Application Reviewed by Erin Blaskie & Chris Smith
Initial Opinion on the Headquarters App
I have to start this review by saying how much I love this application. As a daily Basecamp user, this really comes in handy when I’m on the go. Any time that I need to check my account for any to-do’s, upcoming milestones or client messages, I have a one-stop shop when it comes to checking Basecamp: the Headquarters app.
For those unaware of what Headquarters is, it is the ultimate utility for Basecamp.
What is Basecamp?
Simply put, it’s a hub-like service created by 37signals for companies to use as a realistic “headquarters”. You and your team can create projects for clients in which you’re able to create messages for conversations, to-dos and milestones for your client’s requested work and track all project information regardless of the number of active projects you have.
The Headquarters application simplifies Basecamp into a great iPhone application. Directly from your phone you can track tasks, messages, and milestones to keep up to date with your current work.
Potential Use
Imagine this scenario: you’re out to lunch with a potential client and they’re unaware of what Basecamp can do. You can create a to-do for a team member to set this client up with a project, a few messages, milestones or to-dos so they can see what you can do. By the time both you and your client return home or to their office you can have a fully functional project set up in Basecamp simply because you were able to communicate on Basecamp through the Headquarters app.
Where the App Could Improve and What We Like
This application really isn’t lacking much. They (hopefully intentionally) left out the Writeboards feature from this application. Writeboards is a feature in Basecamp that allows you to store information about a client that is generally private. It could range from usernames and passwords to birthdates and addresses. This is something I had hoped they left out of the application for security reasons. So it’s very good they didn’t add it in.
As much as it was beneficial to leave out Writeboards, I’m sad to say that they’ve failed to cover manual HTML. What does this mean? Basically, if you’ve manually put in HTML in BC or in this app you will actually see codes like <p> or <div> in your posts. If you’re a heavy formatter in your posts, it can get a bit messy in this application. However, if you hit return multiple times to get a paragraph setting, you’ll be fine.
The Short Version Summary
This is definitely a must-have app for any Basecamp user and it is TOTALLY worth the $7.99 price tag. If you’re thinking of going out of town and you just can’t leave your work at home, grab Headquarters so that you can sneak in some work via your iPod or your iPhone. Perfect opportunity to go stealth so the significant other doesn’t get too angry! This app is definitely powerful enough to do a significant amount of work straight from your iPhone.
