BeamME Pro 3.0 Update Adds Peer-To-Peer Beaming, Subscription Service

The popular tree saving and vCard sending iPhone app, beamME Pro vCard Exchange, has received a much needed 3.0 update that adds peer-to-peer beaming via Bluetooth along with a couple of other noteworthy changes. beamME Pro has always been able to send vCards and other cards in a variety of ways.  You can send them via email, SMS, and even Twitter to anyone on any device, not only other iPhones.  beamME Pro now allows you to send your cards via Bluetooth with the simple press of a button.  As long as their is another Bluetooth enabled iPhone or iPod touch nearby, you can now press the little blue button next to the empty field where you would normally enter a phone number, email address, or Twitter ID.  This will search for nearby devices and allow you to easily send your cards. Another change that absolutely worth nothing is the price drop, but not for the reason you might think.  beamME Pro used to cost somewhere around $5.99, but now the app is only $1.99.  The catch is that rmbrME has decided to implement a subscription service for the app.  The app will work just fine without purchasing a subscription, but you won't get any of the extra features, like any type of card beaming (not just business cards), contact mapping, contact feeds, and more. Here is a rundown of how the service will work taken directly from rmbrME's help page:

Along with the launch of beamME Pro 3.0, we're pleased to introduce our new subscription feature. In an effort to bring you a constant stream of feature upgrades, and to minimize clutter on your home screen, we've made beamME pro 3.0 an attractively priced and broadly available subscription service. By subscribing, you get access to all the professional features of beamME pro, plus continuous upgrades and priority support. Subscription plans are available for pennies a day - and we're sure you won't want to miss this opportunity to network like the pros. Subscribe today - download beamME Pro and click on Account, Subscription. If you purchased beamME Pro, CV or Pitch prior to June 23, 2009, you will automatically be offered a lifetime subscription to beamME Pro's blue tier of service. This ensures that you continue to receive the features you paid for in reasonable perpetuity, along with all planned bug fixes and some feature enhancements. In the future, we may release new features which will require you to upgrade to a higher tier of service, but in the meantime, we will make every effort to give you advance notice and special access.

New users (those who have purchased the app after June 23) will not be able to upgrade their subscriptions quite yet, but the app will function normally while they work on a fix.  The silver lining is that previous owners are rewarded with a lifetime subscription to their "blue tier service" since you paid the full price for the app. Of course, beamME Pro 3.0 will not work on any device running anything less than iPhone OS 3.0, so if you don't intend to upgrade your OS, don't update beamME Pro. So what do you think?  Was a subscription service the right direction to go with beamME Pro?

Mentioned apps

Related articles