> Initially we built Sidekick just for ourselves, but many of the founders in our YC batch wanted to try it out!
What was your original YC idea?
Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
101–110 of 234 posts
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#102I think everyone focusing on the "always on" aspect is missing the point. This is a standalone device which takes care of a major part of the headache in transitioning to remote work -- a second monitor and webcam, a whiteboarding device, and a "who's online for me to talk to" visibility feature. It's like paying $25 to bring the social experience of an office to your remote work environment without worrying about te…
> The only feature I'd like to see is a "camera off but still pingable" mode i think that's called a slack message, or maybe email.
I think the difference is that "pingable" means you are happy to have someone ping you.
My understanding is that camera on = talk to me at any time. And maybe some users would still like that openness, without worrying if someone is watching them pick their nose.
A Slack message would start with "Hey, can we connect at some point..."
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#103I think everyone focusing on the "always on" aspect is missing the point. This is a standalone device which takes care of a major part of the headache in transitioning to remote work -- a second monitor and webcam, a whiteboarding device, and a "who's online for me to talk to" visibility feature. It's like paying $25 to bring the social experience of an office to your remote work environment without worrying about te…
"camera off but still pingable" That's called Facetime'ing someone.
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Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
Zoom and Facebook Portal are still just trying to make meetings marginally better with a dedicated device. We're going after a different niche where teams need to actually feel like they're in the same room with an always-on call.
So just have an always on meeting using Zoom/Portal. How is that any different?
We talked to a bunch of teams that tried this. It's really hard to get people into the call at the same time. Eventually, there are enough bad experiences of being alone that people stop using it.
Sidekick's features maximize the chances you're not alone. Some examples are outlined in the original post!
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#105You are so preoccupied with whether or not you could [found a unicorn off the back of Covid], you didn't stop to think if you should. To further elaborate: What is one of the only benefits to the pandemic? Remote work. Who wants to come in and ruin it? Sidekick. Thanks, I hate it. I truly do. I only have to imagine the god awful dashboard you'll inevitably offer (product managers gonna productize) and the dystopian K…
Please don't fulminate like this on HN. You're breaking the guideline against shallow dismissals, as well as this one: " Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith. " Nobody's talking about imposing this product on anyone. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
That's fair, in hindsight it's a lot harsher than it felt writing it.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#106As the founder of a remote company this defeats the purpose for me. Benefits of remote: - No commute - No office politics - No forced schedule - Less meetings - More writing - Forced communication - No "assess in seats" culture In part, this seems to defeat at least: - No forced schedule - Less meetings - No "asses in seats" culture My hunch is that your market research consisted of only talking to companies that are…
I'd consider using a product like this and I don't give a shit about draconian politics. The issue is that remote work has downsides. One downside is dramatically less collaboration. I like collaborating with team-mates, not just drudging away by myself. If this could help create more of a spontaneous back and forth in-person feel, that could be valuable. I don't know how it would feel, I'd have to try it and see. Bu…
I haven't had that experience, but working over IM/IRC is a mode I'm used to.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd consider using a product like this and I don't give a shit about draconian politics. The issue is that remote work has downsides. One downside is dramatically less collaboration. I like collaborating with team-mates, not just drudging away by myself. If this could help create more of a spontaneous back and forth in-person feel, that could be valuable. I don't know how it would feel, I'd have to try it and see. Bu…
> One downside is dramatically less collaboration. This is simply an excuse for why remote doesn't work. It's a dead horse. If you find yourself collaborating less as a result of remote work, then I question your remote setup and culture. > If this could help create more of a spontaneous back and forth in-person feel. I actually feel less shitty by spontaneously reaching out to my colleagues via Slack or by phone whe…
>> If you find yourself collaborating less as a result of remote work, then I question your remote setup and culture.
Ah yes, the old "you're doing it wrong retort". Blaming the person who doesn't conform to your ideals, or has had different results is perhaps an even older, dead horse. See also: agile zealot.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#108Congratulations on the launch. I'm a remote worker, so I was keenly interested in this.
I've been using a Facebook Portal for about 1.5 years as an always-on video device. It works great, so I love the idea. There's open water in this space, so it's great to see others entering it.
For now, I don't see why I would ever use this over the Portal. The Portal HW has a high-quality build with a great speaker, and the auto-tracking video is creepy good. I purchased the large desktop Portal for $200 one time—a better deal than 25$ a month IMHO.
I wrote up my remote work experience with the Portal, too (https://medium.com/@dbal/facebook-portal-makes-for-a-better-...). Facebook has been researching business uses cases also. A research firm hired by Facebook came to our remote sites and observed how we used the Portal.
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#109> 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.
What happens when an employee has one stolen? or coffee spilled on it?
How many free tablets can I get for $25/mo? What do you do when you realize someone has spilled coffee on 3 tablets, and now their credit card isn't rebilling and they aren't responding to email?
Re: Launch HN: Sidekick (YC S20) – A hardware device to connect remote teams
#110Congratulations on the launch. I'm a remote worker, so I was keenly interested in this. I've been using a Facebook Portal for about 1.5 years as an always-on video device. It works great, so I love the idea. There's open water in this space, so it's great to see others entering it. For now, I don't see why I would ever use this over the Portal. The Portal HW has a high-quality build with a great speaker, and the auto…
What kind of company do you work at?