The Roundup
Everything you missed this past week on Product Hunt: Top products, spicy community discourse, key trends on the site, and long-form pieces we’ve recently published.
Build an app with a spreadsheet. No code required.
New technologies become easier to use over time as programs, platforms, and plug-ins are built.
Once upon a time, rooms of accountants would manually update spreadsheets, sketched on chalkboards. If one input changed, they would recalculate every other cell. Now, we get computers to do it for us and check Twitter all at the same time.
Spreadsheets are starting to eat the web development world. Sheetbase was #1 on Product Hunt yesterday, a tool that converts Google Sheets into programmable databases for your websites or apps.
It's pretty nifty: it combines Google's free spreadsheet software with JavaScript frameworks into a free database.
Sheetbase isn't the only spreadsheet-powered web development tool:
🛠️ Sheetsu turns Google Sheets into a programmable API
📊 Tabledo will update your website using data from your spreadsheets
💻 Sheet 2 Site lets you generate an entire website from one Sheet
📦 Airtable Blocks let you run entire programs inside spreadsheet cells
This tweet drove 100,000 downloads 😳
This single tweet drove 100,000 app downloads in one weekend. 😳
Be My Eyes is pretty nifty - it connects blind and visually-impaired users around the world who are having trouble with a specific task - like reading the expiration date on a carton of milk – with a community of over 1M+ volunteers around the world.
You'll get push notifications every time somebody needs help. Download today for iOS and Android and start helping. 🤗
Technology should make the world more empathetic, and Be My Eyes isn't the only one:
🙋 Give out HandUp Gift Cards to homeless in your neighborhood, redeemable for essentials like toiletries, clothes, and housing.
👂 Ava makes any conversation accessible for deaf. The demo video is crazy impressive (and got 2k+ upvotes!).
🤖 Microsoft's Seeing AI is a talking camera for the blind.
🎮 The Xbox Adaptive Controller was designed specifically so gamers with limited mobility can experience all of your favorites.
Verizon quietly launched a startup 📱
Nobody loves their phone company. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile - each have been the target of thousands of angry Twitter rants.
Everybody wishes there was a better option, but rolling out your own telecommunications network across the entire country is expensive.
Visible just launched this weekend, with a surprising owner: Verizon.
The new "startup" sells all-in-one phone, messaging, and data plans on Verizon's network for $40/mo flat, no extra fees. You can even pay directly inside their new, well-branded app.
Two caveats: the data is limited to 5Mbps, and it's invite-only. Lucky for you, we have a special invite code just for the Product Hunt community.
This isn't the only product that saves you money on your phone bill:
🕵️♂️ Binge all the Netflix, YouTube, and internet #content you want: this app tracks every part of your monthly data usage.
🦈 Billshark fights with your mobile providers on your behalf. 2 minutes could save you 25% or more on your phone bill. Sorry, Geico.
📱 The Lightning Phone is designed to be used as little as possible, so you don't even have a phone bill to pay in the first place.
Or... if you're ready to cut the cord completely, here's an app that lets you stream Netflix, HBO, Hulu, and Amazon all in one place.
Everybody wishes there was a better option, but rolling out your own telecommunications network across the entire country is expensive.
Visible just launched this weekend, with a surprising owner: Verizon.
The new "startup" sells all-in-one phone, messaging, and data plans on Verizon's network for $40/mo flat, no extra fees. You can even pay directly inside their new, well-branded app.
Two caveats: the data is limited to 5Mbps, and it's invite-only. Lucky for you, we have a special invite code just for the Product Hunt community.
This isn't the only product that saves you money on your phone bill:
🕵️♂️ Binge all the Netflix, YouTube, and internet #content you want: this app tracks every part of your monthly data usage.
🦈 Billshark fights with your mobile providers on your behalf. 2 minutes could save you 25% or more on your phone bill. Sorry, Geico.
📱 The Lightning Phone is designed to be used as little as possible, so you don't even have a phone bill to pay in the first place.
Or... if you're ready to cut the cord completely, here's an app that lets you stream Netflix, HBO, Hulu, and Amazon all in one place.
Win the Best Startup Books 📚
Voracious readers will take over the world.
“I don’t think you can get to be a really good investor over a broad range without doing a massive amount of reading. I don’t think any one book will do it for you.” – Charlie Munger
Unfortunately, finding the right books is time-consuming. Enter to win a $1000 Set of the Best Startup Books, curated by the Product Hunt community just for you.
The Lean Startup. Thinking Fast and Slow. Hooked. Poor Charlie's Almanack. Zero To One. The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Crossing The Chasm. Powerhouse. Sapiens. And dozens more. 📚🤓
Unfortunately, finding the right books is time-consuming. Enter to win a $1000 Set of the Best Startup Books, curated by the Product Hunt community just for you.
The Lean Startup. Thinking Fast and Slow. Hooked. Poor Charlie's Almanack. Zero To One. The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Crossing The Chasm. Powerhouse. Sapiens. And dozens more. 📚🤓
Atari’s new console revealed 🕹️
Last year, Atari released a teaser of their newest, secret console. The Product Hunt community was quick to speculate:
"Atari Europe and I literally share the same floor in the same building! They're so secretive. My guess is retro console." – Pierre-Marie Galite
Pierre-Marie was right. The AtariVCS was announced today, with pre-orders starting at the end of the month:
🕹️ 100+ classic games including Asteroids, Centipede, and Breakout
🖥️ Supports 4K monitors at 60 FPS, comparable to an Xbox One
💰 $200 for the basic model, with a Collector's Edition coming soon
Atari has seen better times: they've been acquired a number of times and only recently emerged from bankruptcy. It’s been over 25 years since Atari launched a new console.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has succeeded by leveraging nostalgia. Pokémon Go exploded two summers ago as fans swarmed parks worldwide to catch 'em all. They also released a mini replica of the beloved NES. Their stock price has tripled in less than 2 years.
We can only hope that Atari will follow in Nintendo's footsteps. Unlike like the Nintendo Switch or Xbox One, the AtariVCS will be crowdfunded on Indiegogo. Anyone can sign up to buy one here.
If you can’t wait for your AtariVCS, you can play Defender, Joust, Paperboy, and 9,000 other retro games in your browser for free, legally.
"Atari Europe and I literally share the same floor in the same building! They're so secretive. My guess is retro console." – Pierre-Marie Galite
Pierre-Marie was right. The AtariVCS was announced today, with pre-orders starting at the end of the month:
🕹️ 100+ classic games including Asteroids, Centipede, and Breakout
🖥️ Supports 4K monitors at 60 FPS, comparable to an Xbox One
💰 $200 for the basic model, with a Collector's Edition coming soon
Atari has seen better times: they've been acquired a number of times and only recently emerged from bankruptcy. It’s been over 25 years since Atari launched a new console.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has succeeded by leveraging nostalgia. Pokémon Go exploded two summers ago as fans swarmed parks worldwide to catch 'em all. They also released a mini replica of the beloved NES. Their stock price has tripled in less than 2 years.
We can only hope that Atari will follow in Nintendo's footsteps. Unlike like the Nintendo Switch or Xbox One, the AtariVCS will be crowdfunded on Indiegogo. Anyone can sign up to buy one here.
If you can’t wait for your AtariVCS, you can play Defender, Joust, Paperboy, and 9,000 other retro games in your browser for free, legally.
How to get a one-letter domain 😯
The most important decision for founders: finding the perfect domain. Many spend weeks agonizing over the perfect .com.
Most of the "good" domains are taken already. One squatter registered 14,962 domains in less than 24 hours. 😳
Lucky for you, not all of the good domains are taken. There are hundreds of one-letter domain names available on this site. Some even have emoji in them. 🙀
Instead of relying only on the English alphabet, these sites use characters from Unicode, a standard library of 136,755 characters from 130+ languages used in nearly every computer to display text.
You can also now buy domains directly from your terminal, or name your startup with generator that only suggests names with available domains.
Most of the "good" domains are taken already. One squatter registered 14,962 domains in less than 24 hours. 😳
Lucky for you, not all of the good domains are taken. There are hundreds of one-letter domain names available on this site. Some even have emoji in them. 🙀
Instead of relying only on the English alphabet, these sites use characters from Unicode, a standard library of 136,755 characters from 130+ languages used in nearly every computer to display text.
You can also now buy domains directly from your terminal, or name your startup with generator that only suggests names with available domains.
Win Nintendo's best console ever 🎮
Nintendo is crushing it. Their newest console, the Nintendo Switch, is the perfect all-in-one: switch and chill at home or take it on the go.
We don't want you to miss out. Enter to win a complete $1000+ Nintendo Switch package, curated just for you:
🎮 Nintendo Switch, in the best colorway (it's not black).
💿 All the best games: Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Mario Kart, LEGO Marvel Superheroes, Rocket League, Bayonetta 2, and more.
We're even throwing in Nintendo Labo Variety & Robot kits. These cardboard origami, called "toycons," power an entire suite of games.
We don't want you to miss out. Enter to win a complete $1000+ Nintendo Switch package, curated just for you:
🎮 Nintendo Switch, in the best colorway (it's not black).
💿 All the best games: Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Mario Kart, LEGO Marvel Superheroes, Rocket League, Bayonetta 2, and more.
We're even throwing in Nintendo Labo Variety & Robot kits. These cardboard origami, called "toycons," power an entire suite of games.
There's even a wearable suit where you can play as an Iron Man-esque robot, exploring virtual worlds (and destroying a building or two). 🙀
GitHub launched a bot 🤖
GitHub isn't just for open-source projects: it's how most engineering teams collaborate on code and products.
Instead of guessing your way through git for hours, enroll in the recently-launched GitHub Learning Lab. The friendly bot will teach you about:
📝 Markdown, the internet's favorite formatting tool
🖥️ GitHub Pages to build free websites in minutes
😬 Merge conflicts, or when you and your coworkers disagree
This isn't the only bot-based education tool to launch recently: a SMS-based university launched last week, with entrepreneurship lessons from UCLA, USC, and Babson professors.
You can also learn a language over text with the Golden-Kitty-winning Duolingo Bots, powered by AI. 🤖
Instead of guessing your way through git for hours, enroll in the recently-launched GitHub Learning Lab. The friendly bot will teach you about:
📝 Markdown, the internet's favorite formatting tool
🖥️ GitHub Pages to build free websites in minutes
😬 Merge conflicts, or when you and your coworkers disagree
This isn't the only bot-based education tool to launch recently: a SMS-based university launched last week, with entrepreneurship lessons from UCLA, USC, and Babson professors.
You can also learn a language over text with the Golden-Kitty-winning Duolingo Bots, powered by AI. 🤖
General Assembly acquired for $415M 💰
Late last night, General Assembly announced their acquisition by the largest temp staffing firm in the world for $413 million.
The Adecco Group trains and places skilled temps at companies around the world. They have over 33,000 full-time employees. 👀
General Assembly teaches founders and operators the technical skills they need to compete in today's workforce, like web-development, data science, and digital marketing.
"Last fall we began mapping out on a white board with Adecco how we could work together, so we've been having off and on conversations with them," says General Assembly co-founder and CEO Jake Schwartz. "We'll be run as an independent entity."
This acquisition won't change much publicly for GA, but expect to see a new wave of GA-trained staffers around the world. 👩💻👨💻
GA has spent years supporting startups and founders everywhere with their Opportunity Fund to help underrepresented groups get into tech. Members get hands-on education, mentorship, and career opportunities.
They also open-sourced their website design course, so you too can build the most best websites from scratch.
Fun fact: the course was designed by an early Product Hunter. 😻
The Adecco Group trains and places skilled temps at companies around the world. They have over 33,000 full-time employees. 👀
General Assembly teaches founders and operators the technical skills they need to compete in today's workforce, like web-development, data science, and digital marketing.
"Last fall we began mapping out on a white board with Adecco how we could work together, so we've been having off and on conversations with them," says General Assembly co-founder and CEO Jake Schwartz. "We'll be run as an independent entity."
This acquisition won't change much publicly for GA, but expect to see a new wave of GA-trained staffers around the world. 👩💻👨💻
GA has spent years supporting startups and founders everywhere with their Opportunity Fund to help underrepresented groups get into tech. Members get hands-on education, mentorship, and career opportunities.
They also open-sourced their website design course, so you too can build the most best websites from scratch.
Fun fact: the course was designed by an early Product Hunter. 😻
Win the Smart Home of the Future 🏘️👀
Tonight, when you get home, your front door could unlock automatically.
Your lights could programmatically dim based on the time of day.
The Smart Home as we imagined it exists today, but finding the right products to make each part of your house smart is tough.
You're in luck. Enter to win a complete $1000+ Smart Home package, curated by our expert friends at iTech Deals:
🔈 2 Sonos speakers for your tunes.
🛎️ A video doorbell to watch over your Amazon packages.
💡 A complete Samsung internet-connected lightbulb setup.
🤖 Google Home + 2 Echo Dots so you can talk to Alexa all the time.
Just be prepared for your friends to have smart home envy. 😉
Your lights could programmatically dim based on the time of day.
The Smart Home as we imagined it exists today, but finding the right products to make each part of your house smart is tough.
You're in luck. Enter to win a complete $1000+ Smart Home package, curated by our expert friends at iTech Deals:
🔈 2 Sonos speakers for your tunes.
🛎️ A video doorbell to watch over your Amazon packages.
💡 A complete Samsung internet-connected lightbulb setup.
🤖 Google Home + 2 Echo Dots so you can talk to Alexa all the time.
Just be prepared for your friends to have smart home envy. 😉
