The very talented 37 Signals is all set to deliver its latest product Backpack on Tuesday. It will be free for some basic version but cost a bit for the premium packages ranging from only $5/month – $19/month. Much like their Basecamp product. So what is Backpack? Thus far they have tantalized the world with this line: Backpack helps you bring life’s loose ends together. They have been dropping hints over at their weblog, but I got some more details. My previous attempts were wide off the mark, just in case. The company calls it the “personal information manager you have been craving for.” Its more just that. It is hard to describe – its like Intranet from the old skool was crossed with a Wiki – except that it is so simple, elegant and easy to use that you don’t care what’s under the hood. There are so many neat tricks in this little engine of productivity. You can use to add todo lists, pages, and even files to your BackPack project. One of the things I love about 37 Signals is that they are applying their “secret sauce” to open standards and are leveraging the “always on” Internet.
I can’t wait to see backpack myself, it looks like it will be some of what I hoped to find in an online PIM. I have also been looking @ Trumba and Airset for this type of online calendar/PIM but I think they all lack a few important features. A co-worker and myself are currently working on a project that I think will knock the socks off all these products…. Stay tuned.