Month: November 2014

I’ve been working on a mail client for iOS. Though, it’s not the kind you’re thinking of. My next app, Hipstamail, lets you write a letter and send it through the US Mail. You type the letter in a vintage typewriter font, enter payment information, tap send, and I’ll mail your letter for you.

Why on earth did I build this? Well, I have a family member that is in a particular situation. Due to her job, my sister cannot receive or send email, text messages, or phone calls. She can only receive physical letters in the mail, and can only send me a letter every month or so. Can you guess what her “job” is? 1

Anyway, I’ve been pretty horrible at remembering to write her on a regular basis. Apparently keeping envelopes and stamps in the house is too much for me to handle. So, how great would it be to to have the ability to jot off a quick message and send it to her from my iPhone?

Anyway, that’s what I have built. I have no reason to believe it will be a huge success, but who knows, maybe there’s someone else out there that might find it useful. Initially, my goal is just for the project to be cashflow positive. 2

Whenever I start a new side project, I take the opportunity to force myself to learn something new. This time, I built the backend from scratch and wrote the server application in Go and PostgreSQL. Credit cards are processed by Stripe, and letters are sent by Lob. It’s also my first time making serious use of Auto Layout.

I plan to start betas by the end of November, and release the app by the end of 2014. If you’re interesting in trying out the beta3, say hello.