Macworld 2009: Pinger Phone

I went to download Pinger Phone at the app store and it responded that the application was not available in the US store. Was it pulled?

Mickey,

Thanks :)

Yea, there is currently no way for developers to reply to people directly in the store to answer questions. It can be a bit frustrating for us too, especially when it's a really simple question or something inaccurate. Having forums like this is great because it gives us a chance to clarity and answer questions. Thanks, TUAW!

Tara

Allister,

The list of countries Pinger Phone works in is available here:

http://www.pinger.com/content/int/int_learn_more.html#iPhone

Tara

Tara, thank you *very* much for appearing here and so cogently answering our questions. It certainly makes me more comfortable, given the panicky reviews at the AppStore.

I typo'd my phone number and wondered why my confirmation text never arrived; double-check, y'all.

As to updating Safari on the iPhone, we don't update piecemeal, but all-in-one, in bunches from Apple. You may want to ask your third-tier support whether there's a minimum iPhone OS requirement; we're currently on 2.2.1, but many folks are still on 2.x.

I'm just now configuring the app; it sounds interesting and I have high hopes for it. Thanks again for making yourself available.

I got kicked off iLounge for taking this line, but can you PLEASE let everyone know when stuff you feature is not available in all countries. You've got a big enough audience you can check these things out with a little pre-arrangement. HINT: If it involves TXTing, it's probably country-dependent.

Hi guys,

IoXXoI - We have a lot of people using Pinger in the UK so I'm not sure what the problem is. Do you mind emailing support@pinger.com so we can investigate?

Nathan - Hmm, I know this sounds overly simplistic (maybe it is) but I'm wondering if you might just need to update Safari on your phone?

I'm the marketing (not support) person, so I apologize in advance that I may not be the best person to answer the more involved support questions. I'm happy to (try to) answer questions, though our support manager can look into the details and probably answer more technical questions much faster and more accurately than I could. He's at support@pinger.com .


Tara

Hi Dave,

Thanks for asking about the “link to contacts” feature. I didn’t see Flavo’s question below the first time I read through the posts.

Pinger Phone does NOT automatically insert gobbly-gook into your address book. However, when you link a contact from Friend News or from IM to a name in your Contacts, Pinger Phone DOES add a little string into your address book for that person only. This way the Pinger Menu knows that so-and-so from Friend News is actually *this* person in your Contacts, and you can connect with them any way you like without going into the Contacts tab. You can delete the string any time, it'll just delete link between the contact and Pinger Menu.

So if you have 10 people in Friend News that you have linked with Contacts, then 10 of your contacts will have a text string in your address book.

The upside is that your address book stays yours only – we don’t copy your address book to our servers and store the info there. In the future, we may create a mini separate database on your handheld that stores the connection for you, but we’re still debating whether that feature takes precedence over other features we are working on.

Does that answer your question?



Tara

I managed to get a confirmation text after 5-6 attempts of registering. App keeps crashing when I try to add my facebook information, anyone else having these issues?
Thanks.

While advertised on UK Itunes, does not work with UK phones contact or otherwise.

Hi guys,

I work at Pinger. In response to your posts:

1. Giving out personal info - We updated the terms and conditions to protect your privacy more appropriately. At first we were (stupidly) using terms and conditions that were an “all in one” version that also covered a WAP social networking service, Pinger Social (where, of course, your info is shared). Now we have separate terms and conditions for Pinger Phone and Pinger Social, and the T&Cs for Pinger Phone are much more conservative. Brett - you are correct! We will not share, sell or give away any personal info.

2. Confirmation text - It appears AT&T is having an issue with text messaging right now in DC, San Antonio, Oklahoma and Arkansas. More info at http://tinyurl.com/cc6dqv . Give it some time and see if you get it. If texting is working but you're still not getting the confirmation text, try signing up again. Of course, make sure you have text messaging enabled :) .

If you're really frustrated, you can always contact our support at support@pinger.com .

Thanks for giving Pinger Phone a try! If you like it, or just want to know what's coming from Pinger, join our fan page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pinger/5758207909


Tara