MAG Exclusive: Basetent for the iPhone (Readdle)
Submitted by Chris on March 16, 2009 - 11:53am
Readdle provided us with an exclusive preview copy of their upcoming Basecamp project management app for the iPhone, Basetent. Basecamp is an amazingly efficient web-based project collaboration tool that is used by both small developers and top companies in the industry. While there are apps already available that provide integration with the Basecamp API, no one has gotten it quite right as yet. Readdle decided to give it a go and boy aren't we loving it!
Streamlined Interface
The Basetent interface is virtually identical to the web interface you are accustomed to on Basecamp. As a result, using the app is very intuitive and provides a very familiar experience.
The tabs at the top are used as your primary navigation controls while the bottom icons are used to carry out various functions. The top tabs remain fairly consistent throughout, however, the bottom icons change depending on the view that you are in. Generally, the top tabs allow you to view your projects, todo lists, milestones and messages.
The interface has been masterfully adapted to the iPhone and the app flows smoothly and responds very quickly. Although the default blue theme works just fine for me, it would have been great to be able to import custom color schemes for my projects. I don't know if this is a limitation of the API or not.
This App Really Packs A Punch!
What impresses me most about Basetent is that when using it, you don't get the feeling that you are using a mobile 'lite' version of Basecamp, but that you have the real deal in your hands. If you are already a Basecamp user, the following won't come as much of a surprise, because it is exactly what you are used to when accessing Basecamp from your desktop. First off, you can manage multiple projects in Basetent. When you first start the app, the dashboard will show relevant content from all your projects. However, by selecting a project from your 'Projects' tab, all your content will be filtered down that that specific project. Basetent also allows you to view, set and change milestones, todos, and messages with ease. Furthermore, you can apply a 'person filter' and view only content relevant to that individual. You will however miss your whiteboard and the ability to view or uploaded documents.
Summary
Once Basetent hits the App Store, it is bound to be a hit among Basecamp users. Also, bear in mind that since the app has not be officially released as yet, it may even have more tweaks and surprises by the time it hits the App Store. Check out our gallery for more interface snapshots.
What we'd love to see:
- Customization options - Currently the settings tab only allows you to alter the login details of your current account.
- iCal-esque calendar view showing all todos, milestones etc.
- Writeboard support
One More thing
Basetent does not store any information locally on your device which means that an internet connection will always be needed to access data or make any changes. You might say "Duh, it's an online collaboration tool" but I say "Bleh...". I would love to see temporary 'session limited' local storage of content that is automatically consolidated with the online account when I have a stable connection. So for example, let's say I launch Basetent, my account info loads, and then I go into a dead-zone. It would be great to have all my changes stored in an outbox until I get back a connection. Overall, however, we love what we see with Basetent and think you should definitely give it a try if you use Basecamp for project management.
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Comments
August 27, 2009 - 10:27pm
#2
Hello ReaderX - thanks for your feedback. Here are some quick facts for ya:
1. All articles on MyAppleGuide have a posted date. The date isn't hidden at all - in fact, it's the biggest graphic under the title. You see that red and white iCal icon (it looks like the calendar app on your iPhone) that says March 16 - yup, that's the date.
2. The icon, like most graphics on this site are based on icons on the Mac and iPhone platform. Interestingly enough, you are the second person this year to ask that question. (The first person used a windows computer and wasn't familiar with the iCal icon either)
3. Luckily, our new theme which will be released along with Snow Leopard puts the date in plain text and gets rid of the icon, which you wont be able to miss.
Hopefully, this clears up the confusion.
When was this review written?
The date at the top only says "Monday, 2009" when there are a whole lotta Mondays in the year 2009. Knowing how fresh the content is helps me determine how relevant it may or may not be given that several Basecamp apps have been updated since 2009 began.
Please don't hide the date you make reviews. All blogging tools (including the one you use for this site) make specific dates published by default, which means you've gone out of your way to hide the date from readers. I believe that's a suboptimal choice.