Category Archives: mobile

eBay Now offers same-day delivery from local retailers

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Rakesh Agrawal

[Note: I will be adding screenshots. Check back in about an hour.] eBay is trying to revolutionize local commerce. eBay’s new product, eBay Now, allows consumers to have same-day delivery of products found at local retailers. It weaves together eBay’s … Continue reading →

Posted in mobile | 3 Comments

Scanning bar codes seems to be a popular holiday pastime

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

IDC’s 2011 shopper survey shows shockingly high usage of smart phone scanning tools to scan bar codes and QR codes. Nearly 1/3 of those surveyed said they had scanned a bar code. A common use of this technology is to … Continue reading →

Posted in local search, mobile, mobile search | 1 Comment

Sam Altman will clean your house for $5

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Rakesh Agrawal

That’s right, the CEO of Loopt will personally clean your house for $5. But only if 1,000 people sign up. Only, I haven’t told him about the deal yet. He may not agree, but I’m using his name anyway. Hell, … Continue reading →

Posted in mobile, mobile search | 16 Comments

Facebook Places is at the beginning of a long road

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Rakesh Agrawal

Facebook’s much awaited Places product finally launched this week. It’s the first step toward bringing friend finding to the masses. People have been using Facebook to do this for years; posting their location in freeform status updates that their friends can … Continue reading →

Posted in facebook, foursquare, geotagging, lbs, maps, mobile, twitter, wireless | Tagged export | 6 Comments

United’s mobile check in not ready for takeoff

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Rakesh Agrawal

On my last trip, I had the opportunity to try United’s mobile check-in and mobile boarding passes. The promise is paper-free check in. It sounds really great, but it’s not quite there. Partly it’s due to United’s horrible user interface, … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, airlines, customer service, mobile, ui, wireless | Tagged export | 6 Comments

Checking in with foursquare at SFO

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Rakesh Agrawal

With the increasing use of mobile applications such as Yelp and foursquare, it’s becoming possible to pull ideas from thin air. Users of these apps can leave tips for others to find that are linked to a specific location. In … Continue reading →

Posted in audio, foursquare, geotagging, lbs, local search, maps, mobile, social networking, twitter | Tagged export | 1 Comment

Now we’re going Places

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve been writing about Twitter and location since my first post about Twitter in 2007. This week, Twitter launched Places, which allows users to add their location to a tweet. Here’s a screenshot from 2007: and today: In 2007, I … Continue reading →

Posted in geotagging, gps, lbs, local search, maps, mobile, social networking, twitter | Tagged export | 1 Comment

EVO vs. iPhone

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve been using an HTC EVO since last Friday. As an iPhone user for the last two years, this is the first Android phone that has appealed to me. CrunchGear has a good comparison of the technical specs of the iPhone … Continue reading →