30 boxes to beat the big guys with Web calendar?

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Everyone expects Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google to come out with new calendar initiatives in 2006, but I sat with Narendra Rocherolle who told me about his company’s new product that’s coming out (named 30 Boxes). You can sign up to get on a beta. Should start hitting the Web in the next month or so. I’ve signed up. The way he described it it’ll be a lot more useful for family-style calendars than anything out there. We’ll see. Don’t know who Narendra is? He was CEO of Webshots that got sold to CNET.

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Published by Robert Scoble

I help entrepreneurs build their technology business' story, help with getting ready for investors, with other launch plans, and many other strategic things that can help your new startup. Call to talk: +1-425-205-1921 (text first).

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35 thoughts on “30 boxes to beat the big guys with Web calendar?”

  3. If you leave the confinements of contratrian city like SF, you will find people love Outlook, inspite of its complexity. If you are planning another minimalist web application like 37 signals products, I say GOOD luck!

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  4. If you leave the confinements of contratrian city like SF, you will find people love Outlook, inspite of its complexity. If you are planning another minimalist web application like 37 signals products, I say GOOD luck!

    Like

  5. We’re not planning to beat the big guys but are trying to establish ourselves in the online family organizer niche with MyHomePoint: http://www.MyHomePoint.com

    We also are trying to reach official beta in January however we’ve had users actively using it since this summer. If you are interested, try our demo. If you are really interested, registration is still throttled to invitation-only, but just follow one of the links to send us an email and we’ll send you an invite.

    I know, I know, I’m self-promoting which violates standard posting etiquette but I’m not quite sure how 30 Boxes gets a post without a shred of info about their potential offering. Actually, I do know how they got the post which reinforces the saying “it’s all about who you know.”

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  6. We’re not planning to beat the big guys but are trying to establish ourselves in the online family organizer niche with MyHomePoint: http://www.MyHomePoint.com

    We also are trying to reach official beta in January however we’ve had users actively using it since this summer. If you are interested, try our demo. If you are really interested, registration is still throttled to invitation-only, but just follow one of the links to send us an email and we’ll send you an invite.

    I know, I know, I’m self-promoting which violates standard posting etiquette but I’m not quite sure how 30 Boxes gets a post without a shred of info about their potential offering. Actually, I do know how they got the post which reinforces the saying “it’s all about who you know.”

    Like

  7. Actually I think a lot of people use and depend upon Outlook for it’s calendar functions but I think you’ll be hard pressed to find any that actually enjoy doing so.

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  8. Actually I think a lot of people use and depend upon Outlook for it’s calendar functions but I think you’ll be hard pressed to find any that actually enjoy doing so.

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  9. Actually, I’ve been happy, for a long time, with the Yahoo calendar. I can set up one-up or reoccuring events, throw in as much detail as I like, and it’ll email me with reminders when I want it to. Plus, it’s already available everywhere I go.

    I’ve got to wonder how 30 boxes is going to be different than that.

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  10. Actually, I’ve been happy, for a long time, with the Yahoo calendar. I can set up one-up or reoccuring events, throw in as much detail as I like, and it’ll email me with reminders when I want it to. Plus, it’s already available everywhere I go.

    I’ve got to wonder how 30 boxes is going to be different than that.

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  11. Yahoo calendar works fine if all you want is a calendar and maybe a task list. There’s a lot more to “organizing a family” than just that. Almost every calendar app out there works great for professionals and/or people who are mainly interested in publishing/groupware approaches. But what’s still missing, IMHO, is a true family calendar, not an individual calendar that can be shared to other people.

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  12. Yahoo calendar works fine if all you want is a calendar and maybe a task list. There’s a lot more to “organizing a family” than just that. Almost every calendar app out there works great for professionals and/or people who are mainly interested in publishing/groupware approaches. But what’s still missing, IMHO, is a true family calendar, not an individual calendar that can be shared to other people.

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  15. I’m looking forward to checking it out and have signed up for the beta as well. I’ve used Yahoo! calendar for years but am always interested in better mousetraps.

    By the way, Narendra not only sold Webshots to CNET, but he sold Webshots TWICE at very opportune times. He first sold it to @home for $82.5 million in 1999 and then bought it back a few years later for $2.4 million only to turn around and sell it again to CNET for $70 million last year. The guy’s got some pretty good timing!

    I did a post comparing Flickr to Webshots a while back at http://thomashawk.com/2005/11/flickr-and-webshots-classic-web20-case.html

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  16. I’m looking forward to checking it out and have signed up for the beta as well. I’ve used Yahoo! calendar for years but am always interested in better mousetraps.

    By the way, Narendra not only sold Webshots to CNET, but he sold Webshots TWICE at very opportune times. He first sold it to @home for $82.5 million in 1999 and then bought it back a few years later for $2.4 million only to turn around and sell it again to CNET for $70 million last year. The guy’s got some pretty good timing!

    I did a post comparing Flickr to Webshots a while back at http://thomashawk.com/2005/11/flickr-and-webshots-classic-web20-case.html

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  17. Webshots was a classic shell game, upsell as short sell, resell as profit-up short sell. Sell in a Bubble, buy after a burst, resell-up in a mini-Bubble. Classic. Outdid Cuban. I mean normally such would be outright securities fraud, selling painted gold rocks as 24 carat, but in the Enron, Worldcom and Global Crossing and dot.com era, the rules changed. CNET killed it with their heavy-maple syrup advertisement overloading, and droll CNET marketingese dances.

    But thankfully for his sake, lottsa people that understand not irrational exuberance, (dare I say approx 90% of the readers of this blog?) 😉

    But yet another Calendar app, based on unrealistic scenarios? Sorry bucko. Merely a rich guy playing start-up company games as a hobby, just something to give him thrills and chills.

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  18. Webshots was a classic shell game, upsell as short sell, resell as profit-up short sell. Sell in a Bubble, buy after a burst, resell-up in a mini-Bubble. Classic. Outdid Cuban. I mean normally such would be outright securities fraud, selling painted gold rocks as 24 carat, but in the Enron, Worldcom and Global Crossing and dot.com era, the rules changed. CNET killed it with their heavy-maple syrup advertisement overloading, and droll CNET marketingese dances.

    But thankfully for his sake, lottsa people that understand not irrational exuberance, (dare I say approx 90% of the readers of this blog?) 😉

    But yet another Calendar app, based on unrealistic scenarios? Sorry bucko. Merely a rich guy playing start-up company games as a hobby, just something to give him thrills and chills.

    Like

  19. I wish someone would do something original. All of these web 2.0 products (few exceptions) do the same thing as an existing application. It’s like the software industry is stuck in the same trap as the movie makers. Remakes. Can someone come up with something original? I mean really original. That should be the challenge. Software Challenge 2006 – Do something ELSE! Not all of us are bored twenty-somethings with no-lives living on mySpace and organizing our eVites on our iCalendar looking at Pr0n on Mobog or Flickr.

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  20. I wish someone would do something original. All of these web 2.0 products (few exceptions) do the same thing as an existing application. It’s like the software industry is stuck in the same trap as the movie makers. Remakes. Can someone come up with something original? I mean really original. That should be the challenge. Software Challenge 2006 – Do something ELSE! Not all of us are bored twenty-somethings with no-lives living on mySpace and organizing our eVites on our iCalendar looking at Pr0n on Mobog or Flickr.

    Like

  21. I worked with SyncPak this cool little SoCAL company run by Ken Partridge that provided calendar feeds to your outlook and they even had a wireless version. We were working on a economic data feed for Nextel’s blackberry back in 2003.. Very cool to be able to create feeds for customed calendaring. I know, I know, Apple’s been doing it for years…

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  22. I worked with SyncPak this cool little SoCAL company run by Ken Partridge that provided calendar feeds to your outlook and they even had a wireless version. We were working on a economic data feed for Nextel’s blackberry back in 2003.. Very cool to be able to create feeds for customed calendaring. I know, I know, Apple’s been doing it for years…

    Like

  23. Pingback: Om Malik on Broadband : » What Is 30Boxes?

  24. Robert, very interesting posting, thank you. Very interesting space and I look forward to seeing more from 30 boxes.

    Did you already try CalendarHub? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

    Full disclosure: I’m an angel investor at the company.

    Best regards

    Christoph

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  25. Robert, very interesting posting, thank you. Very interesting space and I look forward to seeing more from 30 boxes.

    Did you already try CalendarHub? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

    Full disclosure: I’m an angel investor at the company.

    Best regards

    Christoph

    Like

  26. I’ve looked at them all, and read about 30 boxes. I remain convinced that http://www.Airset.com is the best way to combine all the different facets of — and people in — your life: you can have work calendars, home calendars, and a calendar for mom, dad, each kid, etc. — all through one account if you like. Each calendar comes with its own blog, contacts, and lists. You can set up calendars to be shared. Currently, I can look at all my calenders (work, home, everyone in my family) or just my calendars (work, home). Everyone in my family shares the “personal” calendar–so if I click on the “personal lists” I see all the family’s to-do lists at a glance. You can share calenders, lists, etc. even with people who are not part of Airset. One mom posting at at the Airset blog ensures that her son’s school assignments are emailed to his mobile phone every day (while he’s on the bus coming home). (I have no affiliation with the company.)

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  27. I’ve looked at them all, and read about 30 boxes. I remain convinced that http://www.Airset.com is the best way to combine all the different facets of — and people in — your life: you can have work calendars, home calendars, and a calendar for mom, dad, each kid, etc. — all through one account if you like. Each calendar comes with its own blog, contacts, and lists. You can set up calendars to be shared. Currently, I can look at all my calenders (work, home, everyone in my family) or just my calendars (work, home). Everyone in my family shares the “personal” calendar–so if I click on the “personal lists” I see all the family’s to-do lists at a glance. You can share calenders, lists, etc. even with people who are not part of Airset. One mom posting at at the Airset blog ensures that her son’s school assignments are emailed to his mobile phone every day (while he’s on the bus coming home). (I have no affiliation with the company.)

    Like

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