Monthly Archives: July 2006

EXTRA! EXTRA! Newspaper sites to start linking to Web sites

Posted on July 31, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

The New York Times reports today on the launch of a service by Inform.com that enables news sites to automatically link to related stories. Newspapers have long been reluctant to link to other sites for fear of losing traffic. Never … Continue reading →

Posted in media, newspapers | Comments Off on EXTRA! EXTRA! Newspaper sites to start linking to Web sites

Personal mashups – letting users re-draw the map

Posted on July 31, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

The Google Maps API has been a runaway success, allowing developers around the world to create mashups marrying Google maps with data on a variety of topics, including craigslist real estate, taco trucks in seattle, flickr pictures, cellphone reception and … Continue reading →

Posted in google, local search, maps, mashups, web 2.0 | 5 Comments

Data entry on mobile phones

Posted on July 28, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

There’s no question that data entry on mobile phones with the standard 12-key keypad is tedious. Technologies like Tegic’s T9, which is available on many phones makes this a lot easier. The technology predicts what word you are trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in google, mobile, wireless, wireless data | Comments Off on Data entry on mobile phones

Google mobile maps adds live traffic data

Posted on July 27, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

Google’s mobile map application added live traffic data earlier this week. It is the best mobile application I’ve seen to date. With all the terrible WAP sites out there, it’s great to see a wireless data application that works and … Continue reading →

Posted in google, gps, maps, mobile, satellite navigation, wireless, wireless data | 3 Comments

Time of day and online maps

Posted on July 25, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

If you follow the online driving directions from Mapquest, Google Maps or Yahoo! from Reston, Va. to Washington, D.C., in the morning, there’s a very good chance you’ll get a ticket. Why? All three route you on I-66, the eastbound … Continue reading →

Posted in cars, google, gps, maps, satellite navigation | 3 Comments

Reinventing satellite navigation

Posted on July 24, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

Satellite navigation is one of the most expensive options on new cars today, costing around $2,000. But it is also one of the least flexible and most quickly outdated items in the car. Although your position is determined by triangulating … Continue reading →

Posted in gps, maps, satellite navigation | Comments Off on Reinventing satellite navigation

Lighting the way to the throne

Posted on July 24, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I stayed at the New York Hilton this weekend in one of their renovated guest rooms. One piece of technology in the room caught my eye: a sensor-activated light. You step out of bed and LEDs at floor level automatically … Continue reading →

Posted in hotels, travel | Comments Off on Lighting the way to the throne

Unleashing the power of the buddy list

Posted on July 21, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve been using a number of different social networking sites recently – LinkedIn, MySpace, Flickr, AIM Pages, Digg, Netscape, YouTube, Yelp, Netflix. With every one of them, I face the same problem. When I join, I’m all by lonesome. (Except … Continue reading →

Posted in facebook, im, instant messaging, social networking, web 2, web 2.0 | 6 Comments

The remote control lockbox

Posted on July 20, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I recently purchased a Harmony 880 universal remote. It’s one of those gadgets for those who have a lot of gadgets. The promise is that you can consolidate remotes for a lot of devices into one. In many ways, the … Continue reading →

Posted in audio, consumer electronics, remote controls, web 2.0 | 1 Comment

Show me the good stuff

Posted on July 18, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

When I check my email, I scan the list of new messages for names of people I know. This is something that machines can do much faster and better. With the volume of spam and bulk mail these days, some … Continue reading →

Posted in email, spam, web 2.0 | 3 Comments