Now here is a rather interesting method of making some money – renting out your iPhone to folks who are desperate to get their Flappy Bird fix. Do you think that this is one of those ideas that made you go, “Darn, why didn’t I think of that in the first place?” Listings on eBay that sport a smartphone with Flappy Bird installed are no longer allowed and have been taken down, and this move struck US-based Jeff Nelson with the idea of renting out his iPhone to those who cannot get enough Flappy Bird action. After all, Dong Nguyen, the developer of Flappy Bird, decided to take down Flappy Bird from all the app stores that it is available on for “our own good”, and this did not go down well with some folks who have already become hooked to it.
Mr. Nelson has decided to rent out his iPhone at $1 per minute of Flappy Bird action, and this particular service has been advertised on Craigslist already. Mr. Nelson shared, “I realised there existed a heavy demand for the game among gamers who did not download it before the app was taken down. Trained as an economist, I decided to supply that demand. On Craigslist there were many sellers attempting to sell their electronic devices at exorbitant prices. Instead of selling a device for $5,000+, I decided I would let people rent my device and play for $1 a minute. That way they could test out the game (and see how incredibly frustrating it is) instead of purchasing a very expensive, used device. In a way it’s a ‘try before you buy’ model.”
He intends to allow those interested to play the game on his handset under a controlled environment, which will include his home in Washington DC, at a local Starbucks, or in another place that has people around. Tell you what – why not have a go at the free HTML5 version instead?
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