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Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

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Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#21

Post by nicpottier »

josh2600 wrote: post #13
nicpottier wrote: post #2

Hi HN, We've been working in Rwanda for the past three years building interactive SMS systems for NGOs. This is our take on how to build a platform instead of custom systems to handle a lot of the needs here. We think it probably has some uses in the west as well. Happy to answer any questions and respond to comments, curious to hear everybody's feedback. (please be gentle, not in the face!)

Hi! Thanks for submitting this. I'm a big telecom geek and I am curious about your connection to the phone network (specifically, how are you enabling these SMS to actually go out?). Is this sitting on top of something like Twilio, or do you have an underlying switch? What's the magic here? Is this just an interface for laying out SMS strategies or is there more to this? It looks visually appealing, I think you did a…

Just to build on what Eric said, we either use a single Android phone to relay messages for you or integrate with Twilio or another aggregator.

We work a lot in Africa and there are no Twilios here, and integrating with multiple carriers is both really expensive and really time consuming. So what we do instead is have the organization that is deploying a TextIt buy a cheap Android phone (they are less than $100) and load our app on it.

From then on SMS messages that are received by the phone are forwarded to TextIt and we route replies through it. It works amazingly well and lets people deploy apps literally anywhere in just a few minutes.

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#22

Post by camilo_u »

jasperr wrote: post #3

HN, Interactive SMS systems fill a much needed niche that has been largely neglected in favor of "smart apps". It's great to see that someone has developed a platform for building custom applications. Great job.

Exactly, we have to realize that those countries where the mobile penetration is ridiculous high, more than 95%, like any country in Africa, Asia and Latin America is basically driven by feature phones, and that will be the scenario for several years more.

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#23

Post by ernestipark »

nicpottier wrote: post #2

Hi HN, We've been working in Rwanda for the past three years building interactive SMS systems for NGOs. This is our take on how to build a platform instead of custom systems to handle a lot of the needs here. We think it probably has some uses in the west as well. Happy to answer any questions and respond to comments, curious to hear everybody's feedback. (please be gentle, not in the face!)

I taught a programming/entrepreneurship course a few years ago in Kigali through aiti.mit.edu at KIST and a few companies came out of it working on SMS apps. This app seems to make a lot of sense and seems well done. Good luck!

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#24

Post by prakster »

pak wrote: post #10

A very similar-looking product for phone applications, called QuickFuse, is here: http://quickfuseapps.com/ I think the diagram-as-programming concept has some legs for certain high-business-value, low-complexity applications. One of them is voice applications, and another is probably SMS applications. You can imagine many others: email workflows, document workflows, query tools... It comes down to the age-old proble…

Where is your pricing info?

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#27

Post by sleepyhead »

nicpottier wrote: post #2

Hi HN, We've been working in Rwanda for the past three years building interactive SMS systems for NGOs. This is our take on how to build a platform instead of custom systems to handle a lot of the needs here. We think it probably has some uses in the west as well. Happy to answer any questions and respond to comments, curious to hear everybody's feedback. (please be gentle, not in the face!)

I think this not only looks like a great app but also really hope to see more startups focusing on the needs in developing countries.

How did you end up going there and building this? Was it sort of a by-product of working with an NGO or did you specifically go to Rwanda to do a mobile startup in a developing country?

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#28

Post by nicpottier »

sleepyhead wrote: post #27
nicpottier wrote: post #2

Hi HN, We've been working in Rwanda for the past three years building interactive SMS systems for NGOs. This is our take on how to build a platform instead of custom systems to handle a lot of the needs here. We think it probably has some uses in the west as well. Happy to answer any questions and respond to comments, curious to hear everybody's feedback. (please be gentle, not in the face!)

I think this not only looks like a great app but also really hope to see more startups focusing on the needs in developing countries. How did you end up going there and building this? Was it sort of a by-product of working with an NGO or did you specifically go to Rwanda to do a mobile startup in a developing country?

That's kind of a subject for a blog post which I've been meaning to write.. but ya, Eric and I ended up Rwanda just because we wanted to do something different with our software skills. So we moved here, started a company, hired on some brilliant devs and started working with various NGOs which introduced us to how SMS is a really useful tool. Eventually we decided we wanted to do something better than the current tools available, something that could be used easily by NGOs large and small and that's where TextIt came in.

Lots of twists and turns in that story of course, but that's the cliff notes.

Re: Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world

#29

Post by josh2600 »

enewcomer wrote: post #19
josh2600 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi! Thanks for submitting this. I'm a big telecom geek and I am curious about your connection to the phone network (specifically, how are you enabling these SMS to actually go out?). Is this sitting on top of something like Twilio, or do you have an underlying switch? What's the magic here? Is this just an interface for laying out SMS strategies or is there more to this? It looks visually appealing, I think you did a…

Hey Josh, One of the devs here.. There's several different ways your TextIt app can be deployed depending on where you are located. When you sign up, we present the geographically appropriate options for you. In some cases you will see Twilio, others you will get direct connections with a carrier. However, no matter where you are we also have a pretty robust Android app (free on Google Play) that can facilitate 2-way…

Awesome! Thank you so much :).

Can you tell me a bit about what your experience setting up the direct connections was like? Frankly, I do this for a living and I'm curious what it's like for others. Dealing with global carriers is hit or miss for me. It's either BOOM DONE or years of waiting in vain.

What was your experience like? I admit, most of my conversations are focused on Europe and Asia so I'd be quite curious about your experiences in Africa or elsewhere.

Thanks!!!

Edit: To clarify, where are you unable to get carrier agreements?

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