Monthly Archives: January 2007

What’s missing from iPhone

Posted on January 11, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Despite all the hype over the last few days, the iPhone seems to be missing some of the key technologies and applications that are included in high-end phones these days. Three of the most important: 3G. Even though much of … Continue reading →

Posted in apple, iphone, mobile, wireless, wireless data | 2 Comments

Picking the right ticket marketplace for the job

Posted on January 10, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

TechCrunch reports that eBay is acquiring StubHub, an online marketplace that allows people to buy and sell tickets. Last fall, I had two extra tickets to a Redskins game. I posted the tickets on craigslist, eBay and StubHub at various … Continue reading →

Posted in ebay | 2 Comments

Apple’s iPhone fixes voicemail

Posted on January 10, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

As much as I hate SMS, I hate voicemail even more. It’s a truly broken experience. There are three major problems with traditional voicemail: It’s linear. If you have 10 messages in your mailbox, it doesn’t matter if the 9th … Continue reading →

Posted in apple, iphone, ipod, mobile, wireless, wireless data | 3 Comments

A phone that could only come from Apple

Posted on January 9, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

The iPhone could only come from Apple. And I’m not talking about the elegant design or the technology. Handset manufacturers routinely cripple phone features for the U.S. market to make sure that customers use their phones in exactly the way … Continue reading →

Posted in apple, consumer electronics, google, iphone, ipod, mobile, wireless, wireless data, yahoo | 9 Comments

Making online calendars useful

Posted on January 8, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Google Calendar surpassed MSN Calendar last week and is inching toward Yahoo! Calendar.  The biggest competition for all three: lack of use. For the most part, online calendars today solve problems people don’t have. Of the three, only Google Calendar … Continue reading →

Posted in aol, google, yahoo | 2 Comments

Adapting online newspapers to a search/Web 2.0 world

Posted on January 3, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve written earlier about troubles facing the newspaper industry as well as some ideas for improving online newspapers. Here are a few more ideas. Make sure your pages are crawlable. Most newspaper sites do just fine at this when it … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, newspapers, search, seo, web 2.0 | 10 Comments

How low can Netflix go?

Posted on January 2, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Netflix is testing a new $3.99 a month plan. (If you’re already a subscriber, you need to logout to see the offer.) This plan is a re-pricing (for new subscribers) of the current $5.99 plan, which allows subscribers to rent … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Comments Off on How low can Netflix go?

McClatchy dumps the Star Tribune

Posted on January 2, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

The end of the year is the time that savvy investors dump their losers for the tax write-off. McClatchy did just that, selling off the Star Tribune in Minneapolis for $530 million. McClatchy paid $1.2 billion for it in 1998. … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, newspapers | 1 Comment