Swype for Android is time limited

[CDB]

If Swype didn't make it to the market place and no one came up with a fix for the limited-time trial, there is always:

ShapeWriter Keyboard

that one sucks

I find it easier to use than Swype. YMMV.

 

[Gunghoray]

Martin030908, Care to be a guest lecturer to my business students? Sometimes they think I'm the "voice of madness" rather than of "reason". I'm about the most unorthodox business professor on the East Coast.

We sometimes cook wings and always play rap music and oldie rock-n-roll before my classes. Draws quite a crowd.

They can also text me during classes (no one else, though), and always watch an inspirational film clip before we start (attitude adjustment videos). Check out Did You Know III on YouTube if you dare.

Thanks for the compliment.

Prof Ray

 

[Martin030908]

Martin030908, Care to be a guest lecturer to my business students? Sometimes they think I'm the "voice of madness" rather than of "reason". I'm about the most unorthodox business professor on the East Coast.

We sometimes cook wings and always play rap music and oldie rock-n-roll before my classes. Draws quite a crowd.

They can also text me during classes (no one else, though), and always watch an inspirational film clip before we start (attitude adjustment videos). Check out Did You Know III on YouTube if you dare.

Thanks for the compliment.

Prof Ray

These were my favorite kind of professor's in college. Unorthodox works for me.
I will check the video, out of sheer curiousity.

edit: I really enjoy information like that! Thanks!

 

[akj27]

Where do you teach Ray? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[Gunghoray]

Undergrad teaching full-time as Prof of Business and Ethics at Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC. Grad teaching in MBA program as Adjunct and former Executive in Residence at Charleston Southern University.

Prof Ray

 

[mjw51]

official swype

I did not get the answer to my real question: whether or not the application will become available on the Market Place. That is the question I want answered! I will add their response to that question if they ever answer.

PLEASE let us know when u get an answer i agree i dont like beta either

mjw51

 

[mjw51]

i agree it would be worth it to have a stable version

 

[CDB]

They already said they had no plans of releasing it to the market place as it's planned for OEM distribution.

Look into ShapeWriter Keyboard...it's been around longer.

 

[skidmarx]

Swype's Official Response to Downloadable Versions

Hi Everyone,
There are a lot of comments and questions on the forum about why we don't offer Swype directly to end-users. We'll state right away that at some point in the future we will. However, distributing software directly to end-users is not as simple as it may appear and it is not to be undertaken lightly. Here are a few of the key things we need to have in place as a company in order to be successful with that approach.
1) Complexity of porting and device support
There are many devices (at minimum 20+) that we would need to support. Take that number and factor in multiple carriers, languages, OS's, firmware versions, etc. and you have a BIG engineering project on your hands. Also, in order to make the numbers work (sales by volume) you need to support all of the most popular devices, OS's and storefronts.
2) Device integration.
We don't feel any of the current downloadable version of Swype is feature complete or even adequately tested (all downloadable version are in fact unlicensed at this time.) Consider that the keyboard is not really an application - it is more of an OS level function, as it must interact with EVERY application on the phone. Thus there is a lot of testing and integration that needs to be done in order for us to verify that it works well.
Also, a few of you are wondering what is missing from the unlicensed version? The most important absent function is "double tap editing." You can check this out on our video tip www.swypeinc.com/tips-tricks.html and we consider it to be one of the key features of our software as it enables you to quickly correct mistakes and restore the insertion point back where it was before the edit. Other things are language support (see #4 below) and some of the graphical fit and finish elements to improve usability and the user experience.
3) End user support.
We need to be ready to actually support end users (not just forums but real support...even Google is finding out what this means with their Nexus release.) If you download software and pay for it you expect that the company selling the software to you is prepared to support you, trouble-shoot problems, and ultimately fix them or provide a way to get a refund.
4) Additional languages.
Finally, we recognize that a significant percentage of you will want to Swype in languages other than what an OEM ships or what might come in a download package. We are working on a way to enable end users to download new language dictionaries. The significant issues are security and developing simple way for the user's handset to identify what languages are compatible with their Swype installation and provide them the appropriate version of the database.
We think that all four of the above are needed for us to be successful in a direct to consumer model. At the end of the day, we want you to have the best possible experience with our software. If we go to a download model too soon, we simply don't have the resources to create that experience.

Will we get there in the future? Definitely. Do we know when? No.
We'll keep you posted and thanks for all the enthusiasm, feedback, and patience.
The Swype Team
P.S. Our lawyer has asked us to remind everyone that Swype does not explicitly or implicitly condone the unauthorized copying and distribution of the Swype software and to inform you that the Swype software is proprietary to Swype, Inc., is the copyrighted work of Swype, Inc., and Swype, Inc. has and always will reserve all of its rights.

 

[Pueo]

Well that sums it up.

 

[928Droid]

Well that sums it up.

Except for the "time limited rumor" issue.

 

[LrdElderon]

Well I completely understand where the companies point of view is coming from and hopefully, google, verizon or motorola will get this and release it to us in an update or perhaps a pay app update or something.

But people seem to be having a decent enough time using this beta software as it is right now. I see no reason why it couldn't be released as a small fee app that says no support other than say forums. For full support you pay the 29.99 or whatever you want to charge for the app when you do have the resources in place. just keep out fancy features from the cheaper app store version.

One way or the other users pretty much get what they want. You know someone will pirate it so wise money would be to make it available on the app store in perhaps a slightly light version for a small fee.

 

[mudpro69]

Well I am gonna keep using it until it expires, then, will I worry about it...simple as that...

 

[BizzyGeek]

This is probably a TL;DR rant for most people but it's my take.


I think it's true that it will be in the app store eventually but I think it has more to do with the maturity of the product than the building of the support infrastructure, as the Company is claiming, at least in the case of Android. Positioning themselves as an OEM seller does allow Swype to develop specifically for one device or platform but it also ensures a certain level of related revenue to recoup developmental costs, e.g. a $6 million dollar contract with Samsung rather than hoping for $6 million in direct sales on Android Market. You’d be surprised at how many people own these phones and barely use the Market, or wouldn’t think to purchase a paid app.

It also creates a situation where carrier and manufacturer marketing dollars are spent in part on promotion of Swype as a premium feature and helps give Swype a huge leg up on the inevitable immitations or knock-offs. The vast majority of consumers, even smartphone buyers are very much more ignorant of this technology than the people on these forums. Carriers and manufacturers have the marketing muscle and the incentive to reach the vast majority directly. In order to preserve the value Swype provides to Samsung/Sprint, or whoever, they cannot sell direct to consumer at this point.

Right now even with the fragmented versions of the OS, manufacturers are finding themselves in the same place that PC manufacturers were in the earlier days before companies like Dell had built real brand equity, because it's really a similar situation. How does Motorola differentiate their Android devices from HTC or LG or Samsung, etc? Now that AT&T is entering the Android market, there will be options across all major carriers. You can build a phone with different hardware specs but most of the other guys have access to the same suppliers. At that point you really can't build in much profit because of the subsidized pricing model. Your negotiations on selling price are with the carriers rather than the consumers, and they have a tremendous amount of bargaining power. The key for device manufacturers is to create a brand preference among the end user or a belief on the carriers' parts that their device has features consumers will demand over competing devices running basically the same software and with much the same hardware capability in order to force the carriers to pay a premium for the devices.

[FONT=&quot]One solution has been with custom UIs like Sense and Motoblur. Along those same lines Swype will sell their product to manufacturers as a feature to improve the attractiveness of that particular device which is really running a commodity OS. And since you're talking about adding a software feature rather than a hardware feature you don't have the direct variable cost relationship that you incur by adding on hardware. You also add on something that will be upgradeable over the one or two years you expect the customer to keep the device. If the strategy works, more and more manufacturers will adopt Swype. Once that has happened, or if it turns out not to help sales of the hardware, Swype will release the software for purchase on the Market. My guess is that either possibility will be at least a year or two in the future.

BG
[/FONT]

 

[Gunghoray]

Bizzygeek. That was a well-written and thought-out response. I'm impressed. If you were my student, you'd get an "A".

However, I still buy the Swype rationale. Six mil is a pocketfull of dough. I'm not privy to how many Android phones are out there, but I'm guessing that there aren't enough of them to warrant a wholesale rollout of the Swype platform at even ten or twenty bucks a hit. As you so accurately put it, there are very few Android users who would even CONSIDER paying for an APP. I know I have, but I'm the exception, not the rule.

So, like they did with T9, which has six BILLION users, I'm guessing they're going after THAT market profile rather than end-users. For sure, there are a dozen knock-offs of T9 but these guys persevered and dominated the market with their mature, transportable, and affordable product. They made tens of millions of dollars and are looking to replicate that strategy with Swype.

I'm just a business prof, so I'm not on the inside of their strategic meetings. But they've been developing this for more than a year, and I'll just bet they are into this for the LONG HAUL rather than the quick buck.

Thanks for your insight. You're a bright guy.