Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look
First Look: FrontPocket for iPhone and iPod touch
As a gadget hound and productivity freak, I've tried just about everything over the past 10+ years, both hardware and software. My gadgets have included a Palm IIIe, two Handspring Visors, a Newton 2100, a Newton eMate and a Palm Tungsten E2. They were all nice (some more than others), but each shared deficits of one type or another. Graffiti and easily-lost styluses were two biggies.As for software, I've used iGTD, Omnifocus, Tracks, Midnight Inbox, Things, MonkeyGTD and more. Again, they're nice but share a common issue. Namely, each solution is limited to the author's interpretation of how an organizational system works best. I don't want to learn a piece of software before I can begin managing my stuff. Nor do I want to be limited to the author's ideas, even the great ones. Basically, I want an electronic version of my favorite tool - paper.
I do nearly all of my capturing and organizing with pen and paper, as nothing is more useful, flexible or promising. A blank page is pure potential. You can create a grocery list or sketch a solution to world hunger on the back of a napkin. I was about to give up on software when I tried Backpack. It's exactly what I was looking for.
Backpack offers users a blank page. You can type anywhere, move objects around, add notes, lists, to-do items or photos and files. There's no toolbar, no drawers, nothing. Just a fresh, white surface ready for input. I love it, and today my Backpack account is my virtual right arm.
On Sundays, I move all of the week's to-do items to a notebook, which I update from Monday to Saturday. On the following Sunday, I "sync" my notebook with my Backpack and start again. Sometimes, when I'm stuffing my cargo pants with the notebook, iPhone, wallet and keys, I think, "Wouldn't it be nice to eliminate something here?" Since Backpack on the iPhone is a dismal experience, I never did. Until now.
FrontPocket is a native iPhone and iPod touch application for Backpack. I've been using it for the past week and it's growing on me. It won't replace my notebook just yet, but it's got real potential. Click below to read more.
Update: The folks who produce FrontPocket let us know that version 1.1 is pending in the App Store now, and should fix the startup crashes and read-only errors that some users are experiencing.
FrontPocket displays your Backpack Calendar, Reminders, Journal and pages. The calendar view displays events taking place today, tomorrow and within the next seven days. Anything beyond that is categorized as "future." There's also support for multiple calendars, as each event bears the name of its parent calendar.
It updates fast. I entered a calendar event on the site, and it showed up almost instantly after clicking the refresh button on the iPhone over Wi-Fi, and within a couple of seconds over EDGE. Adding an event from the phone is also a breeze. Simply click the edit button, give your event a title, assign it to the appropriate calendar and fill in the details. Updating from FrontPocket to Backpack was also speedy.
Setting reminders is just as pleasant. Click the edit button and add your reminder's title, the person assigned to it (if you're using Backpack with a team), and the time to be reminded. FrontPocket's UI is simple and snappy, without superfluous bells and whistles.
Pages is where FrontPocket has an opportunity for improvement. For now, you can create and edit lists and notes. Of course, you can't add files or photos to Backpack from your iPhone, but it would be nice to be able to add dividers, tags or access the Writeboards. However, creating and editing pages is a breeze.
Typing with the iPhone keyboard can't rival scribbling or sketching with a pen, but this quick access to my Backpack pages themselves -- taking out the notebook middle man -- is quite nice. Mostly, I've used it to quickly add items to my "Inbox" page for later processing. Even better is the in-your-pocket reference to all your stuff. No more of those, "I'll have to check my Backpack when I get to a computer" moments.
iPhone-owning Backpack junkies will want to check out FrontPocket for sure. It's well-built, responsive and convenient. I'd like to see the features I noted, but it's very nice as is and worth every penny of its $9.99US price tag.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
umijin said 11:41AM on 11-19-2008
Well, EverNote might do the trick too if you set up your folders similarly. It has a great iPhone client, as well as Windows and Mac clients, plus its web interface. Synching is seamless in my experience.
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todd Sieling said 1:46PM on 11-19-2008
Agreed on the EverNote client. It's pretty slick.
I'm surprised to see Things lumped in with other to-do-list apps, as I found it pretty agnostic about how to go about getting through tasks. As someone who just couldn't get into the whole GTD philosophy, it seemed like a comfortable fit.
Matt_aka_Europe said 11:49AM on 11-19-2008
I agree on EverNote. Started using it a couple of days ago and I'm content with its ease of use and possibilities.
Only minor thing is, that the iPhone app doesn't work with checkboxes, which I think a to-do list can't go without.
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flunters said 12:19PM on 11-19-2008
Be aware that it might not work at all ... it doesn't work on my iPhone. A guy from FrontPocket said last week that it is a common bug, but they haven't fixed anything yet.
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flp said 12:39PM on 11-19-2008
Same here. I (regrettably) purchased FrontPocket immediately after the launch and it is yet to work. Apparently an update was submitted to the App Store but I'm still seeing the unusable version 1.0.
I've held off writing an App Store review just yet seeing as FrontPocket support got back to me so quickly when I sent them a message :)
Scott said 1:13PM on 11-19-2008
Great first look, Dave. I heard that FrontPocket will be adding the ability to create dividers, clean up the UI for the pages to make elements more decipherable, add a Writeboards section (and possible access specific writeboards from a page), as well as add a limited version of textile formatting. Just a heads up.
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Marcus S. Zarra said 12:45PM on 11-19-2008
Yes we actually had that bug fixed immediately but the App Store takes its sweet time pushing out updates.
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Rod Schmidt said 12:55PM on 11-19-2008
For the same portability on your Mac, checkout Packrat (http://www.infinitenil.com/packrat). It let's you use your Backpack when you're not connected to the net and syncs up when you are.
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Elam said 1:38PM on 11-19-2008
I'm a fan of Evernote also. Since the resolved stability issue w/ their iPhone app, my only remaining wish is that it had the ability to add reminder/notification to a note.
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David Kaneda said 2:44PM on 11-19-2008
For those interested in getting the same thing for free, I will be releasing an iPhone-optimized web app shortly which does the same thing (Backpack on the iPhone). It's called Tote and will have more information soon on Morfunk's website
I personally find PackRat pretty confusing in terms of design, but they do have some features which I don't (such as the Backpack calendar). Tote is a bit more designed and, I believe, a little truer to Apple's interface guidelines (with some 37signal style thrown in for familiarity). We do already have the ability to set reminders. Any questions, just ask- thanks!
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David Kaneda said 2:45PM on 11-19-2008
Just in case: www.morfunk.com
Christian de Saint Preux said 10:57PM on 11-19-2008
Backpack is too expensive.. 25/month????
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David Kaneda said 10:29AM on 11-20-2008
That's for a collaborative plan. For personal organization there is a $7/mo. and free plan as well.
OlgaS said 11:03PM on 11-19-2008
I would recommend trying Task2Gather (http://task2gather.com). Though it is not very popular it seems to be a real finding for managing tasks and collaboration between not only team members but also between your family. The desktop version works via browsers, there is also iPhone app.
The features that make Task2Gather unique among other task managers is the ability to organise tasks in the hierarchy, discuss each task separately, share each project withe different people.
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OlgaS said 11:07PM on 11-19-2008
I'd like to add that desktop version is totally free! The app for iPhone now costs $4.99. At the moment we're planning temporarily reduce the price for iPhone app till $0.99.
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