French camera phone software company RealEyes3D has created a w-Greetings card for the Chinese New Year, according to the press release. Users may add a handwritten note that's displayed on one of three four card choices (see samples below).
The company offers client/server camera phone image processing software
that enables users to write on a piece of paper -- or
virtually any surface, such as a blackboard or whiteboard -- take a
photo of the information and include it (text or graphics) on
a template, such as on the Chinese w-Greetings (see left).
The template could be a greeting card, a postcard or anything RealEyes3D develops. The card, with the handwritten note, is sent to another handset or e-mail address.
Sales/marketing problems?
You may see the Chinese New Year card on Handango's Web site. I like the w-Greetings cards (there are several versions) and I like RealEyes3D's idea of incorporating handwritten information by taking a camera phone photo.
The company's software doesn't just incorporate the information as is but, rather, also processes it to enhance the information for readability.
But the w-Greetings card has two problems: Pricing and registration. The price is $6.99, that I think is too expensive by several dollars. Seven dollars for a greeting card?!
Faster service required
Also, once you purchase the w-Greetings software, RealEyes3D takes two days to transmit the unlocking key via e-mail. That's two days too long. It should take two minutes (okay, perhaps 15 minutes - 30 minutes at most) to be able to use the product.
We live in a wireless world that demands instant -- or, at least, real fast -- gratification. Consumers who purchase wireless data products -- ringtones, games, greeting cards, etc. -- want to use them immediately, not in two days.
Perhaps the unlocking code is sent faster than two days and RealEyes3D just wants to make sure it has an "out" if it doesn't arrive sooner. But if that's the case (and I don't know whether it is), potential purchasers might be turned off by the waiting period that's noted....if they aren't already turned off by the price!
Am I wrong? Have I missed something?
Update: RealEyes3D comments
Mike Bell, the director of marketing for RealEyes3D, read this entry and replied. He notes that the Chinese New Year w-Greetings software includes four, not three, templates (as I originally wrote and since corrected).
Mike says that works out to less than $2 per template (at $6.95 for the four-template product).
He also says RealEyes3D usually sends the unlocking key in less than an hour.
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