Author Archives: Rakesh Agrawal

About Rakesh Agrawal

Rakesh Agrawal is a 0-1 product leader. Ex-Amazon, Ex-Microsoft, as well as a number of startups. He tweets at @rakeshsfnyc

Slickr and the power of open APIs

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I was visiting my parents last weekend. After helping them get connected to broadband, the first thing I did was set up slickr. It’s a great app that turns the Windows screensaver into a flickr viewer. It automatically downloads pictures … Continue reading →

Posted in flickr, web 2, web 2.0 | 2 Comments

Bad incentives lead to bad results

Posted on November 8, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I got an email from United Airlines yesterday announcing a closed beta test of a new version of United.com with enhanced booking, Mileage Plus account information and better award travel booking. (Which is sorely needed.) United offered a carrot of … Continue reading →

Posted in airlines, research | Comments Off

Verizon and Comcast take different paths on user created video

Posted on November 8, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

Verizon and Comcast have announced divergent approaches to user-created video. Verizon is working on a deal with YouTube to present videos on Verizon Vcast phones and the TV service that is slowly rolling out. The Wall Street Journal broke the … Continue reading →

Posted in media, mobile, video, web 2.0, wireless, wireless data, YouTube | 1 Comment

Election night’s big winner: the Internet

Posted on November 8, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

Election night is a perfect example of one of the best aspects of the Internet: instantaneous delivery of information to widely fragmented audiences. No waiting for the next day to get results from the newspaper. I didn’t even have to … Continue reading →

Posted in elections, media, newspapers, publishing | Comments Off

Attending Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco

Posted on November 7, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’m at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco this week and finding a lot of people I know. If you’re here, drop me a note, give me a call or leave a comment.

Posted in web 2, web 2.0 | Comments Off

Read this blog entry after you vote

Posted on November 7, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’m 2,500 miles from home today, so I voted early. It took me about 10 minutes to get through the process. I suspect that if I were waiting in line today, it would take quite a bit longer. From an … Continue reading →

Posted in web 2.0 | 4 Comments

Redesigning the remote control

Posted on November 6, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I own a Squeezebox audio player. For the most part, it is a brilliantly designed device. The design of the unit itself has an Apple-like simplicity and elegance. The UI makes it possible to navigate thousands of music files on … Continue reading →

Posted in audio, consumer electronics, video | 5 Comments

Keep the telemarketers away with AIM Phoneline

Posted on November 2, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

One of my favorite AOL products is the quietly launched AIM Phoneline. With AIM Phoneline, you get a phone number that goes to a voicemail box. When someone calls the number and leaves a message it gets recorded as an … Continue reading →

Posted in aol, im, instant messaging | 5 Comments

Boo. Hiss. Caps send SMS spam

Posted on November 2, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a clever use of SMS at the Washington Capitals game. Today, I got an SMS spam from the Caps inviting me to see the Barenaked Ladies sing the national anthem before the Caps … Continue reading →

Posted in mobile, wireless, wireless data | 2 Comments

Google gets mobile – Gmail goes beyond WAP

Posted on November 2, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

Google introduced a new Java-based mobile email application today. It has instantly become my second-favorite mobile application, after Google Maps. I’ve been using Google’s mail on my cell phone with my phone’s Web browser for a while now. It has … Continue reading →