Im a bit amazing that the name "Inbox" was available for a product involving email.
Names are always available when you have some money to invest in buying rights and domains.
MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
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Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#62You ever see those commercial restaurant spaces which seem like a good spot on paper, but every restaurant that goes into it seems to fail? Thats kind of how I feel about all the "We fixed email" startups. A real pain point but one I'd never want to tackle since there doesn't seem to be one "I've fixed it" solution.
Hi there, Christine from Inbox here.
That's why we're tackling the problem from a platform level, not building one specific product---it's obvious to us that the ways folks are using email these days are so varied that no one thing solves them all.
A better toolset allows many different solutions.
Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
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Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#64If you're using the USS Enterprise as one of your key visuals, you're probably taking yourself too seriously.
To boldly go where no APIs have gone before... ;)
More seriously, we're super focused on MS Exchange support for enterprises. Ping me if you'd like preview access to this: mg@inboxapp.com
Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#65Ha ha! I clicked on this article's HN comments thinking "Wow, this sounds a company ready for their Incredible Journey to begin." (c.f. http://ourincrediblejourney.tumblr.com ) And lo, the most upvoted comments here are all expressing the same sentiment. I do not recall before today just looking at a new company's elevator pitch and muttering "Best wishes with the acquihire, y'all". Something subtle's shifted in the…
The fact that the pitch includes a swipe at Google shutting down services kind of invites the "yeah but are y'all a future acquihire?" counter-skepticism. I think they could probably just have left that whole subject out of the pitch; it's an approach to competing with Gmail via "negative advertising" that I think has relatively little upside and opens up a can of worms. (On the other hand, it's an obvious enough cou…
Indeed. They've inadvertently refocused attention from an otherwise interesting discussion about problems and innovation in Email into one about acquihires and company lifetimes. There's a PR lesson in here folks.
Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#66Your claim that your product will not be discontinued is worthless. If you're so sure of that, put your money where your mouth is, and offer an SLA with a contractual minimum duration you promise to keep the service up, and significant monetary penalties if you fail to meet it. Doesn't sound like a good idea? Then shut up.
> with a contractual minimum duration you promise to keep the service up, and significant monetary penalties if you fail to meet it.
Take it down a few notches, you're solution will likely not work.
This is the company's only product. If the product gets discontinued, the company is likely broke. The "significant monetary penalties" is unenforceable because the company will not have any money to fulfill the SLA penalty.
Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#67“Inbox is an email company. Google is an advertising company. This product is our focus, and will not be ‘discontinued’ unexpectedly.” Burn! Very amusing. But for all we know they will be acqui-hired, maybe even by Google, and then shifted to a different project.
I said this in the other thread and I know it sounds cliché, but we're not planning to "go away" or get acquired or something. We've always positioned this company as a long-term play, and made that very clear when hiring, raising money, etc. It's just not possible to go after something big if you plan to "flip" the company quickly.
In that case, you should probably make a big fancy statement to that effect. It would be popular, people are very concerned about the issue of services being acquired and binned these days, it's such an obvious pattern.
If you are not legally/politically able to make such a statement, then these casual assurances are worthless, and ultimately misleading.
Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
I find the angry tone of this message to be misplaced and unnecessary.
Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory in action. http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19
Disagree. It's harsh to make a point that there is no evidence they're telling the truth, not to be edgy or get attention. It would be better without the 'shut up' but a bit of an 'angry' tone is fitting.
Really, I'm more uncomfortable with a link to a webcomic joke as an argument point...
Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#69Your claim that your product will not be discontinued is worthless. If you're so sure of that, put your money where your mouth is, and offer an SLA with a contractual minimum duration you promise to keep the service up, and significant monetary penalties if you fail to meet it. Doesn't sound like a good idea? Then shut up.
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Re: MIT And Dropbox Alums Launch Inbox, a Next-Generation Email Platform
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please tell me one thing that a user (power or just every day user) really needs that is not supported by a reasonably recent email client? Sure, here are some ideas I'd like to see: - Effortless encryption - Verified identity - Pull model rather than push model (like twitter, requires verified identity, would eliminate spam and work for many email addresses which you don't want to be public) - Attachments which are…
A lot of these are protocol changes, not necessarily client changes... And I don't see many protocol changes coming for email...
I think that's the point of the project.