As much as we love to laud the features of the iPhone, we’re also the first to admit that it’s missing some basic functions – functions so seemingly obvious that it’s boggling that more app developers aren’t rushing to solve them. And while our favorite gripe is the lack of copy and paste functionality, there are still a number of other complaints on the list – like not being able to easily share contact information. Now, Tapinoma promises to solve that issue with an elegant new app called Easycontact.
Back in the dotcom days when the Palm Vx ruled the handheld roost, there used to be a feature that we would use all of the time, partially because it was valuable – but mostly because it was fun: beaming. This involved pointing two Palms at one another and sending an electronic business card from one infrared port to another. Like magic, your new business contact now had your information on his or her handheld, instead of on some flimsy piece of paper.
Fast forward a decade and Easycontact has made sharing contact information easy again – by using the iPhone wi-fi connection to enable beaming between two handsets. Just select the contact information you want to beam, hit the Wi-Fi button, and select the recipient from the list. Your business card – or any contact or group from your iPhone – jumps to the other iPhone. Voila! Everything old is new again.
The beaming functionality is similar to Handshake, a contact sharing app released last year. But Easycontact raises the bar with its attention to aesthetics and ease-of-use – which should come as little surprise given that Tapinoma, the company behind the app, is composed of former Apple employees.
Look and feel isn’t the only difference. Easycontact adds the option of emailing the contact information to the recipient if they don’t happen to be carrying an iPhone or an iPod Touch. Beaming making you nostalgic? There’s also an audio feature which seems to be designed to simulate modem-like audio feedback on the transfer and its progress. (We couldn’t get it to do anything more than churn out static.)
One other important difference between the two apps? Easycontact costs $2.99 US and it doesn’t offer a free version like Handshake.
If the videos promoting Easycontact or the beauty of the app don’t win you over, the functionality surely will. We feel it’s well worth the $2.99 to get this kind of feature on our iPhones. See if you agree by downloading Easycontact (App Store).
