I'm so pumped on this idea.
What are your plans for the future?
And thoughts on App Store pricing? Are there ways to get above the $0.99 cheapo limits with OMW?
@imcatnoone I get why it's $0.99 instead of $1.00 - but I hate that the value of mobile apps has been driven so low across the board.
It should be easier for a business to survive off of app sales reliably without being the one big winner in its category. Maybe that's possible for many apps currently, just a bit hard to believe any business could survive on essentially $0.69/customer (one-off, not recurring), factoring in Apple's cut.
I know as a SaaS, it's incredibly difficult to operate and grow unless charging an average of well over $10/month. Sweet spot being around $50 - $100+/mo. (Ignoring funded companies that aren't focused currently on profitability)
Definitely an interesting concept. Seen a few other apps attempt this one. Curious what you think you can do to make it successful where others have struggled? Why have others struggled?
My hunch:
No one thinks to turn it on when they start driving and while they're driving, it's more work to do than just messaging the person. For this to work, it has to take something that people already do (GPS?) and add it as a feature.
@DavidSpinks We think that others have struggled because their solutions haven't been easier than texting. Changing the user behavior of texting location will be difficult, but we think it is a poor medium for communicating something that fluctuates like ETA.
We have to continue to make it faster and easier than texting, and one of our first reviewers believes we are on the right path:
"Once I get a favorite destination set up, it literally takes 5 seconds to send my ETA through OMW."
http://www.gottabemobile.com/201...
@marktholking There are a few of these out there (Glympse is the most notable; RouteShare was launched here), however all require me to enter the destination address. 99% of the time, the person I'm sending it to is at the destination I'm heading to. Why not make adding a destination address optional (off my default), and just show the recipient how long until I get to wherever they are?
@gkoberger Thanks for the feedback. That could work, but it would require waiting for a response from your friend before we could set your destination.
I really like the concept of a person as a destination instead of an address, we'll definitely look into this.
@marktholking Awesome! I don't think the wait matters (it's not like the driver is waiting to find out where they're going). In fact, you don't even need to set the destination (why does the sender care?); if there's no destination set it just calculates the arrival time whenever the receiver opens the app.
Hey Everyone, @bradmahler and I created OMW and we're around to answer any questions.
We'll continue to focus on our vision of making OMW the easiest way to share your ETA with friends and get the phone out of the way. For the next release we’re working toward creating and sharing routes in a single tap.
The technology behind OMW is ideal for any business that delivers. The app and web viewer can be customized on a short timeline, and we’re currently reaching out to companies we believe would be a good fit. Eventually we plan on releasing an OMW SDK so app developers can seamlessly integrate this experience into their own apps.
We would love to hear what you think of OMW if you get a chance to try it out.
@marktholking I have to say.. I really really like your product video.. kudos!
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So basically it's the location tracking technology from on-demand services like Postmates or Uber? Just imagine if you could turn this into a SaaS product with an API so new on-demand delivery services could quickly get up and running. That would be freakin' awesome.
Other than that the product is really only something I'd use in rare edge-case situations. As someone that relies on ridesharing/public transit to get around I can usually access my phone safely and easily when I'm on the way to my next destination.
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Terrible horrible no good very bad ideas
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