UK-based Huddle, an Enterprise 2.0 startup which is now clearly positioning itself square-on against Basecamp, launches a well-featured Facebook application at the DEMO 08 conference this week. The Facebook integration will make your boss think you are working even when you’re on Facebook - as it allows full access to all Huddle’s tools [update: the app launches Wednesday] . And the new Huddle Desktop application will let you drag and drop new documents between the desktop and Huddle’s service. Also included is OpenSAM Integration where you create, view and edit documents in Word, PowerPoint and Excel within Huddle through embedded Web Office tools from iNetWord, EditGrid and Preezo.
The free version of Huddle includes three team workspaces, one Gigabyte of document space and unlimited team members (Basecamp doesn’t go this far on either count storage). After that there are more paid-for options. In November last year Huddle announced $4m in series A funding from Eden Ventures in London. Companies using Huddle include Reuters and PR group Edelman and UNICEF. Competitors include Centraldesktop, Weboffice, Projectspaces, Wrike and Goplan.
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When you write a review of something that launched you should seriously include a link to the application
For the record, Basecamp does include unlimited users (or “team members” as referred to in this post) on all plans.
Apologies - Facebook app launches later this week (post updated).
We have tried to use Huddle, seemed a bit confusing.
There are a lot more people out there than Basecamp. Go check out:
http://www.centraldesktop.com or http://www.weboffice.com or http://www.projectspaces.com
Mark,
what do you mean, a bit “confusing”? judgments like that sound even more confusing to me…
besides, the applications you’re proposing target different functionalities and approaches. That too is somewhat confusing, sorry to say.
While we’re on links — I’d say it would be much more convenient to the readers to link to the OpenSAM partners as well.
BTW..URL of Goplan is http://goplan.org and not .com
I launched a Facebook app in October with many of the same features Huddle seems to be planning. See “MyOffice” (http://columbia.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=20196811016) on Facebook.
MyOffice provides project groups with discussion forums, wiki writeboarding (with versioning), file sharing, Facebook network privacy settings, task management, and scheduling features. We’ve recieved a lot of positive feedback, so check it out! Thx,
Brandon A
My company currently uses Central Desktop and I have yet to use a product that is as good and with the features that CD has. I tried Huddle, but it seemed less than intuitive. At first I tried to brush it off, but the more I actually tried using it, the more that lack of intuitiveness got in the way of being useful. Prime examples–Tasks are under the “Calendar” tab, and there is no “Tasks” tab that I could find. Also, how do you mark a task complete? Like CD there should be checkbox or button right next to the task at all times that should accomplish that. Bottom line is that it just doesn’t have the features and ease of use to compete against something like CD.
Why would I use Basecamp instead?
Bootstrapped and profitable from day one. That tells me that those guys are going to be in there for the long haul. And they did not fall prey to the VC’s (except Jeff Bezos)
Huddle looks good.
James
from FaceySpacey.com, Your One Stop Social Media Shop
Here’s a clickable link to the MyOffice collaborative project management app on Facebook.
Brandon A
We’re just putting the finishing touches to the Facebook app and it will be launching shortly. I’ll add another comment with a link then.
Oh, and the OpenSAM website is http://www.opensam.org
And, finally (promise) we give Huddle away for free to charities via the Huddle Foundation - http://www.huddle.net/why-hudd.....charities/
Dont be fooled into using either Facebook or Huddle.
Both are CLOSED silo solutions that strive to lock users and there content into their systems. (By closed I mean that Facebook pushes developers to use proprietary in the guise that they are opening up) Face Book is not open and by building application for their platform companies are only feeding the beast that will certainly one day devour its young.
Do we want to “Face” another future where developers port most apps are to one companies fantasy version of open. Haven’t we been down this path before
As for Huddle; whatever happened to competing based on your technology and your customer service. Seems to me that pulling the “We work with Facbook card” is a sure sign that you have give up on begin looked at as a serious application. Now your collaboration suit can be seen in the same guise as any eight grade coders face book app.
Break the facbook chains. You are not a share crooper
Take control of your content back
Facebook as a productivity tool. A big trend’s coming.
blackberry app not facebook app. lol. oh well.
Companies need to embrace their employees social network usage.
Set policies on acceptable usage.
Integrate workplace tools into their chosen social networking platform.
Integrate their activity into your online marketing and social media marketing strategy.
Companies who openly embrace social network usage will be ahead of their competitors.
@Huddle / all the others: Please add Drag-Drop File upload to every element (task, milestone, person, etc.) … just an area on the right side of the screen drag-drop upload in new window/background and showing it right there for downloading afterwards. Thanks.
Wouldn’t ever use search, select, wait upload processes - noooot efficient.
Startups in India, thank you for reaffirming that top level domains outside of .com are worthless.
Too bad the site has broken links: http://www.huddle.net/about/careers/
lightyears behind basecamp in the UI department
I tried to sign up for Huddle several times a few months ago but wasn´t able to because they had a bug in the sign up process. It doesn´t give me a lot of faith in the product when no one bothered to check to see if the sign-up process was working for over a week.
I currently use TeamWork Live (http://www.teamworklive.com) for my project collaboration and I find it the best of the others I have tried: Basecamp, Central Desktop, and GoPlan. I liken it to Basecamp but with more features. They have an intuitive user interface and great email integration. It’s probably not for everyone but it hit the sweetspot for my needs.
David
You can check out http://www.deskaway.com too! Its simple and yet powerful with Reporting built in. It amazes me that most pm tool are created without Reports! You can check out the free account - it lets you even try out all the features.
Anybody used ZoHo Project? Comments?? Thanks!
https://projects.zoho.com/jsp/home.jsp
Mike,
Also check out ContactOffice, a web office suite which isn’t limited to sharing documents and creating virtual workspaces, but acts as a full-fledged collaboration tool with messaging, calendaring, task list and contact management, wiki, message boards, cross-application chat, and so on.
They’ve been around since 1999 and they’ve managed to become profitable with over 350 000 users without raising capital! The beta’s pretty cool:
http://beta.contactoffice.com
Facebook integraton is not the feature my company needs. I’ve lloked into the competitors, which you mention here and I guess Wrike is the best variant for a small business with 100 employees, who heavily depend on email. Thanks for the link!
I’m after a place to build up info for my own personal project (perhaps share with some friends but that is it).
Got started with inventionDb but was nothing in there to put information.
Tried NexDo, but too many bugs and not enough features.
Now on Huddle. I welcome the facebook integration (can let my friends see what I am doing), BUT I would love to be able to send myself information (blog style) whenever I come across useful links or idea via email.
Basecamp looks nice, but it is not free.
Wrike doesn’t quite do what I want but I must admit it looks very impressive! But not free.
Any ideas on what would be best for me?
Want easy building of pages [links,pictures etc], image pasting, blog style posting via email (ideally to several mini-projects) and facebook linking.