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Hi All,
We were able to run successful giveaway campaigns for a high quality screen protector that we are trying to bring into the market. We got some really awesome feedbacks from the helpful XDA community in terms of the quality of our product.
Now, I would like to ask the community for some ideas that would differentiate us from other brands.
Something creative instead of "Technology X" vs "Technology Y" jargon which normal consumers may not understand.
The Kioky: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kioky/kioky-perfect-fit-applicator-iphone-screen-protect?ref=live was a great idea, but unfortunate to what happened towards the end.
We all know one of the biggest gripes about Windows Phone is the lack of a few key apps. I know that I frequently contact a few companies to let them know that I am looking forward to a Windows Phone version of their existing apps and I’m sure others do as well. So companies get a smattering of requests from some users here and there.
Just wondering if perhaps we focus on one or a few particular apps at a time with many people emailing, tweeting, comments on Facebook etc in a sustained way to let them see that there is actual interest from a large number of users in the Windows Phone community. Who knows, maybe if there is enough noise, some of them will rethink their stand.
Not sure if this is the right place for this, but seemed like good place to see what people think.
Thoughts?
Bad idea. Software business works by different way. No one cares about your tweets or fb posts or forum noise - it's just a children game.
I agree that it may not make a difference, however companies often do actually listen to what people are saying. If it sounds like there is a demand, some companies who have been on the fence, may well pull the trigger and make something happen.
I've had luck getting companies to do things when I ask publicly that they wouldn't do when I asked privately. So it seems like getting more people asking publicly may well help in some instances.
willp2 said:
I agree that it may not make a difference, however companies often do actually listen to what people are saying. If it sounds like there is a demand, some companies who have been on the fence, may well pull the trigger and make something happen.
I've had luck getting companies to do things when I ask publicly that they wouldn't do when I asked privately. So it seems like getting more people asking publicly may well help in some instances.
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Other than XDA, if you also post this on WPCentral forum, you will get much much much better and enthusiastic response for such requests. There is a list of app-requests somwhere in this forum too, if you wanted a place to pick apps-in-demand from.
I'm afraid you are mistaken. Companies are "listening" their marketing stuff, investors and personal CEO/chairman opinions. Neither facebook posts nor tweets can change company budget, marketing strategy or development roadmap. In fact, the most companies are controlled by the intelligent and informed people, so you may be sure they already knew about WP7 platform
P.S. Let me guess: you've never worked in software industry, don't you?
Thanks for the comments on WPCentral forum, good point. More regular users over there.
sensboston - You made my point exactly. Companies are listening to marketing staff, investors and personal CEO/chairman opinions. Those people, especially the marketing types pay attention to what the outside world is saying. If they see noise about a particular topic, it gets their attention.
For instance, if that company releases a new version of an app that has big problems, they'll hear about it first from all those social sources and they will generally try to react quickly to quite down the noise.
Not that it matters or even relevant to what I'm talking about here, but I've been in the software industry for over 20 years.
willp2 said:
For instance, if that company releases a new version of an app that has big problems, they'll hear about it first from all those social sources and they will generally try to react quickly to quite down the noise.
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It's a completely different case. Yes, I agree - huge noise/rumors about critical bug in popular app/software can push (some) companies to force fix or workaround immediately (good example is a Nokia representatives, who's - I believe - are monitoring XDA forums daily)
But porting app to the different platform (especially to WP7!) is very complicated. Most primary titles are written on C++ and uses native code/API calls. "Porting" C++ code to C#/Silverlight isn't just "porting"; it's much more close to complete rewrite. Also WP7 platform support means an additional tier of Q&A and etc. and so on (if you are really worked more than 20 years in industry you can easily extend these requirements).
100 or even 1000 facebook posts and forum requests can't show you a real app demand but statistics can. Unfortunately WP7 market share currently is too small (at the end of 2011 it was about 2%).
I thought there was a similar thread already, but if not then perhaps we can do that. I heard a company saying, they'll port it to windows phone if they enough demands.
I do get that it's not a trivial task.
Again I was really just getting at the many companies who are already considering moving to Windows Phone but are on the fence.
As we know more and more apps are being ported every week so many companies already have been thinking about, planning or are already doing it. In some cases a little public pressure may at least confirm to them that people are interested and perhaps move things along.
lamborg - sorry if someone else already brought this up in another thread, I did search around first.
willp2 said:
I do get that it's not a trivial task.
Again I was really just getting at the many companies who are already considering moving to Windows Phone but are on the fence.
As we know more and more apps are being ported every week so many companies already have been thinking about, planning or are already doing it. In some cases a little public pressure may at least confirm to them that people are interested and perhaps move things along.
lamborg - sorry if someone else already brought this up in another thread, I did search around first.
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I am not sure either but I think I have seen a similar thread, Anyway, if that cannot be found.
BTW it was I think Draw Something which said about the enough demand.
Maybe try crowd funding
Maybe this is an area where crowd funding could help.
I mean, people can make noise about want for a particular WP7 app as much as they like, but at the end of the day somebody has to pay for development, in some way, either directly or indirectly.
A successful crowd funding campaign for an app would probably prove much more that there really is demand than just so many Facebook postings.
Of course there is also the danger that such a campaign fails miserably and shows that there isn't real demand, just a very vocal but small minority wanting the app...
rbrunner7 said:
Maybe this is an area where crowd funding could help.
I mean, people can make noise about want for a particular WP7 app as much as they like, but at the end of the day somebody has to pay for development, in some way, either directly or indirectly.
A successful crowd funding campaign for an app would probably prove much more that there really is demand than just so many Facebook postings.
Of course there is also the danger that such a campaign fails miserably and shows that there isn't real demand, just a very vocal but small minority wanting the app...
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Guarantee this would not get noticed. Most users on the site don't even donate to the devs that post apps here that they use, let alone donate to some fund for the possibility of an app being ported.
Standard contractor rates for a software engineer are about $100 to $150 per hour. Salaried devs make less, but the cost is close to the same for companies because of benefits packages. So, 1 day of dev time for 1 developer is going to cost around $1000. My guess is a crowd fund would not even reach $100. But even if $10000 were collected, that would only cover a team of 5 for 2 days. And, 5 days for 20 business days would cost $100000. And this is is exactly why companies have been slow to bring apps over. It's expensive.
The other aspect is that although the syntax is similar in C#, Java, and C++; there are enough differences to make it less than a simple task to just switch over. Most devs with experience have been doing either C# or Java or C++. Most have not been doing all 3. This means paying money and taking time to get the existing devs trained or hire additional devs and transfering domain knowledge to them. Both have costs. (Note: iPhone is Objective C, which is different, but also has similarities. Same issues though)
Many companies just don't have the resources to spend when the return on investment is not short term. Long term as more consumers buy Windows Phones, it will be more economically viable for companies to invest in porting the applications.
JVH3 said:
Guarantee this would not get noticed. Most users on the site don't even donate to the devs that post apps here that they use
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He-he... Most users on the site are too lazy, greedy and irresponsible not even for donation but just for vote and review published here on XDA apps And some are so ungrateful that they forget just to say "Thanks"... Don't tell me about donations: I've collected money for Cotulla, for the Samsung's first freedom ROM for WP7... From hundreds of Focus owners here only 13 or 14 people are donated.
As for your arguments: it's 100% true for an adult professionals but of course not for 12-14 years old teens who "has over 20 years of software industry experience"
Yeah, I am myself a professional developer at day time, and I know how much it costs my company to employ me
But still, I think not all hope is lost. Some people may read this thread and just maybe change their attitude against devs that offer "free" things a little to the better - good that we talked about it, then!
And as I program in my free time anyway, just for fun, even a crowdsourced 1000 dollars could nudge me in a direction that I would not take otherwise, and people get the app they like. Of course only if the right APIs and server permissions are there to build it in the first place which of course is not always the case - many apps can only be built by the companies who own the corresponding server infrastructure.
rbrunner7 said:
Yeah, I am myself a professional developer at day time, and I know how much it costs my company to employ me
But still, I think not all hope is lost. Some people may read this thread and just maybe change their attitude against devs that offer "free" things a little to the better - good that we talked about it, then!
And as I program in my free time anyway, just for fun, even a crowdsourced 1000 dollars could nudge me in a direction that I would not take otherwise, and people get the app they like. Of course only if the right APIs and server permissions are there to build it in the first place which of course is not always the case - many apps can only be built by the companies who own the corresponding server infrastructure.
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Not to be discouraging, but it is pretty unlikely to get $1000 in donation from users here. It you look at the weather city editor that I wrote (link to thread in signature) for Windows Mobile, I got maybe close to $500 in donations from the time I created it through the entire time I worked on it, supported it, and enhanced it. I created it because I needed it and turned it into more than I needed so others could easily use it. The donations came from maybe 20 to 30 users. It was downloaded by well over 10000 users.
If looking for money as the reward, you are much better off paying Microsoft the $100 and putting the app on the marketplace and charging a dollar or making it be ad supported.
You'll still get respect for making cool things and posting them here, but it's not going to make you rich. It's a great place to learn and get some experience making apps though. Lots of people are willing to help if you get stuck on something.
It's a nice thought but, in reality it wont work
I thought about doing this too...
If you got everyone to attempt to do it, it might but, if you only get 50 people to do it(and that would be a lot in a fourm to request something they might not be interested in) that is a little bit compared to their marketplace with iOS or Android.
I personally really want Cut the Rope but, after posting a handfull of times on their facebook page and even emailing customer service, no luck
for sure you have heard about the new "XDA Developers' Android Hacker's Toolkit"
It is certainly a good idea to regroup all the forums method inside a book,wrote by hackers and geek.
the only thing I think is strange is that XDA focused on idea sharing and hacker philosopy.
So why do we have to pay for this book? It should be free, because it is not "original", all of us in some way wrote it...I don't want to pay it not because i don't want to spend money, but because I think it should respect the hacker philosopy.
what do you think?
meccaandroid said:
for sure you have heard about the new "XDA Developers' Android Hacker's Toolkit"
It is certainly a good idea to regroup all the forums method inside a book,wrote by hackers and geek.
the only thing I think is strange is that XDA focused on idea sharing and hacker philosopy.
So why do we have to pay for this book? It should be free, because it is not "original", all of us in some way wrote it...I don't want to pay it not because i don't want to spend money, but because I think it should respect the hacker philosopy.
what do you think?
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I think that XDA provide us with a great place to come and learn and share our knowledge. In order to achive this their is going to be costs and if they can make some extra money from selling a book. To then use the said money to make this service even better, i can only see it as a good thing. Also a lot of people find it easier to read from a book than a computer screen.
Edit - I have just read the portal artical, and all the profits are going to the EFF, although the money is not going directly into XDA, it will directly help and benifit XDA, as they have done in the past.
All revenue earned through purchases of the book on Amazon will be donated to the EFF, which has given assistance to members of our community in the past. It’s available in both physical and eBook formats. Without further ado, here’s where you can get it right now:
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Profits go to a good cause.
Don't want to pay, just read the forums instead.
Simple.
conantroutman said:
Profits go to a good cause.
Don't want to pay, just read the forums instead.
Simple.
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Yes the profits are going to a very good cause. And to be honest with you I don't have any problem spending the $23 USD plus tax for the book. I really don't see why anyone would have a problem with it. But you just can not please all of the people no matter how hard you try.
I ordered mine in October, 2011. After many delays (like the Galaxy S3) I received my copy from amazon on Tuesday. I will use this weekend to read it. Learn some pointers.
As mentioned, profits from Amazon sales are donated to EFF.
All other profits (as anyone knows that has worked with a publisher), will be minuscule. We didn't do this to earn revenue, but to give people a great way to learn about Android development.
Keep on eye on the Portal...we'll be giving away a batch of free copies in the near future.
svetius said:
As mentioned, profits from Amazon sales are donated to EFF.
All other profits (as anyone knows that has worked with a publisher), will be minuscule. We didn't do this to earn revenue, but to give people a great way to learn about Android development.
Keep on eye on the Portal...we'll be giving away a batch of free copies in the near future.
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Thanks for the tip, another good reason to go to the portal besides when the forums are down for maintenance.
svetius said:
As mentioned, profits from Amazon sales are donated to EFF.
All other profits (as anyone knows that has worked with a publisher), will be minuscule. We didn't do this to earn revenue, but to give people a great way to learn about Android development.
Keep on eye on the Portal...we'll be giving away a batch of free copies in the near future.
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Thanks for the tip, i will keep an eye out for that, stay at home dad = Poor
Good things come at a price..'nuff said.
I know that advertising, CPC, CPI platforms, and in-app purchasing are the typical monetization tactics, but these seem like several steps off from where many developers (including myself) are. I know that networking and meeting the right people may land you an opportunity to pitch an app for potential VC/angel funding, but other than that, would love to hear people's experiences and lessons learned with these types of opportunities.
generalu said:
I know that advertising, CPC, CPI platforms, and in-app purchasing are the typical monetization tactics, but these seem like several steps off from where many developers (including myself) are. I know that networking and meeting the right people may land you an opportunity to pitch an app for potential VC/angel funding, but other than that, would love to hear people's experiences and lessons learned with these types of opportunities.
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I am in the same boat here...I would love to hear some resources or ideas for funding that people have actually used, that doesn't involve things like kickstarter/etc. I have 10 App ideas sitting on a back burner now. I don't think all of them are money makers, but after testing the ideas on a sample audience, I firmly believe 2-3 of them are. All of the layouts, planning, theory, and even some artwork is done for multiple of them, but just need more resources to full get going.
Again, would love to hear what real people have done to get going.
asmocon said:
I am in the same boat here...I would love to hear some resources or ideas for funding that people have actually used, that doesn't involve things like kickstarter/etc. I have 10 App ideas sitting on a back burner now. I don't think all of them are money makers, but after testing the ideas on a sample audience, I firmly believe 2-3 of them are. All of the layouts, planning, theory, and even some artwork is done for multiple of them, but just need more resources to full get going.
Again, would love to hear what real people have done to get going.
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You should submit to this competition: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2355446&highlight=samsung+s+smart+app
I was reading up on the details, and the Venture Capital potential is intriguing to me - the grand prize wouldn't be so bad either. Are you working on these ideas by yourself or with a team? I'm lacking a lot of the programming end of the spectrum.
VC might be difficult
I'd say, looking at the current climate in the industry, it would be very difficult to land even a seed round (less than $500k) without a significant previous experience and a good team. Most of the investors perceive mobile gaming as a hit-driven business and I think they are right, it's high-risk and requires skills, cash and the right team to deliver any kind of decent results. I've seen teams raising seed / A rounds and just burning money.
As for personal experience - last year we've raised a seed round, it was quite difficult and I'm quite sure it would be even more difficult now.
Anyway, I'd love to hear more from others.
tom.mleko said:
I'd say, looking at the current climate in the industry, it would be very difficult to land even a seed round (less than $500k) without a significant previous experience and a good team. Most of the investors perceive mobile gaming as a hit-driven business and I think they are right, it's high-risk and requires skills, cash and the right team to deliver any kind of decent results. I've seen teams raising seed / A rounds and just burning money.
As for personal experience - last year we've raised a seed round, it was quite difficult and I'm quite sure it would be even more difficult now.
Anyway, I'd love to hear more from others.
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Honestly, if cash is a commodity for you (and to who is it not), crowdfunding is your best bet. If you can come up with a good trailer and and effective pitch, the money will start rolling in, to which you can THEN start attracting the VCs. That's what happened when I started my business.
JeffM123 said:
Honestly, if cash is a commodity for you (and to who is it not), crowdfunding is your best bet. If you can come up with a good trailer and and effective pitch, the money will start rolling in, to which you can THEN start attracting the VCs. That's what happened when I started my business.
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Yes, crowdfunding is a very important, and potentially the quickest, source of cash. Thing is not each and every product is suitable for crowdfunding. Just to give you an example - my project is a B2B type of thing and its main clients are F2P mobile game devs. I guess it would be hard for us to crowdsource enough money to start the project. Crowdfunding is great for B2C, not so sure about B2B.
tom.mleko said:
Yes, crowdfunding is a very important, and potentially the quickest, source of cash. Thing is not each and every product is suitable for crowdfunding. Just to give you an example - my project is a B2B type of thing and its main clients are F2P mobile game devs. I guess it would be hard for us to crowdsource enough money to start the project. Crowdfunding is great for B2C, not so sure about B2B.
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Be sure to get your apps in all of the app stores including Amazon (the name), GiveMeApps (no developer fees, get to keep 100% of your profits), GetJar (large network) and all of the others.
JeffM123 said:
Be sure to get your apps in all of the app stores including Amazon (the name), GiveMeApps (no developer fees, get to keep 100% of your profits), GetJar (large network) and all of the others.
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Good general advice but our project is not an app
Coastal Shows and The App Show
generalu said:
I know that advertising, CPC, CPI platforms, and in-app purchasing are the typical monetization tactics, but these seem like several steps off from where many developers (including myself) are. I know that networking and meeting the right people may land you an opportunity to pitch an app for potential VC/angel funding, but other than that, would love to hear people's experiences and lessons learned with these types of opportunities.
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Investors, Ventures and Angel Funds are waiting to hear about your new business - go to the Funding, Discovery and Monetization Conference Sept 12 and 13, coastalshows.com, and don't miss theappshow.org
Investment share
I have some investors for my app and we're at the stage of drawing up contracts. Not sure how to figure out percentage of profits (if we're lucky enough to get any) for myself and investors.
Any thoughts.
Thank you.
Mondo33 said:
I have some investors for my app and we're at the stage of drawing up contracts. Not sure how to figure out percentage of profits (if we're lucky enough to get any) for myself and investors.
Any thoughts.
Thank you.
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Tough question. Are they funding the whole development, marketing, etc.?
tom.mleko said:
Tough question. Are they funding the whole development, marketing, etc.?
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Yes they are.
My idea and sweat equity by providing content.
Mondo33 said:
Yes they are.
My idea and sweat equity by providing content.
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In fact they are investing on a seed stage, right? If so, I would expect to give them up to 20% of the equity. We got lucky and got away with single digits
generalu said:
I know that advertising, CPC, CPI platforms, and in-app purchasing are the typical monetization tactics, but these seem like several steps off from where many developers (including myself) are. I know that networking and meeting the right people may land you an opportunity to pitch an app for potential VC/angel funding, but other than that, would love to hear people's experiences and lessons learned with these types of opportunities.
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Couldn't help but see this thread and try to help out some fellow app developers. I understand monetizing an app can be extremely difficult if you can't find the right person to pitch your product too. I'm an app developer myself and I attended the funding, discovery, and monetization conference hosted by The AppShow and CONNECT in San Diego, CA and learned a lot about monetizing my product there. I'm now going to be attending The AppShow in San Diego early January, 2014 where I can talk to investors face-to-face and hopefully get my app funded, I'm so excited!!
Hello fellow developers,
I am turning to your expertise because as a member of XDA, I trust and value your opinion. I have a situation and would appreciate your input. I am working on an App idea. I've figured out most of the details and planned a road map. I have a 7 page mockup ready to build only a demo app (no backend, only visuals for potential investors to help me fund the full build).
I am wondering what I should expect in terms of costs to design and build an interactive demo? I would appreciate any range of costs you may find reasonable.
Thank you in advance for your input, I appreciate it.
Alex1x said:
I am wondering what I should expect in terms of costs to design and build an interactive demo? I would appreciate any range of costs you may find reasonable.
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I'm new here too, but been doing Android development for a few years... In my own experience I've built mockups/apps myself, so to me it was always "free"... my spare time... but if you want real answers, and related to your app, you'll have to provide a heck of a lot more detail!
"How long is a piece of string"...
peaklabs.net said:
you'll have to provide a heck of a lot more detail!
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I agree, even if you will not have working logic in it, you still need to design it ( 7 Activities) and sometimes design is much harder to do than logic behind it