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Ask HN: Review my startup, ActiveInbox (GTD Gmail plugin w/ $20k donations)

27 pointsby andymitchellover 14 years ago
Check it out at http://www.activeinboxhq.com<p>In short, it creates a better Gmail to help you: 1) get your inbox empty, 2) ensure everything gets completed, 3) do things faster in Gmail.<p>At its heart, it transforms emails into a flow of actions. It uses GTD principles in Gmail for great control, and adds neat efficiency shortcuts like Previous Emails to write better replies.<p>This is the public beta. We have a long history... but really briefly, a hobby turned into a full-time uISV about a year ago when we received $20,000 in donations - and realized the support it had! And the potential to do something really interesting to bring emailer's peace of mind. If I can share any extra info that would be of interest, please just ask. (I don't know if that's a good or bad number for donations, but I'm really mindful that we're still in a very humble place).<p>Would love your fresh eyes to give that great and honest HN feedback on the website, ActiveInbox and anything else that grabs your attention :)

11 comments

andymitchellover 14 years ago
I should mention that while it's GTD at the core, it includes productivity features never before seen in Gmail...<p>1) instantly see emails when you reply to catch up on recent discussions 2) label-emails-as-you-send-them, so you can add tracking labels to the emails you send 3) right click any contact/label to see recent conversations<p>... and a few more besides, all customizable :)<p>For anyone worried about security - as I would be - it does not require any Gmail username/password as it works within the browser; and all XHR requests are there to see (and the source is openable, although it's minified).
rufoover 14 years ago
This looks like it might be <i>very</i> similar to something that's been bouncing around in my head for quite a while - I greatly look forward to trying it out!<p>Any chance you'd consider working with the Mailplane[1] author to get it integrated? That's my Gmail client of choice, and Ruben has integrated other tools like Rapportive, so I'd hope that something could be worked out.<p>[1]: <a href="http://mailplaneapp.com/" rel="nofollow">http://mailplaneapp.com/</a>
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thehodgeover 14 years ago
Proper Link : <a href="http://www.activeinboxhq.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.activeinboxhq.com</a><p>I think the site is quite clear and your call to actions are pretty good however<p>"Transform emails into actions with GTD® for a better Gmail &#38; Google App" - this is a little hard to read, same with the ActiveInbox text, maybe try a different colour?
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guynamedlorenover 14 years ago
So this is supposed to be a more convenient way to label and file emails...? Interesting idea, but I'm not sure I'd gain any productivity from an app like this.<p>I installed it and tested out, and it just feels messy to me. Gmail already feels cluttered enough with all of the buttons and crap everywhere, and your app just adds to that.<p>Also, the To Do labels are goofy (Next, Action, Some Day, Waiting On). I think you can come up with something more intuitive and user friendly.<p>One last thought - is GTD a commonly used term? I had never heard of it prior to visiting your site, and to do some searching to figure out what it meant.
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latentflipover 14 years ago
It's a really minor thing but on this page: <a href="http://www.activeinboxhq.com/install.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.activeinboxhq.com/install.html</a><p>In Chrome the dialog box on the page says: "This extension can access: Your data on gmail.com, google.com and 3 other websites". But when it popped up in my chrome it said "4 other websites".<p>It's not a big deal, but it briefly weirded me out when I don't know what those sites are, and when it's different to what I was expecting.<p>Will let you know what I think of the actual app once I have had a play.
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timmaahover 14 years ago
HN Meta bitching question on my part. How come this Review my startup request gets multiple points in minutes and hits the front page, yet mine gets nothing in hours?<p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1743398" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1743398</a><p>(feel free to down vote as needed)
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duckover 14 years ago
It looks cool, but I almost expect a short video these days showing me exactly what it does.
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dzlobinover 14 years ago
Seriously, I'm in love with this after just a few minutes of use. This is something I have always wanted in my gmail, but never saw a proper solution floating around. Great job.
labriaover 14 years ago
And what about the "Reference"? IMO, not all emails are tasks, some of them are just data to be stored. What should I do with those?
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bombsover 14 years ago
<i>I'd like to use ActiveInbox for Gmail with Internet Explorer/Google/Outlook/Lotus Notes</i><p>What about Safari and Mail?
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mshover 14 years ago
but what is it?<p>Its not clear what it is on the webpage, is it a browserplugin, service or what? It should be more prominent, you have to try downloading to find out.