Category Archives: consumer electronics

A traveler’s toolkit

Posted on April 8, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

Here’s a look at the contents of my laptop bag on my recent trip to Colorado. Click through to flickr to identify each item. Missing from the picture: the camera used to take it, camera charger and the vehicle mount … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer electronics, gps, wireless | 4 Comments

Algorithms versus car dealers

Posted on March 22, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

My car dealer gave up on the battle. I got my car back from the dealer today and saw the sticker at right on my windshield. On my previous visits, they always put on a sticker telling me to come … Continue reading →

Posted in cars, consumer electronics | Comments Off

Remote control for your cell phone

Posted on March 18, 2007 by Rakesh Agrawal

I often leave my cell phone on vibrate during the day, especially on meeting heavy days. I hate being that guy in meetings. But just as often I forget to turn the ringer back on when I get home. That … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer electronics, wireless, wireless data | Comments Off

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 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

MovieBeam’s (sort of) video on demand

Posted on December 18, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

Imagine a Tivo that could only record one channel, would only record shows that the networks thought you might be interested in, charged you every time you wanted to watch something and then would delete it whenever it wanted. Doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer electronics, media, movies, video | 2 Comments

Geotagging the precise location

Posted on December 12, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I upped my nerd rating this weekend by hiking the Billy Goat Trail with a GPS attached to my wrist. It’s a trail just a few miles from DC, so I wasn’t worried about getting lost. I just wanted the … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer electronics, flickr, geotagging, gps | 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

Why HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are toast

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Rakesh Agrawal

I was flipping through the options on my Comcast HD settop box and stumbled across HD movies on demand from Starz! and Encore. After a a few clicks Shopgirl appeared on screen in vibrant colors and 6-channel surround sound. (OK, … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer electronics, movies, video | 3 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