Backpack

Backpack is an online communication and collaboration tool for small and medium sized businesses.

Backpack is a production of 37signals, a web design firm that claims to specialise in end-user feedback in the development of its products. Backpack is an online collaboration and intranet tool, allowing company employees to communicate with one another and post important messages. Backpack also updates users via their mobile phone, making sure that they have no excuse for missing a posted message. Document sharing is also available, but at a cost.

The main difference between Backpack and other competing applications, such as Huddle.net and Google Apps, is the lack of functionality available with the free version. Backpack isn't quite as generous when it comes to free functionality so, unless you are willing to hand over your credit card information, you won't be experiencing the full features. The free features that are available, such as the calender and writeboard functions, do work well, but they are the very least of what could be expected from such a product and nothing worth writing home about.

Backpack's look and feel, while functional, looks slightly dated and cluttered. Navigating between "pages" is also illogical and badly structured. The difference between many of the functions is difficult to ascertain. Lists, pages, announcements, reminders and writeboards; they all seem to be similar functions built to do essentially the same thing. This could cause some confusion for the end users, with valuable information getting posted in one function, but missed because somebody only remembered to read a different function. This is addressed somewhat by the availability of an SMS reminder service.

Minimum registration is required for the free version, with only your name and e-mail being needed. No other personal details are required, nor are you asked to confirm your e-mail before being able to proceed.

Backpack offers a free, advertising supported service, but this is extremely limited, offering only basic calender, writeboard and announcement services, with a paltry two user maximum. The free service also doesn't allow the uploading and sharing of documents, which is a pretty essential service for any online collaboration utility. If you want to enable such features, which many other sites offer for free, then you will have to shell out for one of the premium services. The cheapest premium service still only allows a maximum of three users, so only the smallest of companies will be able to make use of it.

If Backpack was the only product of its kind then it would be a satisfactory solution. However, there are better and cheaper solutions out there, such as Huddle.net and Google Apps.

http://www.backpackit.com/