Monthly Archives: November 2006

Rooftops and Google Maps

Posted on November 29, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I was flying into Atlanta yesterday and as the plane descended to the runway, I noticed that one of the buildings on the ground with a giant bullseye on it – Target. Next to it, there was a building with … Continue reading →

Posted in aol, google, local search, maps, yellow pages | 1 Comment

Focus groups – the view from the other side of the glass

Posted on November 29, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’m spending most of this week watching focus groups. It’s one of my favorite parts of my job. It’s a chance to see how real people react to the products that we create. I get to hear from people who … Continue reading →

Posted in aol, google, research | Comments Off on Focus groups – the view from the other side of the glass

Don’t text me

Posted on November 28, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve had more and more friends texting me lately and I’ve had to explain to them how much I hate text messaging. It’s inconvenient, unreliable and costly. Here’s a typical exchange: “R u there already” “Y, u” “Omw” This exchange … Continue reading →

Posted in mobile, wireless, wireless data | 2 Comments

Happy Cyber Monday

Posted on November 27, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

If you believe the incessant media hype, today is the biggest online shopping day of the year. Not true. Cyber Monday is a fiction created by a flack for the retail industry perpetuated by much of the mainstream media. But … Continue reading →

Posted in media | 1 Comment

A cheap chic MP3 player

Posted on November 27, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

My favorite MP3 player this year is small, lightweight, doesn’t hold a lot of songs and doesn’t come from Apple. You can only get it Target. A testament to Target’s marketing savvy, it also doubles as a $50 gift card. … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer electronics, ipod, mp3 | 4 Comments

Mint tries, tries again with dollar coin

Posted on November 20, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

The U.S. Mint will be issuing new dollar coins starting around President’s Day. With the failures of the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars it’s unlikely that the new presidential coins will do any better. The presidential series has the … Continue reading →

Posted in random | Comments Off on Mint tries, tries again with dollar coin

Abuse risks with Google click-to-call

Posted on November 20, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

R. Franklin pointed me to a blog entry by Lauren Weinstein about the potential risks of a service like Google’s click-to-call Because Google doesn’t verify that the number you enter belongs to you, it is easy to use the service … Continue reading →

Posted in google, local search, maps, yellow pages | Comments Off on Abuse risks with Google click-to-call

Google Maps adds click-to-call

Posted on November 19, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

Google Maps now offers a free click-to-call service. When you see a phone number, you can click a “call” link, enter your phone number and Google will call you and the business. The feature worked flawlessly; my phone rang almost … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, google, local search, maps, yellow pages | 2 Comments

Charities getting smarter about Web fundraising

Posted on November 17, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

My friend Tricia is racing in a charity triathlon in a few months. I was pleasantly surprised to see Tricia’s smiling face when I clicked on the donation link in the email. It adds a personal touch that I’m sure … Continue reading →

Posted in web 2, web 2.0 | Comments Off on Charities getting smarter about Web fundraising

How much is a TV show worth?

Posted on November 17, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

As I was playing with various ways of watching TV this week, I came across a number of different pricing models: Live broadcast TV – Free with lots of commericals. Broadcast TV on DVR – Free with lots of skippable … Continue reading →

Posted in apple, television, video | Comments Off on How much is a TV show worth?