Having built a bunch of real-time infrastructure before, I'm glad that there is now a better option than hundreds of hours of blood, sweat, and tears. (lots and lots of tears)

Firebase is a neat take on what a world of real-time for "free" could be like. If nothing else, I dare you to find a faster experience for prototyping that can subsequently scale into your production app. :) I also know several of the guys there - all of whom I would work with in an instant if I had the chance. The beta is a big step for them, but I can guarantee you even greater things are to come from that team.

Congratulations guys!