Review: Encamp - Basecamp on iPhone
I use Basecamp quite a bit to manage the projects I do with Collabpad. So having a good, solid iPhone solution is starting to become a pretty important thing. A couple of weeks ago, I got a notification in my inbox about Outpost, the new iPhone application by Morfunk that allows you to manage Basecamp on the go. I was really excited. Finally I can monitor and process things on the go. It looked like a really promising app…till I read the reviews.
The problem with Outpost it seems is that it tries to sync everything locally to the phone. This sounds like a good thing but review after review after review indicates that it isn’t. Speed is the key to the success of a good Basecamp app. If I have to wait around for it to sync or if it crashes all the time because it can’t sync more than 30 projects at a time…that’s not a good thing. These problems made Output a major showstopper in my opinion.
Enter Encamp.
After reviewing other Basecamp solutions, I ended up giving Encamp a whirl. I was not disappointed. Upon opening the app and entering in my Basecamp domain and login, I noticed right off the bat that this was a pretty well designed app. The app felt like a typical iPhone application…which is a good thing. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Alexander stuck with the typical interface elements and workflow of most iPhone applications. The end result is an app that doesn’t take you any time to get used to. It just “feels” like a good iPhone app.
The other thing I noticed is that it’s fast. The only limitation is the speed of the network you’re on and whether or not if the Basecamp site is accessible. Encamp accesses information on Basecamp pretty darn quickly. It’s fast on wi-fi networks but it’s still pretty darn quick even when accessing it via 3G.
Is it perfect? No, but a version 1.x app rarely ever is. There are subtle things here and there that I wish were a bit different. For instance, it would be cool to have some way to switch between projects quickly without having to constantly tap back to the top project level. But that’s a very minor gripe that doesn’t at all have any impact on this review.
About the only thing on my wishlist is the ability to view attachments on messages, to-do’s, and the like. I have a lot of clients that attach pics, Word documents, PDF’s, and such and I have to be able to review them prior to processing to-do’s and posting followup messages. If I were able to review things on the go then it would save me a ton of time.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for a really good, solid Basecamp solution Encamp is the app to get! I’m looking forward to seeing what Alexander has in store for this app. 
Tags: basecamp, encamp, iphone
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January 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Just got a great little tip from Alexander on switching back quickly to the projects list:
That solves the minor gripe about project switching. Thanks Alex!
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:12 am
I’m Using Readdle’s – Basetent, like it coz of insane bunch of features, good support, stability.
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:23 am
Basetent looks interesting and will probably be another good Basecamp app once they work out the kinks. Looks like they’re having crashing issues when syncing. Honestly, I find that apps that stick more closely to the iPhone API have a tendency to be more stable. Once a developer starts trying to be tricky it always seems like you end up with a more flaky app.
It looks like the developer was trying to add some resemblance to Basecamp for the tabs and other elements in Basetent. That’s cool and all but does that have an impact on stability? Don’t know.
One thing I do know is that there really aren’t any Basecamp apps that have more features over the other. It’s all about how the app is implemented. The reason is that 37 Signals provides a limited number of features in the Basecamp API. Simply put, if one app claims to have features that are not provided by the Basecamp API then they’re not doing it right.
Basetent looks interesting but time will tell whether it’s a good solid app or not. We’ll see.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:49 am
Encamp has begun crashing everytime I try to enter or even view Comments of any kind. This renders the App kind of useless. Anyone else seeing this?
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:45 am
Yeah, I’m getting that too. We’ll need to ping Alexander and let him know. Hopefully he can post a fix soon.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:52 am
Took a look at the Encamp iTunes page. Looks like Alexander is already aware of it. The recent iPhone 3.0 update along with some Basecamp API changes causes many features, including comments, to be broken. Hopefully Alexander will have an update posted sometime soon.
August 21st, 2009 at 6:00 am
Is any one having problems accessing basecamp through the encamp app? I’ve just downloaded the app yesterday and nothing is showing except a couple of projects, which, when I click on them nothing happens….frustrating.
Any insight would be appreciated.
August 21st, 2009 at 7:28 am
No problems here. What kind of internet connection are you trying it on? WiFi, 3G, or EDGE? I have a lot of projects in Basecamp and just tried to access a few of them via Encamp over a WiFi connection. Worked as advertised. Try it on a WiFi connection. If you’re still having problems, contact Alex (http://www.encampapp.com/)
October 19th, 2009 at 8:39 am
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