The big problem with recording any kind of video or audio on the web is Flash. It's a nightmare with well-known _major_ bugs in Chrome (good luck clicking on "Allow" if you're a Macbook Pro with Retina display user). If you guys can find a way to (a) solve that, and (b) take away that pain for other users, then you have real value here.
Seriously, I can't wait for HTML5 to be fully supported.
>> Also, why are people still developing exclusively for iPhone? Last quarter there were four times as many Android phones sold as iPhones.
I can only speak for myself, but developing for Android is a nightmare compared to developing software for iOS. Different behaviour amongst different Android devices makes it really hard to provide a consistent user experience.
Great feedback, thank you! I certainly see your point, and I think it really depends on the use case. VoiceGem wasn't intended as a text replacement, but more for personal messages with emotional value, hence listening to them.
However, the use case you describe has come up several times now, so it's something we are aware of.
Thanks! Yes, our data shows a surprising amount of longer messages. As for voicemail, same here. Arda addressed this in a comment above: it's just not used for asynchronous communication.
We see two main differences to existing voice applications. First, VoiceGem is meant to be usable by anyone (without having to install an iPhone application, for example). This is the kind of service you can use with your parents, non-tech friends, or customers.
Secondly, and maybe even more importantly, we try to enable longer, richer conversations. Whereas blip.me/Voxer focus on walkie-talkie applications (and do a great job!), the messages we get and send are often 5+ minutes long.
If you're describing Dawkins as fundamentalist, then you either a) don't know much about him, and what he stands for, or b) have a grave understanding of what fundamentalism means.
It bothers me that Dawkins gets that accusation that often, when it's clearly false.
I do have a source for this, I saw the offer myself. I was also told that this is given to all interns, no matter what department. That being said, maybe this applied only to grad interns - maybe undergraduates get less.
I'd like to question the implication that your life is not affected by work as a normal employee of a big company. Sure, it's most probably not going to be as intense as for a start-up, but that's less because of start-up vs big company, but much more about how committed you are to your work in general. I know lots of people working at big companies who have crazy work-hours and whose social life definitely gets affected by that.
Let's face it, if you want to be successful - start-up or not - you'll have to work your butt off.
The personal essay is the part where applicants stand out the most? I sure don't hope so...I am tired of reading all these I-almost-cured-cancer-as-a-kid type essays that people in the US seem to submit for the undergraduate application. Give me a break, seriously.
The single most important part of the Oxbridge application process is the interview. That's where you get to sit down with two professors that take you through challenging math problems (in case of Computer Science) and you are supposed to take them through your thinking process. Now, _that_ is where you can stand out. That's more like it.