Two weeks ago I told you about five months of SayBoot and asked you for one thing: time. I asked you to tell me where to spend the next evenings, because for months I had decided on my own what to build and what to postpone, and every time I got it wrong I threw away hours that don't come back.
Before going on, I'll repeat the pact, because it is the most important thing in this article too: the two PCs stay free. Forever. And if you're wondering how many of you use more than two: 0.4%. Nothing you read below changes that.
What you told me
I did not expect this many answers. They came in every language SayBoot speaks, and I read them one by one, as promised. What came out of them, I owe you.
The first thing caught me off guard. Many of you, asked "what's missing", answered nothing. As it is, it's fine. It turns the PC on, turns it off, stays out of the way. For someone who builds things it is a strange answer to receive, because we are used to thinking a product must always grow. Instead I understood that the most valuable thing I have is not a feature: it is that it works, and that you can trust it. That is what must be protected before anything else.
The second was clear: almost all of you told me that turning the PC on by voice must stay free, whatever happens. It already was, in the pact. Now it is also the result of a survey, and I'm glad the two coincide.
The third is where the rest of this article comes from. Among those who said something is missing, the most frequent request, by a wide margin, was the same: an app for the phone.
Your words
There was a free-text field at the end. I had written it was the part I would read most gladly, and I wasn't lying. Here are some of them, initials only, translated where needed. If you recognise yourself, know that I have read your words more than once.
... as you can see I still use SayBoot regularly, and I thank you again for making it possible to turn my PCs on remotely. Without you I'd be lost.
You saved my gaming evenings with my girlfriend: I basically play with her at her place on my PC, but on her TV. I'll never stop thanking you, keep it up!
I'm a Brazilian computer science student. I had the same reaction as you when I couldn't turn my computer on with Alexa, and I started coding my own app too, but I stopped at the cost of keeping it running. When I found yours I was so happy: someone had done what I wanted. Reading your text was almost like seeing myself in it.
Disclaimer: I'm lazy. One day I thought: it would be nice to turn the PC on while I'm still half asleep, without touching my phone, just talking to Alexa. I've used it since May: perfect. Honestly, it is a pleasure to use SayBoot. It stays out of the way and always works. I wouldn't change a thing.
Your project was exactly what was needed when the last voice wake went dark. Thank you. Truly thank you.
I use SayBoot every day. Even sometimes remotely when I want to access my PC via remote desktop. It has never failed me. You should be proud of what you have created and your ethical approach to distribution. ...
As someone who is a tinkerer, but sadly not a software developer, I truly appreciate what you have achieved. Years ago, I tried doing this myself, but in vain. Believe me when I say, I can fathom the number of hurdles you would have had to overcome to reach this point. In short: I tip my hat to you.
I'm really grateful for the time you have sunk into this project. I genuinely wish the best for what you have done, and even if everything goes dark tomorrow, I will keep on being content with what you have done.
The app has never failed me. I've used it inside and outside the house and it keeps working perfectly, like the first day. On a personal level you should feel really satisfied with what you've achieved.
... so that I wouldn't have to pull my computers out of the cupboard every time to switch them on, I won't forget. Thank you for solving a problem that so many people have.
Replaced the old W******** that I used daily, and SayBoot has worked flawlessly. Grazie mille!
I tried some dreadful Alexa skills, yours works perfectly. I'll support you because you deserve it.
Thank you for the work you do. "Behind the scenes" there is surely something we users don't see and that you handle on your own, without asking us anything in return.
I loved and used the old version for years and this is better in every way. Thank you so much.
Really good work, thanks a lot ❤️. By the way, why not implement a function to watch ads voluntarily, so you earn some of my time back, for all the hours you put in this wonderful app?
Still one of the greatest application installs and support I have ever seen!
I'm genuinely happy with the progress you've made. I hope you keep growing and that it brings you a meaningful return, even if that isn't your focus. Thank you for all your help ❤️
Hello, thank you so much for this wonderful application that works flawlessly. When will the multi-computer feature be available? I can't wait to subscribe. When you have a lab with several computers on different VLANs, being able to send a magic packet with Alexa to the different VLANs would be fantastic. Thank you very much.
Guess what
I told you the most frequent request was an app for the phone. Well: I didn't wait for the survey to end before starting.
I've worked on it day and night these past weeks. It does what you'd expect from a SayBoot app: turn your PCs on and off with a tap, see whether they're reachable, group them, get a notification when something happens, and manage them even when Alexa isn't in the room. And it does one thing voice cannot do: it can turn the PC on by itself as you get close to home, if you ask it to. And many more features, which I'll tell you about in a new article before the release.
It will be available for iPhone and Android, and soon for everyone. I'm not giving you a date because the only one that counts is the day it works well, the way the web app and your Windows agent work well today, and on that I don't want to rush.
Meanwhile, on the PC
The little program that runs next to the Windows clock has moved too: for a few days now the Store has been shipping version 0.7.53, and most of you have already received it without doing anything. I won't list the changes, because many will only show later: this version is mostly there to integrate perfectly with the mobile app when it arrives, and with other features I'll tell you about in due course. If you've had it from before and it hasn't updated, you'll find it on the Microsoft Store.
What I won't do
In the first article I wrote that I would not take away anything you have. I repeat it because the survey asked me to, explicitly, and because it was my first promise: the two free PCs stay. They don't become one, they don't become "for a while", they don't end up behind a payment. Whoever has them today, keeps them.
Some of the other things you asked for, like support for Mac, Linux and NAS, are closer than you think. But that's for a future article: this one was to say thank you, and to tell you I listened.
Until the next evening of work. I know where to spend it.
