The Business Card vs. 7 iPhone Apps

On December 2, 2009, in Business, Paper, Technology, by Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®
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There’s been a lot of talk around here about the battle between paper and tech, particularly as it concerns business cards.  The paper version seems to be the preferred method, but if you’re an iPhone* user, you’ll want to check out these 7 apps that are giving the business card a run for it’s money.  Each uses the iPhone’s camera to snap a photo of the biz card and bang zoom! – the info ends up in your address book.  The ones listed below do come with a price, however, there are at least 8 free apps that do the same thing.

  1. CardSnap Lite ($0.99 · Full Version = $14.99)
  2. CardScan ($0.99)
  3. Biz Snap ($3.99)
  4. WorldCard Mobile ($3.99)
  5. BizCards ($3.99)
  6. scanR ($4.99)**
  7. ScanBizCards ($4.99)

Now, let’s not forget Evernote.  You can always snap a photo of a business card and upload it directly to your Evernote account – and access it via your iPhone, BlackBerry, other smart phone, or desktop.  The obvious good news:  You don’t need to have an iPhone to get the same results.

Have you used any of these apps?  Tell us how you like them.





*3GS iPhone

**For iPhone, BlackBerry, or Nokia


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  • http://blog.rubbermaid.com Jim Deitzel

    Recently I received some business cards from guys at Microsoft which had a unique feature. The cards had a Q-Code bar code on them so all I had to do was take a photo of the Q-Code and the contact information was automatically loaded into my BlackBerry.

    A nice was to get paper info into digital form quickly.

  • http://www.dallisonlee.com Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    Thanks for sharing the info on Q-Code, Jim. I hadn’t heard of that before and I’m glad to hear it worked well.

  • http://www.organizedassistant.com Janet Barclay

    I’ve had my eyes on a card scanner for quite a while but couldn’t quite bring myself to make the investment.

    If I was to upload pictures of business cards to Evernote, would they be searchable?

  • http://www.dallisonlee.com Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    @Janet: Great question! …and the answer is yes – as long as there is text in the photo (and in this case, there would be), it will be searchable. You can also add tags and store them in a specific notebook. Give it a go and let me know what you think! Btw, you can take a photo of a biz card with your camera phone and upload it to Evernote if you want to test it out before buying a card scanner.

  • http://www.j-organize.ca Jacki Hollywood Brown

    I don’t have a camera with the iPod Touch but I’ve used the free “Bump” app to transfer contact info from one iPod Touch/iPhone to another.

  • http://organizingclasses.com Allison Carter

    Deb, do you know if I can snap a photo with a camera and use with itouch?
    I found evernote doesn’t work on the itouch unless you’re in a wireless environment.
    Another scenario that would work is to create a photo file just for biz card pics.
    I think that will be a fun project for me!!
    Great idea!

  • http://www.dallisonlee.com Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    Hi Allison – I haven’t used an iPod Touch but will do some checking for you. Love your idea of creating a photo file!

  • http://www.dallisonlee.com Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    I have “Bump” as well, but am bummed that I don’t get to use it often since most people still prefer to exchange business cards. I do love how it works, though. Thanks for leaving a comment, Jacki. =)

  • http://LaurenHalagarda.com Lauren Halagarda

    Hi Allison & Deb,
    Yeah, that stinks that you can’t view existing notes in Evernote w/out wifi :(

    You do have the ability of working with photos on your iPodTouch via your computer/iTunes. It wouldn’t be searchable, though if you categorize by ‘photo album’ you could create a system that works for you, especially if you are visual.

    You can also select an image and assign it to a contact in your iPodTouch (though a pic of a biz card may be too small to be of use, the persons photo would work).

    Hope this helps!
    Lauren

  • http://www.airpurifierfaq.com Melanie Long

    A very professional looking business card is really very important in promoting your business. It makes good impression among customers.*-`

  • http://www.dallisonlee.com Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    Hi Melanie – Thanks for leaving a comment. You’re right – a good business card can make a great first impression, especially when someone hands it out on your behalf (i.e., client referral). I also think it’s the person behind the business card that really makes a lasting impression (i.e., at networking/business events). Depending on the situation, a business card may or may not be necessary. Would you agree?

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