Testing "Blogger Posting Gadget"

I used the "Blogger Posting Gadget" in Gmail to create the brief blog post, shown below. For more information about "Blogger Posting Gadget," refer to "Blogging from iGoogle and Gmail."

[begin test] This is a brief test of the "Blogger Posting Gadget." The text of this post was created using Gmail. [end test]

Tech Tips: The following step-by-step directions supplement the instructions provided by Google.

1. Sign in to Gmail.
2. Click "Settings" (near the upper-right corner of browser window).
3. In the menubar, click "Labs": "Enable" 'Add any gadget by URL'; click "Save Changes." "Gadgets" should appear as a new option in the "Settings" menubar.
4. In the Settings menubar, click "Gadgets." Enter the following URL and click "Add": http://www.blogger.com/gadgets/post.xml
5. "Blogger Posting Gadget" should appear in the lower-left sidebar of Gmail.

Editorial Commentary: I can't help but wonder whether "Blogger Posting Gadget" is a solution in search of a problem. Like Blogger, Gmail is accessed using a Web browser -- if you have access to a Web browser, then why wouldn't you use Blogger to create blog posts? All things being equal, I'd use Blogger every time. Please tell me, what am I missing?

First Light: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

I spent some time reading the owner's manual for my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 GPS-enabled point-and-shoot digital camera, selecting camera settings, and taking some test still- and motion pictures. On a five-point Likert scale from "very dissatisfied" to "very satisfied," I'd rate my satisfaction with the performance of the camera as "satisfied" (4 out of 5). There are some quirks I don't like but can live with (more later in a follow-up post), and there are some things for which I need to do more reading in the operating instructions. Overall, my first impression is mostly positive.

I'm especially pleased by the sensitivity of the built-in GPS receiver. On the third floor of a three-story building, not very close to a window, the camera's GPSr located four satellites in under a couple of minutes (from a "cold" start). After the camera acquired the GPS information, the "Auto Clock" setting adjusted the date and time accordingly. Sure enough, the EXIF data for my test photos includes GPS info (latitude/longitude). And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the best feature of this camera: The ZS7 is a well-conceived, well-designed all-in-one solution to the problem of how to geotag photos.

I bought my Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 from Amazon (shipped from and sold by Buy.com) for $344.99 including free shipping -- that's more than $50 less than the list price of $399.95!