Topic: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

The current free clock face with blue text on a black background is barely legible for me.
I understand you want to drive people towards the subscription service, but I don't think it's the right move to use a less legible clock face with the free version to do it.

The best solution, but also the one least likely to happen, would be to let free users choose only 1 clock face or app.

The more reasonable solution would be a cleaner more legible clock face. Something with a white (or light) background and large black (or dark) text. The current clock face is more suited for night mode.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

I would agree that the present free clock is more suitable for night time. I would recommend the reverse of this for daytime use. AND maybe the numerals just a tad larger. Otherwise, I do not want to be a problem. Just glad things are improving for the chumbyland scenery.

Owner of 3 Sony Dash, 2 Info 8.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

demarks51 wrote:

I would agree that the present free clock is more suitable for night time. I would recommend the reverse of this for daytime use. AND maybe the numerals just a tad larger. Otherwise, I do not want to be a problem. Just glad things are improving for the chumbyland scenery.

You shouldn't feel guilty for wanting to improve the user experience even for "free" users.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

unwiredben's solution, in this thread http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?id=9215 , of being able to customize the color palette seems like another good solution.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

Duane actually went to great pains to *not* "drive people towards" the subscription service.

he could very easily have made the unsubscibed widget big blocky text that said

THE FREE RIDE IS OVER
SUBSCRIBE AT
WWW.CHUMBY.COM

but, that's not Duane's style.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

6 (edited by Outrager 2014-07-02 09:16:50)

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

diamaunt wrote:

Duane actually went to great pains to *not* "drive people towards" the subscription service.

he could very easily have made the unsubscibed widget big blocky text that said

THE FREE RIDE IS OVER
SUBSCRIBE AT
WWW.CHUMBY.COM

but, that's not Duane's style.

That's just plain wishful thinking. If you are running a service that costs money and there is the option of a subscription service, why would you NOT try to get people to pay for it? That would just cause this whole Chumby project to die out like it almost did previously.
What you are probably thinking of is having a service that is so good that people don't mind paying for extra features which I don't think has been done in this case.
Something as simple as allowing the colors on the current clock to be customized would probably make it good enough that it would be an acceptable free service and would let people consider paying extra for even more apps.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

Outrager wrote:

That's just plain wishful thinking. If you are running a service that costs money and there is the option of a subscription service, why would you NOT try to get people to pay for it? That would just cause this whole Chumby project to die out like it almost did previously.
What you are probably thinking of is having a service that is so good that people don't mind paying for extra features which I don't think has been done in this case.

no, it's not wishful thinking, it's fact.

there's no reason, other than Duane's character, that he's spent thousands of dollars of his own money over the last year keeping the devices at least minimally functional.

and there's no reason, other than his character, that he's giving you something FREE that you can use, that STILL costs him money, every time your unsubscribed chumby boots up, it hits the chumby servers, and that translates *directly* into bandwidth charges.

Duane STILL created a widget to display on free services that was functional, and subtly had a button to press to get more info.

it could have been nothing more than "GO HERE TO SUBSCRIBE".

but, it wasn't.  if you don't want to subscribe, if you don't want to pay for more, you don't have to, the device still functions like it has for the last 15 months, albiet with a different clock face.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

8 (edited by Outrager 2014-07-02 09:29:38)

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

diamaunt wrote:
Outrager wrote:

That's just plain wishful thinking. If you are running a service that costs money and there is the option of a subscription service, why would you NOT try to get people to pay for it? That would just cause this whole Chumby project to die out like it almost did previously.
What you are probably thinking of is having a service that is so good that people don't mind paying for extra features which I don't think has been done in this case.

no, it's not wishful thinking, it's fact.

there's no reason, other than Duane's character, that he's spent thousands of dollars of his own money over the last year keeping the devices at least minimally functional.

and there's no reason, other than his character, that he's giving you something FREE that you can use, that STILL costs him money, every time your unsubscribed chumby boots up, it hits the chumby servers, and that translates *directly* into bandwidth charges.

Duane STILL created a widget to display on free services that was functional, and subtly had a button to press to get more info.

it could have been nothing more than "GO HERE TO SUBSCRIBE".

but, it wasn't.  if you don't want to subscribe, if you don't want to pay for more, you don't have to, the device still functions like it has for the last 15 months, albiet with a different clock face.

For me, the clock face is maybe 80-90% of what this device is. (The music streaming for some reason has started to stutter so I usually don't stream any music with it anymore.) Changing it to something I can't read as legibly, from the same distance, as the old one affects the functionality of what it has done since I purchased it.

I don't want to start some weird forum argument. I would rather Duane posted himself and tell me if this is possible or not. If it isn't possible I can sell my Chumby to someone who would enjoy it more. If it is possible I can wait a little longer. Unless you are speaking on his behalf and he is not going to reply to me or even bother consider what I have written.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

I was simply addressing your 'driving people to subscribe' comment. 

what Duane may do with the free clock is up to him, he's already stated, in other threads, that he's open to making changes to it.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

10 (edited by Outrager 2014-07-02 09:54:52)

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

diamaunt wrote:

I was simply addressing your 'driving people to subscribe' comment. 

what Duane may do with the free clock is up to him, he's already stated, in other threads, that he's open to making changes to it.

I still think what I said is true, but I think we'll just have to agree to disagree at this point.
I guess it'll be up to Duane to say if I was right or wrong in what I said.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

This thread is confusing to me because my free clock had white letters/images on a blue background. Easiest to read of any of the clocks really. Also the info I want too.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

I have three Chumby's and have liked the Space Clock that has been provided until the paid service went live. I signed up one of my Chumby's today and am enjoying the old Widgets again. But I cant really justify/afford to sign up the other two I have. Would be nice to have made it $3/mo per account so multiple Chumby's could be activated but if we could get the Space clock back by default, I'd be happy on my other two. Or have a one time setup fee to pick something like the Space Clock for a single widget. Anyway, keep up the good work.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

jproctor wrote:

I have three Chumby's and have liked the Space Clock that has been provided until the paid service went live. I signed up one of my Chumby's today and am enjoying the old Widgets again. But I cant really justify/afford to sign up the other two I have. Would be nice to have made it $3/mo per account so multiple Chumby's could be activated but if we could get the Space clock back by default, I'd be happy on my other two. Or have a one time setup fee to pick something like the Space Clock for a single widget. Anyway, keep up the good work.

Is IS per person. I've paid once for three (or if I can find it, four) Chumbys. All are now happily widgeting away just like they used to!

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

Wow. It worked. I am a happy camper...

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

Paid in full!

Some of the widgets have "passed on," but so very many are still working. I smile every time I walk past one of our "suddenly alive" Chumbys.

Thanks for keeping us all "in the Chumby family!"

--Marc

Marc Silverman
New York City
SilverMarc.com | Chumbian.com
MY POWER TEAM: Macintosh, iPhone, Chumby, Geocaching, WheresGeorge.

Re: Please (please please) consider a more legible free clock face.

jproctor wrote:

Wow. It worked. I am a happy camper...

I always love seeing posts like this... "Oh I wish.... what, you mean... it already does?  Wow!" :-)