Bestselling business card app Business Card Reader has released a new update set to significantly improve everything possible about it.

For the uninitiated, Business Card Reader sets to save you plenty of time by importing contact information from a business card straight into your iPhone’s address book. We’ve all been there, you’ve been off networking and collecting up many business cards from various potentially useful contacts. Now you’re stuck having to add all that information manually. Scan it in with Business Card Reader and your time is instantly saved. It even works with business cards in other languages or with unusual characters. Jason reviewed it last year and gave it a sterling review with 4.5 stars out of 5.

This latest update hopes to make everything more efficient. There’s improved contact editing courtesy of the new contact editor and there’s a great scanned card preview to check out as you go along. Plus the app is all too happy to highlight symbols that it’s not certain about.

Business Card Reader was already an essential app for the networker, especially for iPhone 4 owners who seemed to have the best results with the scanning engine, but this update sets to make it that bit more useful.

The update is free for owners of the last version. Those who are interested in taking the plunge with the app can purchase it for $5.99.

$4.99

$5.99

Business Card Reader

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Our Rating: :: BEST IN CLASS
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2009-10-31 :: Category: Business

I can remember when I was handed my first business card. I always thought they were used as a means of saying: “Hey, look at me! I’m sooooo important, I have a special card to handout to people, showing how important I am!”

Yesterday As I grew up and entered the professional world, I realized that these cards were actually useful, but were a total pain in the expletive. Currently, my organizer has a section devoted to storing/displaying business cards and I’ve amassed quite a few, but I don’t know who’s where, offering what at whatever phone number/email address. I might as well just use them for kindle; at least I would know where they’re not.

Furthermore, I don’t carry my organizer with me everywhere I go:

Not Me: “Hey Jason, let’s go play a pick-up game of two-on-two!”

Me: “Okay, let me just grab my organizer in case anyone we play has a business card they want to show off/give me,”

OR

Not Me: “Hey Jason, let’s go graffiti the side of the tattoo shop!”

Me: “Okay, let me just grab my organizer, in case one of the cops wants to network with me.”

When I acquired my iPhone, however, all that changed. It replaced my organizer and is always with me. And if someone wants to give me a business card, regardless of the time, location, cell block, etc., there is now “an app for that.” Actually, there are several apps, but I’ll focus this review comparison on three:

In reviewing these apps, I’m specifically looking for (in no particular order):

1. Menu interface/Aesthetics
2. Image quality
3. Scanning accuracy/data recognition technology capabilities using the app’s built-in camera features
4. Scanning accuracy/data recognition technology capabilities using a pre-selected image
5. iPhone Contacts integration
6. Storage features
7. Stand-out/Special features

Continue reading Business Card Readers: A Comparison of Three »