Show HN: Drop-in audio & video chat for remote teams
usenoor.comOne of the huge benefits I’ve seen since switching to remote work is fewer distractions due to “shoulder taps” throughout the day. It seems like this app is meant to recreate an environment where more of those interruptions can occur again. Why is this desirable? What happens if management mandates this “open hangout” type of system and requires that people who need to focus are still available for “drop ins” at all times?
I feel like I’m missing something, here, but this app may not be for me.
Of course, we have focus preferences. But management can also make replying to any Slack DM mandatory as well. This is bad management, not Slack's fault, right?
After all, I'd like to be in one conversation, rather than be chatting to 5 different people simultaneously over a long time and get constant notifications.
With Noor, you jump in, get it done and get out (if it's for a task). But with Slack, you have to keep a chat thread open in your head for a long time, and get constant notifications, or get dragged into multiple chats at once. So which is worse?
Noor is also much better than the office, since in the office you have to respond to a shoulder tap, but in Noor it's just one click to go to focus mode, or go to a room, so people know you're talking, or just ignore nudges. You can't say those interactions in the office were all bad, because it's clear there is something special about collaborating in an office. Remove office distractions, but keep the collaboration. Sounds like Noor.
Congratulations on the launch.
Drop-in audio/video chat makes more sense for work like you've done than some random event IMO.
I feel once people start moving out, Only those who are still working remotely would find the need & be available for such tools and not those who are joining X event on Clubhouse now because they don't have a better entertainment or have access now to private, noise free environment.
But you need a web version asap.
I think this drop-in style meeting space is best being optional.
At my work, we have a 3hr block of time on Fridays that’s a place to hang out/learn from each other/fix issues in a collaborative environment. It’s 100% optional.
Would have loved to try it with our team today but we're all on Windows. You'll need a Windows app for real workplace adoption.
Sad. Please fill out our request for platform form so you get notified: https://tally.so/r/mZ8Kyw
>>We accept credit cards through PayPal, and crypto currencies. If you choose PayPal, %20 will be added to the price to cover the fees and the hassle we'll have to deal with.
So, there is a 20% markup for not using crypto? It doesn't even say which crypto is accpeted...
If you don't like PayPal, why is there no other option for a credit card?
It seems like the creators are based in Iran. I suspect it's due to sanctions; credit card companies are not allowed to transact with Iran.
The UI looks great! As others have said, I like how compact it is. It doesn't get in the way as much as MS Teams and Discord do. I also like that it is lightweight. It's important to me that the app stays performant while sharing the screen. MS Teams is too laggy.
Have you looked at Tuple? Noor seems quite similar. Could you please explain a bit more about the differences between Noor and Tuple?
Finally, as others have said: lack of Windows compatibility is a dealbreaker for me for now. A performant Windows app would be fantastic. That's also something that Tuple doesn't have.
Discord fills this need for us
Discord's UX is not even comparable to Noor :) You use what works best for you though.
Are the founder of this company? This is a bad look and I wouldn't want to use an app from a CEO who responds inappropriately to posts like this (because I want to use products from companies with good decisionmakers).
Seconded.
Also, Discord works perfectly for us since switching from Slack and coats us nothing for a team of nearly 20.
All our text chat, screen sharing, group and 1-1 calling (voice or video) plus adhoc "drop in meetings" are all in a single app.
Which is available now for every desktop and mobile platform. (We're all Mac + Linux)
Ok, when you launch something and work days and nights on it, when someone who has never downloaded your app comments "we use X and this is unnecessary" I'd love to see your reaction.
I did launch something. I did work days and nights on it. It did have critics from people who have never downloaded it. And I always responded in a way befitting of my position as the CEO of the company.
Frankly I am in the market for collaboration software (who isn't) and I'm not even going to evaluate this now, because I don't want to entrust my workflow and my data to a company whose leader thinks that working "days and nights" is an excuse for behaving unprofessionally. There are many ways you could have responded to that comment that would make your company look better: even something as simple as "Discord and Noor have very different user experiences. Please try Noor and tell me what you think!" would have been a vast improvement over where you took it.
Clearly you are passionate about your work and I don’t blame you.
But I would recommend that if you do want to grow a business out of this, please think a bit more carefully about your responses. Because they are distracting from what could be a really useful set of early conversations, and pushing away people that might engage in a conversation about where your product may or may not be a good fit. Ultimately it’s about finding your ideal customers.
if you weren't looking for feedback, why did you post a ShowHN?
People don't post on ShowHN for feedback, they post for advertising, under the misapprehension that popularity among the HN crowd will lead to success.
lol good point. if this lot were kingmakers, we'd all be kings.
Noor is a desktop app for drop-in audio and video chat for teams. You can download it for macOS to try it right now with your coworkers.
-> How it started
I've worked remotely for global teams, but in our own team, we sometimes worked in our office, and most of the time from home. This resulted in realizing *how much we lose when we switch from the office*.
-> Why we need such app?
Let's imagine what you have when you work in-person: 1. You have the office environments (chats, breaks, jokes, games, coworking, helping each other quickly, coming together for lunch, etc)
2. Slack
3. Meeting room
Now when you go remote, you only have:
1. ????
2. Slack
3. Zoom
What happened to the first part? Bingo, you lost it! And you don't even know it can be solved. We solved it. You can use it for anything, such as
1. Talking to the team, instead of just texting
2. Collaborating in any app with one click voice, video and screen share
3. Being present for your junior devs
4. Getting feedback on your work quickly (with the ability to spontaneously enable camera and see their real reactions!)
5. Unplanned meetings, natural gatherings, 1:1s, etc
6. Helping teammates instantly with their code
7. Getting together impromptu in a room to talk, play or hang out
9. Handling emergency situations elegantly when every one needs to be available
10. Non-work chats and checking on teammates
It's a whole new world.
-> How is it different from Zoom, or apps like Tandem, Around, etc?
When we started, these recent apps weren't even released. I've written in detail in https://usenoor.com/faq on how our approach is radically different (and better, because we re-thought how chats should work from the ground-up)
Oh, BTW we just launched on PH too https://www.producthunt.com/posts/noor-2
Happy to answer any questions. From remote work Qs or about our tech stack :D
Feels like MS Teams has all the features in your FAQ of why to use your product.
If Noor is for 1. impromptu voice or video chats, why is it also for 3. doing 1:1s, which are presumably scheduled
It's totally different. MS Teams is like Slack and Zoom. Our early users have used both, but still use Noor every day for hours. Same for us. This is an entirely new thing.
I highly recommend you checking it out for yourself with one coworker you work with closely.
This looks really slick. I like how compact the UI is. It almost feels like it's part of the OS and just kind of blends into the background and gets out of your way. It makes full-window apps like Zoom and Discord feel quite clunky / antiquated by comparison. Congrats on launching!
Congrats. It looks great :).