Scrybe covered in New York Times

Michael Fitzgerald says in today’s New York Times that the success that Faizan Buzdar, 31, and his team at Scrybe have had thus far in getting Adobe Systems and LMKR to invest in the beta product, might have seemed like a long shot to some; especially since Scrybe is based in Islamabad, Pakistan which is hardly known as a haven for software entrepreneurs (his words, not mine) and it is trying to enter a well-established market dominated by Microsoft Outlook in the business world and by Google, Yahoo and a host of smaller companies on the Web.

Then why has this product drawn so much sustained interest? Fitzgerald thinks that Faizan has figured out something fundamental about how we want access to schedules and related information. Scrybe’s tools include a clever interface that features zooming calendar boxes that become bigger when scrolled over, the ability to print in multiple formats, including wallet- and pocket-friendly versions, and a novel notepad that accepts text and images from the Web as well as the usual typed-in notes.

It also works offline, something that Outlook and other existing programs cannot do. One user said he had adopted Scrybe because of its interface and because it did a better job of pulling together data than any other calendar he has used. All of this, says Fitzgerald, has made Scrybe, which remains in beta testing, the most anticipated software at the Museum of Modern Betas, a Web site that tracks emerging Web 2.0 projects. More than 300,000 people have watched the Scrybe YouTube video.

With a PR budget that was nil, they were expecting 10,000 beta users in six months – they got 100,000 in just a few weeks! Well done guys! You have done us proud! This is just the beginning – the world has yet to see the many surprises that will come out of cities in Pakistan – then maybe Pakistan will start being seen as a haven for software entrepreneurs.

For details, read the NY Times article in full.