We've been using Sidekick for the last week or so, and I can give it two-thumbs-up. I feel more connected to my co-founders than I have since COVID started, and tbh, the interface is a piece of cake to use. The difference in feeling like we're all grinding away towards the same goals again is amazing. Props to the Sidekick team for getting us to realize the benefits of something slightly uncomfortable (always-on video) and providing us with the device to do it!
Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
11–20 of 234 posts
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#12Congrats on launching, especially with a physical device. Quick question, if I commit to the promotional pricing now, can I scale up and add more users to my plan for the same price per user after Aug 1st?
Thank you, and yes!
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#13Not a fan. Seems like an invasion of privacy for companies to put an always-on security camera in your home. Didn't Orwell call them Telescreens?
Definitely understand the privacy concern - we know that our product won't fit every home office setup depending on the living circumstances. It depends on how close and comfortable a team feels with each other. Our teams are already close-knit and miss the feeling of being in the same room together. We're thinking of adding virtual backgrounds to help with this too.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#14This feels like bit of a knee-jerk reaction to the sudden shift towards remote only work. Don't get me wrong, I like the premise as I've definitely felt disconnected from my team recently, but I don't think this quite solves the problem. If it did we'd just sit in a Google Hangout meeting all day. We (and I imagine a lot of others) have already tried this and it didn't work. No one can really put their finger on why, we just know something was still missing.
I think it has to do with the medium. Maybe the answer involves coming up with some sort experience that doesn't feel as dry and disconnected as video conferencing. This is where the idea of course becomes hand wavy -- but maybe it involves some use of AR, or a projector -- who knows.
If I were in your shoes I'd be thinking about a game-changer, instead of an incremental enhancement of video conferencing. Maybe that's bad advice, but I know I don't find this offering terribly compelling.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#15Looks like it's still an early stage. Nice to see that it has something I wanted to implement in Jitsi Meet - "select person to talk". Other than that I don't see the appeal other than the subscription model for the hardware if you are an employer. Would be nice to see something like Facebook's Portal, so that it could be also placed in bigger rooms, where it could follow the speaker.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#16> Sidekick is a new hardware device […] So your "new hardware device" is a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019) with a stand, isn't it? What's your motivation to offer hardware instead of selling the Android app separately as well, so customers could use it without the hassle of getting hardware shipped?
All of our current customers wanted to try the experience without actually having to purchase and own a new expensive device. We really wanted to lower the barrier for anyone who wanted to give us a chance.
We also handle all shipping/return costs -- we're trying to minimize any burden on the customers.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#17> Sidekick is a new hardware device […] So your "new hardware device" is a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019) with a stand, isn't it? What's your motivation to offer hardware instead of selling the Android app separately as well, so customers could use it without the hassle of getting hardware shipped?
I guess the same reason why companies lease hardware like laptops for their employees.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#18Super neat! Happy to see Sidekick launch!
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#19Not a fan. Seems like an invasion of privacy for companies to put an always-on security camera in your home. Didn't Orwell call them Telescreens?
Is it always on? This is an interesting problem. How to recreate a “frosted glass” that’s introvert friendly (there’s a disorder that affects X% of the population where they can’t work if they’re being watched...the name escapes me) while reducing the friction of adhoc interactions (time, clicks, etc). Hopefully there’s some interesting solutions soon. One thing this solution perhaps doesn’t address is portability. S…
The frosted glass is a great idea! We'll definitely give it some thought.
Regarding portability, we were actually pleasantly surprised to learn that a lot of our users took Sidekick with them when they found different homes to shelter in place. We're thinking about adding some software companion apps to help with this as well.
edit: yes it's always-on, but you have the capability to turn it off easily with one button click.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#20We've been using Sidekick for the last week or so, and I can give it two-thumbs-up. I feel more connected to my co-founders than I have since COVID started, and tbh, the interface is a piece of cake to use. The difference in feeling like we're all grinding away towards the same goals again is amazing . Props to the Sidekick team for getting us to realize the benefits of something slightly uncomfortable (always-on vid…
Did you try something else before? We are all sitting in a Jitsi Meet conference all day and it works fine so far. We even added a "private call" button on the video tiles in order to quickly initiate a 1-on-1. How is the "select person to talk" feature working for you?