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Minuum Keyboard is out

gtbarry

gtbarry

Android Expert
Minuum Keyboard is finally available in the Play Store for $4. Four. Dollars. No trial.

I don't get it. I signed up for the beta. And I hear nothing until they send me an email telling me to go get it for $4 in the Play Store.

"Minuum is here!
Because you signed up early, we're telling you first

Thanks for signing up for the second beta phase of the Minuum keyboard, the little keyboard for big fingers. We
 
I do not know Minuum Keyboard nor the developer of this software, but... I would only recommend you to write to the developer asking how he wants to conduct the beta testing.
Basically, the alpha/beta function in Google Play does not affect the price of the software being in the beta phase. That means, if the "full" version is paid, the beta version will also be paid, by default. There are, of course, some tricks to let beta testers get their programs for free, but this requires some coding. Perhaps the developer forgot about this?
 
Im actually "alpha" testing an app just now (tbh i think by definition its actually "beta" )... its been a bumpy ride lol and im still gona have to buy the premium version eventually. Anyone know how to remove yourself from Play Store Beta testing so i can just use the stable(ish) version? Not gona name the app or dev but he's not very friendly or open to feedback so i dont see why i should be testing his builds that sometimes dont even work....
 
At least Minuum is willing to reply to me:

ME:
re-imagine your pricing. If you are totally revolutionary and "re-imagining the keyboard" I don't want to pay $4 to try it out. That is why I signed up for the beta.

Good luck being more expensive than SwiftKey for a keyboard concept no one has ever used before. Ever hear of a trial? or beta version for those who signed up for your beta?

Minuum:
On Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 12:21 PM, Minuum Support <support@minuum.com> wrote:
Hi,

Thanks for your email: Minuum is a small independent company, and with the support of our Indiegogo backers thus far we have been able to maintain that independence.

We have big plans for the keyboard! We want to support a large number of international languages, and continuously improve the user experience. By paying a small amount, customers like you can help us to make all this happen.

Regards,
The Minuum Team

ME:
Thank you for replying. But you can't think short-term here. If you are truly revolutionary, it will take time for people to catch on and learn the advantages to your keyboard. Sure you can make a few dollars here and there early, as people download to try. But if they don't try it long enough to like it, you will build an army of people telling everyone to not buy your product as it is a waste of $4.

Realize that you are going up against two keyboards (SwiftKey and Swype) with strong brands and customer loyalty. And I can buy BOTH of them for the same price as your one keyboard I have never seen before or have any clue if I will like. If I buy one of the other keyboards I mentioned, at least I can just tap away on a familiar keyboard. Or take solace in the fact I didn't pay $4.

You are hurting your Brand before you even have a Brand Identity by only charging and charging too much.
 
I won't even try a new cup of coffee for $4. At least Starcraps will let me taste test a new brew before I buy it.

--Wag--
 
Lol its gona fail at that price. A good keyboard is worth a lot more than that but it wont compete. A free version with an occasional nag popup would be better or a 14day trial :thumbup:
 
I was all hyped up to try this for months, but the pricing just turned me off. I've tried other keyboards and many of them give you a trial period before having to pay.
 
A longterm "core" app like a launcher,keyboard,browser... especially a keyboard would be best giving long trial periods. Think of the muscle memory you build up. I payed maybe a couple quid for my keyboard but id pay like 20 now to avoid learning a new one lol.
Power Amp did it perfectly for me because they showed faith in their product by giving a full functioning 14day trial, i got it set up the way i liked it then at end of the trial i had to have it so it was the app that first made me link my bank card to the market :)
I really think beta testers should get a free app at the end of testing though. i think the app im testing now is gona be fairly big when its fully developed but i dont know if google even provide a way for that to happen(?) Like ive helped devs out in the past testing cpu use etc and theyve gave me the apk for free but obviously with a sideloaded apk, you cant get any future updates
 
I would say that it takes me a couple of weeks to get used to any new keyboard. For a radically different keyboard, it would take even longer. I think for radically different keyboards, you really need that trial period for people to give it a proper evaluation. I don't think people are willing to pay for something in beta that may not look like it would work for them, especially where there are alternatives that are more conventional and cheaper.
 
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