Today we launched The Retrevo Pulse, a real-time view into consumer electronics products, prices and demand trends based on the behavior of millions of users who rely on Retrevo to make their buying decisions. The Retrevo Pulse includes two indexes, a CE Price Index and a CE Demand Index that track the Average Selling Prices (ASP) and Demand (in terms of net dollar value of interest) respectively for more than 4,000 electronics products across 40 categories such as HDTVs, Digital Cameras, Laptops and GPS. These indexes are just like stock market indexes such as Dow and S&P 500 that will update daily (and automatically) based on user interest and behavior on Retrevo.

So why did we decide to build these indexes? Two reasons, (i) continuing on our belief of open web, we wanted to take all the data and insight we have about the consumer electronics marketplace and make it available to every passionate user of electronics rather than keeping it close to our vest and (ii) we wanted to bring a little fun into shopping. We all love stock market indexes (well, not lately but nonetheless). So we wanted to use a paradigm for daily trends that is established and well-understood so users wouldn't have to learn new tricks.

Of course when we contemplated building this product, there was temptation to not make it available publicly but sell it to analysts, retailers and brands (we could conceivably make lot of money doing this). These guys spend from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars on getting this research from big boys out there and then make pieces of it available to user community based on their own interest and "spin". We resisted this temptation of money and instead decided to make this trend data available to every passionate user for free. Just imagine making a "buy" or "hold" decision based on this trend data. Nifty, huh! Are we going to get some beating for this from various factions of the marketplace? You bet! But it is doing what you believe in.

So go check out The Retrevo Pulse and let us know what you like or dislike about it. While you do it, you can be rest assured that we continue to be passionate about making buying and using technology a little simpler and fun in your otherwise chaotic and busy life. And you will continue to see constant innovation coming out of Retrevo to do just that.