Are you one for eCards? We’ve found some use for them over the years, like the times we forgot to send an actual card by way of snail mail. Realizing we forgot on the day-of is no problem if you we save a little face with a quick eCard. Over the App Store’s short life, we’ve seen a few eCard apps pop up here and there. One that has caught our attention of late is PixyMe by Tukaiz, LLC. Besides customizing your messages, PixyMe enters the eCard app market with another neat customization trick -- live generation of text within a photo. Let us explain.
PixyMe Pros:
- Over 100 pictures included at release
- Postcard feature is just too cool
- Email feature available when strapped for cash or time
- Easy to use interface
- Build eCards from your own photo library
PixyMe Cons:
- Needs network connection
From within PixyMe’s easy interface, you begin by choosing a photo you want to send. PixyMe comes stocked with photos to choose from. These are all arranged in categories such as Sports, Celebrate, Travel, Nature, etc. There are over 100 images in all. Each image in the database has text cleverly displayed to fit the subject. The provided assortment should continue to grow as Tukaiz updates it. As it is, there are tons of great images that will keep you mailing your friends for days. The included photo library includes your text written everywhere from mustard on a hotdog to snow on a windshield. You’ll see some examples in this review. The text in each of the stock photos can be altered to read whatever you like. PixyMe suggests using the name of your recipient. Whatever you decide to write, it will look like it was in the original photo.
Once you have a picture customized, you have the option to email it, upload it to your Facebook page, or even more interestingly, mail a real postcard. Choosing either of these send methods then allows you to write a short message to the recipient. Like the email interface, the Facebook and Postcard interfaces are built right into PixyMe, so you never have to leave the app. Saving a customized picture to attach to a MMS is also possible. We were most excited to see the postcard ability as this was new to our team. As would be expected, mailing a real postcard incurs a charge. To mail to a USA address, even if you’re traveling abroad, PixyMe charges $1.99. International destinations cost $2.99. We found ourselves asking, “Why would we send a postcard of a stock image while we’re on vacation somewhere?” Well, PixyMe allows you to take a photo with your iDevice or even choose one from your own photo library. These photos are not customizable like the stock pictures, but you can add any number of customizable frames. So, while in Tahiti, you could send a postcard with a picture of yourself and frame caption reading “Greetings from Tahiti.” PixyMe will then mail this postcard to your parents in, say Milwaukee, for the $1.99 domestic charge. Not a bad deal in our opinion.
One caveat is that you need internet access in order to use PixyMe. That means you probably won’t be able to compose or send your greeting while on some beach overseas. Apparently, the stock photo library is located on Tukaiz’s server as is the text customization script. So, you will always need either wifi or cell network connectivity to use it. This was a bit of a bummer as it would be neat to compose and ready all of your cards during the day and then send them when back in your room that night. We would also like to see Tukaiz update the address fields in postcard mode to auto capitalize. Our point is sort of mute, though, due to the ability to plug in addresses directly from you contacts.
Since we haven’t tested the postcard feature as of this review, we can’t say how long it takes for PixyMe to process and ship them. Once shipped, the delivery time should match standard First Class mailings.
Whether you see yourself using the eCard, Facebook, or Postcard aspects, PixyMe provide a great deal of unique customization for the low $1.99 price tag. The text-altering technology is worth the price, let alone the ability to send your message in so many ways. We invite PixyMe to smile and say “5-Dimples!”
