change her apearence during the day. in the hours the apearence is changing, and it's cool.
    I hope I helped you!
    Tanks to read it
    See You!
    XOXOXOXOXO
    Bye!

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  68. You must try this app for igoogle !!!
    .
    This theme is called ++ for iGoogle™
    .
    https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/oakhakobojgokkeighhdcojpekfnmamm

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