Yahoo! announced today that it has acquired Konfabulator, the popular software developer of widgets — small desktop applications for monitoring weather, stocks, and more. The deal was finalized late last week for an undisclosed amount. “To help popularize the widgets, Yahoo plans to give away the Konfabulator software that empowers the applications. Konfabulator had been charging $20 for the software. Anyone who bought version 2.0 of the software since mid-May will be given refunds, said Konfabulator CEO Arlo Rose.” Yahoo! is “counting on the widgets to make users more curious about certain topics, services or events, ultimately driving more traffic to its Web site so it can serve up more moneymaking ads and expand its current base of 10.1 million subscribers who pay for premium services, said Toni Schneider, vice president of Yahoo!’s developer network.