Huddle

Full Review

Huddle is a great project management app, but it has a very unique core. Most apps in this space center around workspaces, tasks, etc. And Huddle has all that, don't get me wrong - but the primary focus of Huddle is file sharing. Huddle can certainly be used to manage projects, but it's also very effective in sharing a single document and collaborating. The focused core makes for a very simple product.
I avoid sweeping statements whenever I can (it just takes a single counterexample to disprove one). That being said, Huddle actually is the simplest project management app I've reviewed to date. After you create your account, there are only two pages to access: the dashboard and your workspace. You can have multiple workspaces, but since they all have the same layout, I'm counting them as one type of page. You easily cycle between workspaces and the dashboard at any time with the drop down menu at the top-left corner. And on the same corner, there's a link to "My Files" highlighting the basic core of Huddle.
The dashboard is a collection of widgets, which collectively convey and information you'd want to know. There's a two week calendar at the top, with all upcoming events. The calendar easily exports to outside calendars, and I had no troubles setting up the sync. Below that are notifications, and a "What's New" widget which gives an overview of all activity. And just like the calendar, this widget also exports easily - by RSS this time. Other widgets include files, tasks, and quick links to workspaces. Any if you don't like any of the widgets, just minimize it. Overall, it's a terrific dashboard.
The real work in Huddle happens in the workspaces; that's where you manage projects and documents. Every workspace has the following tabs: Overview, Writeboards, Tasks, Discussions, Files, Meetings, People, and Settings. Since most are self-explanatory, I'll just highlight a few. The overview is just like a mini-dashboard unique to the project, and has many of the same widgets as the actual dashboard. Tasks can be assigned to multiple people/teams, and users can attach files and due dates (only date, not times). There aren't any task hierarchies, which is something I usually look for in project management apps. Finally, I'll touch on meetings, because they also include web-conferencing. Huddle supports web conferencing, and provides call-in numbers.
I'll end with what I said was Huddle's core: File sharing. Uploading is actually a breeze thanks to Huddle's built in applet. Rather than attaching files to an upload screen, the applet lets you browse through your computer and upload files from different locations at the same time. After uploading, it's possible to edit Word documents and (supposedly) Excel spreadsheets. Word worked great, but I could only view Excel files - editing didn't work. The online Word editing is Zoho powered (an interface I like), and I'm assuming it's the same for Excel files when the editing is functional. Huddle plans to bring wider editing compatibility in the near future. And while that's great, it's not possible to have live collaboration over a document with the current version of Huddle. I've consistently believed that live collaboration is a critical component of any online office app, and Huddle disappoints there. But it's not terrible, because Huddle is not solely an online office app. For a project management tool, the document management in Huddle is definitely above average.
The free version of Huddle only has 1 workspace and 100MB of storage - most business users will want more. Small Team ($25/month) has 5 workspaces and 2GB storage. Large Team ($45/month) has 10 workspaces and 5GB storage. Professional ($125/month) has 25 workspaces and 25GB storage. And for Enterprise, call in to get details. All paid subscriptions also come with web-conferencing, and the limits increase as price increases.

The Bottom Line

Because Huddle initially had such a strong focus on collaborating via file-sharing, the app is exceptionally streamlined and simple. It doesn't get any easier than a dashboard and workspaces, and the layout of the app is incredibly intuitive. I'd be comfortable using the app to manage multiple projects in a company of my own, and I have no major complaints. Calendar and recent activity both export, the app has a simple interface, and it's affordable. Huddle is one of the better project management apps on this site.

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