Jan Zdarsa The iPhone contact manager is one of the easiest applications ever - sorting by initial letters and, luckily, recently also searching. Sorting into groups sometimes works, but access to this item is no longer completely intuitive. I found the Groups app on the Appstore, which aims to completely replace the Contacts app on the iPhone and adds a fair amount of new features.
Groups fix the main shortcomings of the Contacts app on the iPhone and allow better management of a larger number of contacts. Classic contact management is not missing here, but on the contrary, you will discover a lot of new useful functions. You can easily create new groups of contacts directly from the iPhone and move contacts to these groups very easily (just grab the contact and move it wherever you want with your finger). You can then send mass emails to groups directly from the application (but not SMS for now). Groups are always at hand, because they are constantly displayed in the left column of the application.
After clicking on a contact's name, a menu will appear from which you can quickly dial a phone number, write an SMS, send an email, display the contact's address on the map or go to the contact's website. There is also a very well-made search, which simultaneously searches both by numbers and by letters. To type characters, it uses a 10-character keyboard from classic mobile phones, (eg one press of the 2 key at the same time means 2, a, bic), which makes searching a bit faster.
There are also some pre-made groups in the Groups application. For example, sorting all contacts without grouping, without name, phone, email, map or picture. More interesting are the last 4 groups, which filter contacts by company, photos, nicknames or birthdays. For example, in sorting by birthday, you can immediately see who will have a celebration in the near future. An important aspect is the speed of the app, where I have to say that loading the app is not much longer than loading the native Contacts app.
The Groups application for iPhone also has several other interesting features, but let's look at some of the shortcomings. Those who manage a large number of contacts usually need to synchronize them in some way, for example via Microsoft Exchange. Unfortunately, this application cannot synchronize directly with Exchange. It's not that you won't be able to sync the changes you make in Groups afterwards, but you have to turn on the native Contacts app for a moment to sync. After the latest iPhone OS 3.0, an extra screen pops up at you when you dial a number, asking if you really want to call the contact. But the author is not to blame for this detail, the newly set Apple rules are to blame.
Overall, I really like the Groups app and think it could be a good replacement for the native Contacts app for many. Unfortunately, some of us can't live without the native app and will need to launch it from time to time to sync. For me, this is a big minus, if you don't mind this, then add half an extra star to the final rating. At a price of €2,99, this is a very high-quality iPhone application.
Appstore link (Groups – Drag&Drop Contact Management – €2,99)
I've been using it for a long time, it just could be faster... And with every upgrade I like it more and more ;-)
I would like to try it, it's a shame that there is no such option. I would definitely welcome a better directory, the basic one is really a bit lacking in some things.
It's definitely worth it for some 75 CZK, that's three beers today;-)
Well, yes, but I think that there are also applications for a quarter and why pay so much for it, when it's a bit of a rabbit in the bag - it must not suit me.
:-D :-D :-D
I'm missing a lot of "cool guys" around - one would buy the app, the others tried it and then bought it or didn't buy it. My father-in-law has an iPhone, but that's a chapter in itself.
Are all changes in gmail syncronized??
well, I once bought the faces application, but somehow it doesn't develop in any way and it's quite slow already at the start. this looks very interesting. Thanks for the tip