Tag: Business Card Reader »

Business Card Reader, an app that helps users organize their business cards, has received an update that gives users the option to export their contacts to Evernote, a feature that competes with Evernote's own Hello app.

If you've read our review of the iPhone version of Business Card Reader, you know we think it's pretty fantastic. Our reviewer gave it a best in class rating, saying, "Business Card Reader is a solid, reliable, visually aesthetic business card reader that performs as advertised, with minimal effort on the user’s part."

Well, now developer SHAPE Services has released a second iPad version of the business card reading app, cleverly named Business Card Reader HD. For those of us who use our iPads for business, this is a solid treat.

The app itself - at the same price point as the iPhone version - allows you to import contact info right from business cards using your iPad camera. Simply aim the camera at any card given to you by your business contacts, and Business Card Reader HD will scan, OCR, and create a contact in your iPad contact list. It can do so in English, French, German, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Whew.

There's also optional integration with enterprise-level customer relationship management (CRM) systems and LinkedIn support. As with any scanning technology, good light and a flat, unmoving surface are collecting the data well.

Business Card Reader HD works on iOS 4 and later and on all iPad models, including iPad 1 (you'll need to import pictures of business cards from the photo roll or LinkedIn).

[gallery]

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.

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