Collaboration software company 37Signals is known, among other things, for its Campfire group chat program. Previously, access to the service via iPod Touch or iPhone app was relegated to the third-party Ember. Now, thanks to the acquisition by 37Signals, Ember has a new name: Campfire. Aside from the name change and a new icon, Campfire incorporates everything that users loved about Ember, minus the hefty $9.99 price tag; Campfire is free.
Through Campfire, users can access private password-protected chat rooms ideal for talking with groups of colleagues or clients. Potential downloaders should know that using Campfire does require an account; the service has a variety of price points (including free) with corresponding features. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to access your created chat rooms. Within the rooms, you’ll be able to view images and files and review full transcripts in-app after your conversations are complete.
Some users have complained about chats disappearing after uploading an image. I didn’t come across this problem, but I was disappointed to see that there was no support for background notifications while multitasking. However, I did like the fact that you could set individual alerts for each room.
