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Show HN: 3months working on this Android app with a friend. Would Love feedback.

13 points by Nathanael 14y ago

PythonDeveloper 14y ago
This is the beginning of something BIG.
fblade1987 14y ago
Awesome idea! I'd be quick in developing it for other platforms as these ideas like this don't unique for long :)
tomasien 14y ago
Yeah I love this. I think someone at Darden at UVa is working on something similar, or that you?
- tomasien 14y ago
  Not a "So you shouldn't do this" but just a "by the way maybe something to keep an eye on" thing.
- Nathanael 14y ago
  It isn't us, do you remember their name?
  - tomasien 14y ago
    I'll give them a shout. QUITE possible by the this time their service has become something could be totally complimentary to yours and you guys could connect some dots.
    - Nathanael 14y ago
      That would be great. We're actually looking for partnerships that might allow us to publish content from sources other than users.
PythonDeveloper 14y ago
In thinking about this, you're going to want to develop an API that lets advertisers send messages to users within a range of a location, probably referenced by lat/long. Allow users to turn off ads sent by advertisers, and develop some sort of commerce.. For example, you can send 2 messages a day. If you respond to an advertiser, you get 5 message credits... Of course I'd want to choose the advertisers I could get messages from, if any.
- Nathanael 14y ago
  Well we're definitely thinking about advertisements and our early users are already using the service to post ads, some business owners even offer reductions (20% off if you come by in the next 2 hours, stuff like that). I don't know about limiting the number of messages per user per day though. If we go that way, why not just charge to post more messages and forego the need for advertisers altogether?
  - PythonDeveloper 14y ago
    Well, if I got the app, and some idiot started posting racist rhetoric or links to pics of their penis, i'd rather get fewer than an unlimited amount. Additionally, people should be able to block posters, and the weight of those blocks can ban a user if there are enough and the velocity is high. In that vein, it would seem that an IRC approach with "channels" might be better, so that you can have a private "channel" with your friends nearby, or move into the "starbucks" channel to get deals and updates from your local Starbucks. Perhaps allow people to create "private" channels, by invite only, if they buy the paid version of the app..
    - Nathanael 14y ago
      We have a reporting system planned and once (if we ever) get enough users/messages adding categories would make a lot of sense. I like the idea of private channels.
      - PythonDeveloper 14y ago
TobbenTM 14y ago
Does these "echoes" ever expire? Are they permanent? Seems like you use an image for a map, is this true/what's the reason?
- Nathanael 14y ago
  Echoes (not messages) expire after 7 days. As long as a message gets echoed it can live on indefinitely. There's no killer reasoning behind using an image for maps. We could be using the Google Maps API instead though right now it lets you share the actual image. We don't consider the maps to be overly important.
  - PythonDeveloper 14y ago
    That's a mistake, IMHO. You're pushing a LOT more data over the air by sharing an image versus a URL to a google map. Additionally, Google has partner adverts on those maps that they get revenue from, and if you get enough traffic viewing the maps, you can go to them and get a revshare. When people start using it to broadcast events like accidents, fires, etc., you're going to want to use URLs, not pics.
    - Nathanael 14y ago
      Problem with sharing URLs is that people would be able to zoom in and see exactly where the messages/echoes come from. Not all of our users would be comfortable with that.
      - PythonDeveloper 14y ago
        You wouldn't want to share a location with every message, but rather give users the "choice" to share location for any given message they post. If they've just seen an accident, they'll want to post a URL. If they're at home, not likely. You might even ask users to "mark" private locations from which location can't be sent, like school, home, or work. You could also allow the user to vary the accuracy of the position by zooming in/out, to give them control of proximity for their posted locations.
PythonDeveloper 14y ago
FYI... I get an "Error retrieving information from server [RPC:AEC:0]" when I try to install this from Google Play.
- Nathanael 14y ago
  That's an issue with Google Play unfortunately. :/
  - PythonDeveloper 14y ago
    It's working now.
xatxat 14y ago
I love this idea. Is there a reason why you developed this as android app and not as a "normal" mobile website (navigator.geolocation)?
- Nathanael 14y ago
  We're planning on doing a "normal" web app as well. :)
PythonDeveloper 14y ago
Feedback.. a) Nice clean UI. b) Move send/cancel to top or side, away from the word-suggestion-list. I kept cancelling when choosing words from the word list as I typed. c) Any way to allow me to choose the radius? 21km seems arbitrary. I might want just people on my block to see it, or people in Dallas/Fort Worth (50km away). Obviously there should be an upper limit, but that could also be opened for a price, say for political campaigns.
- Nathanael 14y ago
  b) yeah that was recently introduced and seems to be causing an issue with some users. c) the radius is actually dynamic (21km is the upper limit currently) and varies depending on the activity: the more activity, the smaller the radius, so that you always receive a manageable number of messages.
shyn3 14y ago
Great idea. I would test but currently no access to an android device. Good competition in this category as of late as many people are entering. Think of it as a positive because it is validating your idea.

13 points by Nathanael 14y ago

PythonDeveloper 14y ago

This is the beginning of something BIG.

fblade1987 14y ago

Awesome idea! I'd be quick in developing it for other platforms as these ideas like this don't unique for long :)

tomasien 14y ago

Yeah I love this. I think someone at Darden at UVa is working on something similar, or that you?

tomasien 14y ago
Not a "So you shouldn't do this" but just a "by the way maybe something to keep an eye on" thing.
Nathanael 14y ago
It isn't us, do you remember their name?
- tomasien 14y ago
  I'll give them a shout. QUITE possible by the this time their service has become something could be totally complimentary to yours and you guys could connect some dots.
  - Nathanael 14y ago
    That would be great. We're actually looking for partnerships that might allow us to publish content from sources other than users.

PythonDeveloper 14y ago

In thinking about this, you're going to want to develop an API that lets advertisers send messages to users within a range of a location, probably referenced by lat/long. Allow users to turn off ads sent by advertisers, and develop some sort of commerce.. For example, you can send 2 messages a day. If you respond to an advertiser, you get 5 message credits... Of course I'd want to choose the advertisers I could get messages from, if any.

Nathanael 14y ago
Well we're definitely thinking about advertisements and our early users are already using the service to post ads, some business owners even offer reductions (20% off if you come by in the next 2 hours, stuff like that). I don't know about limiting the number of messages per user per day though. If we go that way, why not just charge to post more messages and forego the need for advertisers altogether?
- PythonDeveloper 14y ago
  Well, if I got the app, and some idiot started posting racist rhetoric or links to pics of their penis, i'd rather get fewer than an unlimited amount. Additionally, people should be able to block posters, and the weight of those blocks can ban a user if there are enough and the velocity is high. In that vein, it would seem that an IRC approach with "channels" might be better, so that you can have a private "channel" with your friends nearby, or move into the "starbucks" channel to get deals and updates from your local Starbucks. Perhaps allow people to create "private" channels, by invite only, if they buy the paid version of the app..
  - Nathanael 14y ago
    We have a reporting system planned and once (if we ever) get enough users/messages adding categories would make a lot of sense. I like the idea of private channels.
    - PythonDeveloper 14y ago

TobbenTM 14y ago

Does these "echoes" ever expire? Are they permanent? Seems like you use an image for a map, is this true/what's the reason?

Nathanael 14y ago
Echoes (not messages) expire after 7 days. As long as a message gets echoed it can live on indefinitely. There's no killer reasoning behind using an image for maps. We could be using the Google Maps API instead though right now it lets you share the actual image. We don't consider the maps to be overly important.
- PythonDeveloper 14y ago
  That's a mistake, IMHO. You're pushing a LOT more data over the air by sharing an image versus a URL to a google map. Additionally, Google has partner adverts on those maps that they get revenue from, and if you get enough traffic viewing the maps, you can go to them and get a revshare. When people start using it to broadcast events like accidents, fires, etc., you're going to want to use URLs, not pics.
  - Nathanael 14y ago
    Problem with sharing URLs is that people would be able to zoom in and see exactly where the messages/echoes come from. Not all of our users would be comfortable with that.
    - PythonDeveloper 14y ago
      You wouldn't want to share a location with every message, but rather give users the "choice" to share location for any given message they post. If they've just seen an accident, they'll want to post a URL. If they're at home, not likely. You might even ask users to "mark" private locations from which location can't be sent, like school, home, or work. You could also allow the user to vary the accuracy of the position by zooming in/out, to give them control of proximity for their posted locations.

PythonDeveloper 14y ago

FYI... I get an "Error retrieving information from server [RPC:AEC:0]" when I try to install this from Google Play.

Nathanael 14y ago
That's an issue with Google Play unfortunately. :/
- PythonDeveloper 14y ago
  It's working now.

xatxat 14y ago

I love this idea. Is there a reason why you developed this as android app and not as a "normal" mobile website (navigator.geolocation)?

Nathanael 14y ago
We're planning on doing a "normal" web app as well. :)

PythonDeveloper 14y ago

Feedback.. a) Nice clean UI. b) Move send/cancel to top or side, away from the word-suggestion-list. I kept cancelling when choosing words from the word list as I typed. c) Any way to allow me to choose the radius? 21km seems arbitrary. I might want just people on my block to see it, or people in Dallas/Fort Worth (50km away). Obviously there should be an upper limit, but that could also be opened for a price, say for political campaigns.

Nathanael 14y ago
b) yeah that was recently introduced and seems to be causing an issue with some users. c) the radius is actually dynamic (21km is the upper limit currently) and varies depending on the activity: the more activity, the smaller the radius, so that you always receive a manageable number of messages.

shyn3 14y ago

Great idea. I would test but currently no access to an android device. Good competition in this category as of late as many people are entering. Think of it as a positive because it is validating your idea.