@joshbarkin yeah, it seems very neat, but i'm not totally convinced the value proposition is strong enough to stand out in such a competitive space. curious to hear the maker's thoughts.
Hey guys! I'm Alec, the maker of Beam.
When using real time it so happens that messages and information in general moves faster. You get my message as if I were speaking it to you, and are able to reply just as fast, and on point - at the precise location where you want to address. So no more looking at "..." - you get more engaged with convo. No awkward questions like "what are you referring to?", etc. Once you use it for a bit, it starts to make sense. It's just a different way of communicating, that's all. Beam is sort of positioned on a spectrum between phone calls and texts - right in the middle. Preserves conversational dynamics while allowing for a non-intrusive way to talk.
Anything else you want to know, ask away!
Had a chance to test out the new Beam iOS app. The real time nature of seeing what the other person is typing as they're replying is what makes this app stand out. I can see it being used as a Snapchat like messenger because you don't need to send a message. You can type something out, delete it and the other person will still see it.
@robjama With Snapchat you can re-take a photo infinitely before you send. Here there is no deliberation about what you're communicating. I think that both the convenience ("I'll respond when I want to") and deliberation ("I'll think about what I want to communicate") are both reasons why messaging is a better choice to communicate. I may not be the target, but I often think as a I type, and often retract before I send.
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