Topic: Troubleshooting and Bug Reports / Backpack on the go

The mobile version is somewhat limited in its functionality, and (in my experience) reorders my lists — not the items within lists, but the lists themselves. Also the print is quite small, and the only way to enlarge it is by using the “spread” gesture, which puts much of the text offscreen and out of view. By contrast, the iPhone-optimized version of Ta-da lists is clean, readable, and easy to use. Presumably the simpler code and limited functionality of the Ta-da lists was far easier to adapt for the iPhone and other mobile devices, but it’s painful to see how inferior the mobile version of Backpack is.

Topic: Troubleshooting and Bug Reports / Backpack on the go

Of course, this question has ben raised several times before on the forums, but all the same, I’m going to second the request. I rely so heavily on my iPhone that I actually downgraded my Backpack account to the free plan and actively looked for alternative ways to organize my life. But nothing fits my workflow the way Backpack does, so I re-upgraded — but now I’m back to the old problem.

I don’t want any promises, but I’d love to get some insight into how the 37signals folks are thinking about this — ‘cause we know you are, don’t pretend you’re not! What are some of the challenges, some of the opportunities? In general you guys are pretty good about giving us insights into how you think, so why not on this (very interesting) issue? Inquiring minds want to know.

Topic: Feature Requests / Integration between all APPS

How would that be any different than what you’re doing now? You’d still be using tabs to get to different screens, wouldn’t you?

Topic: Feature Requests / iPhone app?

Yes, this would be really nice, and I bet 37signals itself has something in the works — I hope so, anyway, though I know better than to ask them to let us know. Because Backpack doesn’t play nicely with the iPhone, and my iPhone has become the central means by which I organize my world, I have had to set Backpack aside in favor of another solution. But I miss Backpack and am hoping that I’ll be able to get it back.

Topic: How are you using Backpack? / Jott + Backpack = mobile bliss

Chemnitz, the bottom of that page offers an option to add a Backpack link, but when I click on it it takes me to the Google Calendar option. Jott used to have a Backpack link pre-set, but not any more. I wonder if they were having trouble getting their service to work with the Backpack API. Anyone got any ideas or experiences?

Topic: Feature Requests / Backpack reminder date and time picker

Jason, thanks for the info—very helpful. But if you’ve found that the natural language stuff confuses people, are you going to get rid of it in the calendar? (I sure hope not.) Conversely, if it works for the calendar, why wouldn’t it work for reminders as well?

Topic: Troubleshooting and Bug Reports / A couple of issues since last nights update

Yes, I’m also being told that I’m at my 300 reminder limit, when I actually have only a dozen—but some of them are repeating. The repeats didn’t used to count against the limit, so I’m wondering if that has been changed?

Topic: Feature Requests / Backpack reminder date and time picker

And also – or even instead – some of the natural-language syntax the calendar understands. (I’ve posted about this before.) It’s annoying to have to move and click the mouse half-a-dozen times to set a reminder when the same information can be entered in the calendar via simple typing.

Topic: Backpack Calendar / Some things I'd like help with...

I don’t believe any of these are possible. The Backpack calendar is deliberately designed to be very simple, so it lacks the fine-grained adjustments that some calendars have.

Topic: Feature Requests / Reminders and natural language

It would be really helpful if reminders could be set using natural language, as in the calendar. If I have to set a reminder “at a specific time,” it can take me eight or nine click-and-scroll movements to get the job done. That’s a lot of work to set one little reminder.

Topic: System Announcements / A couple of updates

Come on, Ep, it’s what we Americans DO. We exercise cultural imperialism. Our armies invade other countries, our vast corporations inflict repulsive fast food on all the nations of the world, and our small software companies deliberately break the workflows of their overseas customers with insidious upgrades. You see the pattern, don’t you? There couldn’t possibly be any other explanation, could there?—like, for example, a completely revised product having a few unforeseen consequences? Naaah.

There’s only one thing for you to do, so face up to it: you have to boycott McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Halliburton, and 37signals. That’ll strike a blow against tyranny!