2009 12 21

Launching ThreeBags for technology recommendations

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20091221-threebags

I am proud to announce the launching of my new recommendation website called ThreeBags and which is accessible at

http://www.threebags.com/

ThreeBags showcases the best basic, value and prestige mobile phones, smartphones, digital cameras, MP3 players, LCD televisions, home cinema systems and laptops available in Mauritius.

Naturally, ThreeBags relies 100% on open source software and, in fact, uses Linux, MySQL, Java, Spring, Hibernate, C3P0, Jakarta Commons, etc. Interestingly, I considered using PHP initially but I wanted to have a go at Enterprise Java using Spring and Hibernate and I think I can say that this combination is very powerful, somewhat complex to learn and rock solid (as far as I can see.)

A few months ago, I realised that even though technology surround us, choosing and buying a technology product is tough: too many buzzwords, too many models, too many shops and so few people willing to explain things clearly. This is how I got the idea about ThreeBags: a recommendation website with seven categories of products (from mobile phones to home cinema systems) and three recommended products per category: one basic, one value and one prestige model. One interesting aspect of ThreeBags is that you can specify your budget and let ThreeBags give you an optimal set of technological products within that budget.

You will notice that there are no advertisements on ThreeBags. Additionally, I do not get paid by anyone to recommend a specific product. My evaluation criteria are product features, design, availability in Mauritius and price only.

Visit ThreeBags at

http://www.threebags.com/

ThreeBags also has a blog which is accessible at

http://blog.threebags.com/

Of course, constructive criticism is always welcome :-)

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written by avinash

10 Responses to “Launching ThreeBags for technology recommendations”

  1. Yadhav says:
    December 21st, 2009 at 16:50

    Nice and innovative project! But you should have something like a wiki or Web 2.0 where registered users can add their own productsor reviews. Then there will be a more variety of products. It’s great and useful for the time being! Keep it up! :)

  2. avinash says:
    December 21st, 2009 at 17:26

    Who knows how ThreeBags will evolve in the future? One sure guess is that it will become more Web 2.0′ish.

  3. Kevin says:
    December 25th, 2009 at 11:44

    Wow nice website! ….. It is actually more appealing to look at than http://www.compareprices.mu, which was designed by a company specialized in web design.

    Just a little question….do you actually use the wide range of products on the Mauritian market….or is it just some information you found on the internet.

    e.g. you mp3 section seems quite biased, none of the 3 listed mp3 players have good sound quality, which is an important feature for an mp3 player, instead of just features, design and availability in Mauritius….maybe you should try your hands on some of Creative, Sony and Samsung players…you’ll be amazed.

  4. avinash says:
    December 28th, 2009 at 11:52

    Thanks Kevin for your compliment about the design. I worked a lot to get things right :-)

    Nice question you ask about my methodology. In fact, during the two months prior to the launch of ThreeBags, I called and visited all major electronics shop in Mauritius and asked for their models and pricing. I then spent hours and hours on the Web, reading specs, press-releases, reviews, comparisons, forums, etc. trying to identify the best models. Of course, I would have loved to be able to test everything myself (and this will come in the future) but this requires the adoption of a very strict and formal methodology which I didn’t really have time to devise.

    As you can guess, ThreeBags is a work in progress. Things will change a lot in the coming months.

    As for the MP3 section, I thought (and read) a lot about the different contenders on the market but, at the end, settled for three iPods. Of course, the sound quality is not transcendental (but this depends a lot on the earphones used… I have a pair of Sennheiser CX300 and I’m very happy.) The contents of ThreeBags will evolve over time and will surely include other models in the future…

  5. kavish says:
    December 30th, 2009 at 09:15

    Hi there! PHP codes would be more decent :-P

  6. avinash says:
    December 30th, 2009 at 10:08

    PHP? What do you mean?

  7. The Kid says:
    January 6th, 2010 at 14:07

    Hi,
    nice and a good date(21 DEC) to launch the website…
    It’s not the end, but the beginning of a new world where 3bags will emerge as a pioneer in the cyber space.

    21 * 2 = 42

  8. avinash says:
    January 7th, 2010 at 12:03

    Not bad at all considering that there is no such thing as the 42nd of December :-)

    Yeah. I do have a lot of ambition and ideas for ThreeBags.

  9. Sylar says:
    January 11th, 2010 at 16:18

    hi there, i recently bought a lcd tv sony bravia just like you proposed in the 3bags.com, in fact i bought it weeks before i checked on your sites. so im happy to see that u r really working hard and freely to put up the best things for us. keep it up.

  10. Sylar says:
    January 11th, 2010 at 16:30

    HTC Hero The best! Of Corse its from google

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