nobody wants to be just a number

Enhanced searches on Yahoo: Search Monkey and 11870.com

by irenet - July 3, 2008

SearchMonkey is Yahoo Search’s open platform, it allows developers to build online web apps that enhance Yahoo Search results: making them more visual and informative. Nayra Quesada, an 11870.com user and MBA student in Oviedo, has recently developed three SearchMonkey apps that display 11870.com results within your Yahoo Search results page.

To visualize the enhanced results you need to be logged in to Yahoo! and to have activated the applications. There are three different applications available:

11870 Application

11870 Product’s Images Application

11870 Product’s Comments Application

In the above screen capture you can see that all three applications are installed, though only Product’s Comments is displaying information.

categories: around the net

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Mobile-friendly version

by irenet - June 27, 2008

Answering users requests for a better integration of 11870.com with mobile phone platforms, we’ve created a new light-weight version of 11870.com. It’s available at http://m.11870.com and features keyboard shortcuts and a practical link to a list of services in the vicinity of your original search.

The idea was to create a simple, easy to use and fast tool that would keep the amount of data transfer low so as to not run up your phone bill.

Right now the version is only available in Spanish, sorry! Though if you look at the screencaps below you can see that all you really need to know to get around it is the word “buscar”.

You’ll be able to see the exact address and phone number for each service matching your search, and to dial that number as well… great for booking a reservation when you’re on the move!

You can also see a map, which is quite handy.

We’ll keep you updated on further developments as we continue to perfect this version.

categories: features

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Firefox 3

by irenet - June 23, 2008

Last week, Mozilla launched Firefox 3. The judges are now deciding if the designated “Download Day” will in fact break the Guinness World Record of downloads in 24 hours. So far 557.000 plus users in Spain have downloaded the new version. We don’t know how many of these are among the 8 million downloads recorded in the 24 hour period being reviewed, but we do know where a couple of them came from.

Though we use different browsers at 11870.com, Firefox is quite popular with us. So we were very pleased to see that Spanish and Catalan speakers taking a look at the Getting Started section found 11870.com recommended there. In the Spanish version we were right up there with Craigslist and MySpace and in the the Catalan one we were in between Loquo and Facebook. Nice!

Screen caps follow. First in Spanish:

And here’s what it looks like in Catalan:

categories: around the net

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Android and 11870.com

by irenet - June 12, 2008

Excuse Moi, developed by Miguel Hernandez, is the first mashup to use 11870.com’s API with Google’s Android platform for mobile phones. The results can be seen in this video:

Using 11870.com’s API and the phone’s geolocation API, Excuse Moi can find places and services near the device in real time (including Google Maps paraphernalia, directions, etc). It’s also possible to personalize searches for a certain area: shops, restaurants, mechanics…

The application also allows a user to view everything 11870.com has on the businesses (reviews, pictures and so on). It also allows you to call the telephone number listed for a service on 11870.com and to locate the place on a map together with your own location.

We’re very pleased to see people using our API for interesting projects and look forward to see many more in the future.

categories: technical

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And following the party line…

by irenet - June 10, 2008

Last Friday 11870′ers and Madrid Babel met up at Madrid’s Barbu Club for Voyage, Voyage, an international travel-themed party… and we had a blast!

Thanks to everyone who came out! Thanks as well, to Madrid Babel coordinators Fran and Susana and to their host of collaborators for helping make it possible. Those of you who missed it - if someone did, the place was packed!- may peruse the pictures of this party on our Flickr page or at Madrid Babel’s Facebook or Yahoo Group.

If you were there and lucky enough to win one of our 11870.com t-shirts in the raffle, here’s a place to show it off.

Also we’d like to congratulate simplegearl, the winner of Landing in Madrid, read her entry here. With all the excitement, we forgot to have her remove the prize from it’s protective red bag for the photo op.

But yes, there’s an iPod Touch in the bag…

categories: events

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A party this Friday

by irenet - June 3, 2008

Whether you’re based in Madrid or just happen to be in town this weekend, you’re invited to join us for drinks, music and other partyish fun at Barbú Club. Hosted by 11870.com and Madrid Babel, “Voyage, voyage” is taking off at 9:30 p.m. this Friday, June 6th.

We’ll be announcing the winner of the iPod Touch that night, so if you’ve entered the contest check your e-mail the day before… and if you haven’t, this is your last chance to enter!

categories: events

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We’re on Prototype’s page

by irenet - May 28, 2008

It’s silly, but it made our day…

We were looking at our logs today and saw we had a couple of visits redirected from Prototype’s page, the Javascript library that we use mainly for DOM scripting and whenever we use AJAX.

They’ve included our logo in the section “Who’s using Prototype?“, among companies like Apple, Ebay, Twitter and many more

categories: around the net

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Landing in Madrid, where would you go first?

by irenet - May 27, 2008

We’re teaming up with Madrid Babel these days for a contest and a party (yes, a party!). If you’re an expat in Madrid and want to meet other internationally minded people over drinks, karaoke, tapas or a movie, you’d probably love their group. Find out more about their activities through their page.

Contest: Win an iPod touch

We’re awarding the coolest most useful review recommending a service for expats in Madrid. The rules are posted here and the prize is an iPod Touch. We’ve dubbed the contest “Landing in Madrid” as the idea is for people to suggest their favorite places for a newcomer to make a smooth transition when arriving to this city. The way to enter is by tagging your review as “madrid babel”. The deadline for entries is June 5th, so you might want to get typing!

categories: events

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Mashups galore

by irenet - May 26, 2008

OpenMovil Forum, a platform backed by companies such as Nokia or Movistar, recently announced the winners of the second edition of its mobility Mashup Contest. We were happy to find that two out of the three projects awarded featured 11870.com’s API. Congratulations guys!

Ernesto Jimenez’s “Show Me” won first prize, the application allows a user to get a map on their phone of nearby services and events. You just need to send a text message with your location and the type of service or event you’re looking for.

The second prize was awarded to Imanol Igesias’s “Recomiéndame“, which is another nifty way to get recommendations from 11870.com and even your Twitter contacts.

Interested in creating your own mashup with 11870.com’s API? Visit this page.

categories: around the net, technical

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On the Map (Mania)

by irenet - May 5, 2008

We were psyched last week to find 11870.com mentioned on Google Maps Mania. The blog, though unofficial, is an ode to Google Maps and its gazillion possible uses (features, mashups, tools… you name it!) and an excellent source of practical information and/or Monday morning procrastination.

On an even lighter note, here’s one from the office: Esther’s thoughts on the day to day interaction between a designer and a programmer. It’s amazing how much you can say without words!