Posted in: Email, social networking, twitter, web20

On Startups Competing with Core Mobile OS Apps

One thing that’s been on my mind lately is how (and whether) startups can compete with the stock applications that ship with Android and iOS devices. I’ve included a screenshot of my current homescreen – it changes fairly often, but this reflects the apps that I use fairly often today. As the image of m […]

Posted in: Email

Sanebox Is Priority Inbox for Gmail Done Awesome

I’ve been using Sanebox for awhile and I absolutely love it – it has changed the way I use Gmail. I was very excited with Priority Inbox for Gmail when it launched, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me – perhaps it would have gotten better if I had invested more in training […]

Posted in: CRM, crmforgoogle, Email, facebook, google, social networking, web20

Keeping Track of People You Meet – The Unified Evergreen Address Book

I’ve had a few blog posts in the past about managing contact information and the various tools I’ve tried (you can read them here and here. I continue to look for a unified contact management system to keep track of the many people I meet. I’m looking for a unified system that can perform two […]

Posted in: Email, facebook, google, social networking, twitter, web20

Google Buzz and the Challenges of Using Email as a Social Graph

I’ve been playing with Google Buzz for a few days, mostly to get a better sense for the interaction model. I’m a heavy Gmail user, so I’ve been particularly interested in how the service integrates with Gmail. While I have enjoyed using Buzz, it has helped crystalize some of my thoughts about why using email […]

Posted in: Email, google

What is the Use Case for Google Wave?

This will be a very short blog post. I’ve had Google Wave for about two weeks now and I still can’t identify the core use case the product is seeking to address. I don’t have generic collaboration needs – I have plenty of specific situations where collaboration is helpful, but they’re all fairly custom. For […]

Posted in: apple, Email, Gadgets & Handsets, google, mobileme, nuevasync

I’m Finally Giving Up on MobileMe

When I read Walt Mossberg’s revised review of MobileMe, I was really excited – it sounded like they had fixed many of the issues that had prevented me from using the product in the past. Alas, after two weeks of playing with MobileMe, I’m throwing in the towel. It’s not a bad product, it’s just […]

Posted in: blackberry, Email, facebook, Gadgets & Handsets, mobile, plaxo, social networking, web20

Facebook Ought to Own My Phone Address Book

I have been playing with the Facebook app on my Blackberry a lot lately and I really do like it. If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know I’m obsessed with address books and email, particularly the concept of the evergreen address book. To date, the best solution I have is to treat […]

Posted in: Email, facebook, meebo, social networking

Quick Thoughts on Instant Messaging for Social Networks – imo.im and social.im

A GSB classmate of mine and fellow ex-Googler of mine is one of the co-founders of Mogad, the team behind social.im. I’ve been playing with the tool a bit for the last week or so and it’s fun. Just some random thoughts about the whole space. 1. I have a lot of friends on Facebook […]

Posted in: analytics, Email, facebook, google, google reader, myspace, social networking, web20

Google Reader Privacy Kerfuffle – Why Passively Social Products are Really Hard

I’ve been following this kerfuffle over the security and privacy “mishap” over Google Reader’s shared items feed and their second attempt at rolling out some truly “passively social” features and functions and allowing you to see the items shared by other folks who are in your Gmail contacts. I find it hard to argue that […]

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