Monthly Archives: March 2007

Yahoo! Go – A portal in your pocket

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Yahoo’s new Go application is the most compelling mobile portal I’ve seen in the eight years I’ve been using mobile products. Go is classic Yahoo! – a range of everyday services that fit the needs of typical users. Go is … Continue reading →

Posted in google, mobile, mobile search, wireless, wireless data, yahoo | 7 Comments

Sponsored Link icons on Google Maps

Posted on March 11, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’m seeing more and more sponsored link icons on Google Maps these days. Some searches that will trigger the icons are hotels, plumbers and Home Depot. Google has experimented with a number of different ways to incorporate advertising on Maps: … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, google, local search, maps | Comments Off on Sponsored Link icons on Google Maps

AOL – It Doesn’t Suck

Posted on March 11, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

I have a T-shirt from the late 90s for an editor called BBEdit. Their slogan was “It Doesn’t Suck.” I was reminded of that this week reading through the comments on a TechCrunch piece about AOL’s new mail beta. The … Continue reading →

Posted in aol, google, yahoo | 1 Comment

Why I switched: My Yahoo to Google Reader

Posted on March 10, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Even for an early adopter like me, switching from one product to another is hard. Not only do you have to move data over, you have to change your daily habits. That requires some big benefits. I’ve been using My … Continue reading →

Posted in google, yahoo | 3 Comments

Live Metro train information on the Web

Posted on March 10, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Thanks to the Post’s Rob Pegoraro for the tip that live train information is available on Metro’s Web site. This is great news for those who live near Metro stations. I know that it takes me about 7 minutes to … Continue reading →

Posted in google, maps, transit | 4 Comments

Please don’t send to a friend

Posted on March 9, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

One of the key ways I get around the spam scourge is to use a separate email address for close friends, family and important business contacts. I don’t use this address for anything else. As a result, the people closest … Continue reading →

Posted in email, privacy, spam | 1 Comment

Hard numbers on reader participation

Posted on March 8, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

With as much attention as user voting models (such as Digg), email to a friend links, etc., are getting, I’ve wondered what the ratio of passive vs. active consumers is. Having been in the business for 12 years, I know … Continue reading →

Posted in newspapers, statistics, web 2, web 2.0 | Comments Off on Hard numbers on reader participation

Photos, rooftops and subway stations on Google Maps

Posted on March 8, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

I must be on the same wavelength as Google engineers this week. Yesterday, they released a send-to-car feature that I’d blogged about the day before. Today, after finishing my post on predictions for satellite navigation, I opened Google Reader to … Continue reading →

Posted in city guides, flickr, google, local search, maps, satellite navigation, transit | 5 Comments

Top trends and predictions for satellite navigation

Posted on March 8, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Yesterday, I wrote about my experiences with various types of satellite navigation. Here are some of the major trends in the space and my predictions for what we can expect to see in the next three years. Trends that will … Continue reading →

Posted in aol, cars, city guides, consumer electronics, flickr, google, gps, local search, maps, mobile, mobile search, satellite navigation, wireless, wireless data, yahoo, yellow pages | 3 Comments

A virtual tour of Whistler

Posted on March 7, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve uploaded and geotagged pictures from my ski trip to Whistler. You can see a map with the satellite view. (Judging by the lack of snow, it must have been summer when the satellite image was taken.) Geotagging will change … Continue reading →

Posted in flickr, geotagging, gps, local search, maps, mashups, mobile search, travel, web 2.0, yahoo | Comments Off on A virtual tour of Whistler