When I switched from iPhone to Android, there were few applications I missed. While some other switchers have lamented a number of high-profile games, for me there were only a few gaps - namely Cinchcast and my6sense. With Cinchcast reaching Android in June, my6sense was the lone holdout. And if you thought I would join a company whose products weren't available for me, you'd be nuts, so my6sense playing well with my HTC Evo was a clear inevitability. What wasn't inevitable about the app's reaching Android was the speed of its development, and its quality. As evidenced by the solid press coverage and user feedback at the conclusion of day one on Android, my6sense is filling an important role in the expanding Android market, cutting through information overload, while at the same time, unifying the different streams of Facebook, Twitter, RSS and Google Buzz.If you were watching my Twitter stream today, or my shares from Google Reader, which hit both Buzz and FriendFeed, you could see that my6sense's entry on Android struck a chord with a good number of people who have been waiting for the application to graduate from the iTunes application store and hit more screens. Even as it was rolling out to Android, the calls are clear that users are begging for my6sense's personalization and prioritization functionality to debut in new places - on the Web, on iPad, and to support new sources, for example LinkedIn, Foursquare and YouTube. Being in the marketing role doesn't mean I hold too much sway over the company roadmap and I can't do a lick of code, but be sure we're listening. If it were up to me, the power of my6sense would be everywhere, sorting and prioritizing every stream and every Web page just for me - like an intelligent assistant who finds the best and disposes of the rest.
Like any new piece of software, there are bugs. I encountered quite a few during my own testing and saw many good rounds of updates in the weeks preceding the announcement. More were reported and being worked today. The service even went down on Tuesday morning following the initial launch as demand became overwhelming and new users flocked to the system. It's not ideal, but a situation many of us have seen, from small startups like Flipboard to larger pieces of our ecosystem, including Twitter.
Even if I am on the odd side of the bell curve in terms of how I consume content, I use my6sense to surface the most interesting items from any source and put them squarely in my view. I also use my6sense as a powerful sharing tool to add items of interest to streams like Twitter and Facebook. But it's always good to hear others see the value.
TheNextWeb wrote:
"There are so many great things that make up my6sense that I honestly could spend a thousand words talking about them," adding, "...it takes a day or so for the application to start to learn about you. After the second day, you’ll be surprised by what it pulls up. After the fourth, it will amaze you."AndroidGuys said:
"My new favorite Twitter app is my6sense. It's also my new favorite Facebook app. And my new favorite Google Reader app, and my new favorite Google Buzz app."ReadWriteweb followed on:
"It's not hard to imagine places where the my6sense API could help. Wouldn't it be nice if you could come to a site like ReadWriteWeb or the New York Times, for example, and just see the stories that would be of interest to you?"In addition to those great quotes, my6sense was covered by a good array of tech enthusiasts, including TechCrunch, Android And Me, VentureBeat, BetaNews, Mobiputing, Robot Briefs, Technologizer, and GigaOM. Of course, with great visibility comes great responsibility. Like with Flipboard, you can't claim victory on one day's good buzz. The success will be measured through customer satisfaction, use and expansion through partnerships that recognize real value.
Despite more than a decade's time in marketing roles for technology companies, I am not one who is keen on superlatives. I prefer to let the products speak for themselves. If you are an Android user who hasn't yet tried my6sense, it would be great to get your feedback. And if you use an iPhone or an iPod Touch, or even an iPad, my6sense is a solid contender to harness your streams and make them less of a mess and more personal. I'm spoiled because I know what my6sense can do, and I want it everywhere. I am excited to get the chance now to share it with the fast-growing Android community who needs more and more high quality apps. Add one more to the pile.
You can find the new app at http://bit.ly/m6sandroid for Android and for the iOS platform on the iTunes store. When you find issues, let us know. If you have recommendations, let us know. This is only the beginning.
Disclosure: I am the vice president of marketing at my6sense, which is also a Paladin client.