Contactizer Pro: Contact Management Software

If you have been using Macs for a long time, then you might remember Now Contact and Now Up-To-Date. Since, at the time, the Mac operating system did not come with address book or calendar applications, the Now suite provided those features and much more. With Now, you could create links between elements of the two applications. So, if you called someone and made an appointment to see them, you could link their contact file, the event in the calendar and any other relevant information, such as notes.

However, when Mac OS X arrived on the scene, the makers of Now didn’t keep up. The Now company is still around and they are supposed to be working on a worthy successor to the old software, but the product’s progress is unsure. Meanwhile, the choices for contact management software (CMS) available to Mac users remain slim. There is very little on the Mac side that would be the equivalent to ACT! on Windows.

Recently, I consulted with a new client who was looking for a CMS solution. I told him that I was as well. It had been awhile since I had looked into what was available and would investigate any new applications that might work. This is how I ran across an application that comes very close to being the new Now and more.

The first problem with this app is the name: Contactizer Pro! It sounds like something that should have a label on it that says “As seen on TV!” Once you get past the name, the software itself is quite good. CP runs in a single window with tabs in a menu bar that switch between five modules: Contacts, Tasks, Events, Communications and Projects. The developers of Contactizer Pro, Objective Decision, have insured that CP looks and acts like a true Mac application. On the left side on the window is a Sources bars which changes with to the module chosen in the browser part on the window. Below, the source bars is a filters area, not unlike the source and filters areas in Apple’s Mail application. CP almost feels like someone took Apple’s Mail, iCal and Address Book apps and smooshed them together.

The main window can be split into an upper and lower section. The lower section is then occupied by an activities viewer, which has five tabs, Tasks, Events, Communications, Attachments and Maps. So, for example, if you are looking at the Contacts in the main viewer and a contact is selected, you will see the tasks, events, communications, attachments and maps (by way of Google) associated with that contact.

There is also a hideable area on the right side of the window in which you edit the details of whatever is selected in the main window.

One make-or-break feature for me is for the CMS to sync with the information in Address Book and iCal. Contactizer Pro handles this fairly well. Changes made to any of the CP modules are immediately synced with the corresponding Apple data. For me, that means that the information is also automatically synced with my MobileMe account and my iPhone. Yeah, now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

The opposite is true, with one exception. When you make a change in iCal, the change is not automatically reflected in the CP Events module. However, there is a very conveinient “Sync” button, making it easy to sync manually. I would hope that this issue would be addressed in the next version. Still, it’s not that bad.

There are other features of CP which take it above and beyond the Now products. In fact, CP is so feature-rich that I won’t go into detail about all of them here, but here are some examples:

• Project Manager lets you create your own process schemes, and efficiently links the resources you need to complete them.
• Tag contacts, tasks, and projects with multiple category labels.
• HTML email template builder included.
• Merge information into letters via Microsoft Word or Apple Pages.
• Bluetooth phone pairing for incoming calls notifications and direct dialing (but not for the iPhone. Doh!).
• Data Picker “heads-up display” panel for fast embedded search to quickly find data you want to link to other data.
• Categories “heads-up display” panel for fast assignment of multiple categories.

The amount of things that CP can do works against it in a way. It makes the software seem complicated. However, after taking the time to learn the ins-and-outs of CP, I came to realize that it is not so much complicated as it is “deep”. You can play in the shallow part of the learning curve and get the basics done, or you can dive deep and take full advantage to what CP has to offer. However, if you did decide to master CP and make it part of a regimen, I have no doubt that your productivity would benefit greatly.

Contactizer Pro, which is currently at version 3.7, sells for $120. There is also a light version called Contactizer Express which does almost everything that the pro version. Notably missing, however, is integration with Apple Mail. Fully functioning versions of both applications are available as a 30-day trial from the Objective Decision website.

I like this application. It has already made it easier for me to juggle the various aspects of my business. There are still a couple of sticking points which are, though not deal-breakers, are annoying nonetheless. Hopefully, these issues will be addressed in the next version.

And, maybe they’ll even change the name.

Genius Notebook: An inexpensive book webmercial

One of my clients, Kim Canazzi, wrote a book and was thinking of how she might better promote it on the web without spending an arm and a leg. We were able to come up with a short, simple promo video using only artwork from the cover of her book, royality-free music and some Final Cut editing.

This is a good example of what you can accomplish even when you are on a tight budget. If you have a project that you would like to promote, but you are not sure how, give me a call.

Apple releases new Safari 4 Beta and it's a good one...

Earlier this week, Apple released a new version of their Safari web browser. I've been trying in out for a few days and I'm a happy camper.

This is actually a beta version of the fourth version of Safari, so there may be a few bugs to be worked out in it. However, I haven't come across any yet. What I have come across is one very noticeably faster internet experience, and I'm not the only one.

The Safari 4 beta is available for both Mac and Windows, so it has been examined by experts on both sides of the platform aisle and the reviews have been almost unanimous. Most agree that the Safari 4 beta is now the fastest web browser on earth, almost three times faster that it's closest competitor, Firefox 3. For someone who spends as much time on the internet as I do, I love the fact that I have a new tool which is saving me time every time I use it. And, it's free!

In addition to a big speed boost, Apple had added several new features that seem borrowed from iTunes and the iPhone/iPod Touch. The Top Sites feature lets you enjoy an at-a-glance preview of your favorite websites. Safari 4 Beta tracks the sites you browse and ranks your favorites, presenting up to 24 thumbnails on a single page.

As it does with iTunes, Cover Flow offers a highly visual way of reviewing your site history and bookmarked sites, presenting full-page previews of the websites that look exactly as they did when you last visited them.

Cover Flow also partners with Full History Search, giving you a dramatic new way to revisit sites, letting you flip through full-page previews of the sites you visited in the past. Safari automatically stores all the text and a thumbnail of every page in your history. Just type a word or phrase in the History Search field in Top Sites, and Safari quickly presents you with a list of possibilities. In fact, you can search for anything that was on a page you visited, even photo captions. To jog your memory, Safari presents the sites it finds in Cover Flow, giving you the opportunity to spot the right site on sight.

The Safari 4 beta takes the tabbed browsing up a notch...literally. The tabs have now been moved to the top of the browser window to allow more room to view pages. I don't use tabs that much myself, so I can't really speak to the improvement.

All in all, I am very happy with the changes Apple has made to there web browser. Even though this is a beta release, I'm going to suggest that you download it and give it a spin yourself.

Mac OS X 10.5.6 released

Mac OS X 10.5.6 released: better AirPort, gaming performance, more

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.6, which resolves a slew of bugs, and increases performance and stablity for a number of system components. Among the enhancements purported in this update:

AirPort Improves the reliability of AirPort connections, including improvements when roaming in large wireless networks with an Intel-based Mac.
Graphics Includes general improvements to gaming performance; includes fixes for possible graphics distortion issues with certain ATI graphics cards.
MobileMe Contacts, calendars, and bookmarks on a Mac automatically sync within a minute of the change being made on the computer, another device, or the web at me.com.
Time Machine Fixes issues that could cause Time Machine to state the backup volume could not be found.
Safari Improves compatibility with web proxy servers.
Networking Improves Apple File Service performance, especially when using a home directory hosted on an AFP server; improves reliability and performance for AT&T 3G cards.

On Becoming Real - Facebook Events

"I walked into the party at a small, Portuguese restaurant and was not surprised that I knew virtually no one. Or, should I say, had never met anyone there, but I knew about them. For some, I had seen pictures of their summer vacation, known if they had recently started or ended a relationship or where they were from. I knew them through Facebook. Now, they had become people. After the meager scraps of information gleaned from Facebook encounters, we now feasted on unfettered conversation. We laughed and heard them laugh at the same time. We shook hands, hugged, took pictures, drank wine. We became real."

Yes, Facebook Events is a "networking" tool. But it can be so much more in terms of making connections with friends and new friends. Here are a couple of reasons why you should consider creating a Facebook Event for your gathering, or as a reason for your next gathering.

It's easy to use. Just fill out the details on the form pages and your guests have all of the information they need to attend. There is even a link to a Google map to the location.

One of the most overlooked features is "Export". Every event has an "Export" button. When you click it, FB generates a .ics file, which then automatically opens and adds the event to your default calendar application. With just one or two clicks, your guests now have your event added to their calendar.

The event has all of the event information, including links. Since I use an iPhone, it is automatically added there as well. Now, when I leave the house, I know that if I get lost, not only do I have the address, I can see a Google Street View of the actual building.

I usually have my camera when I go out and I like to take pictures of people. When I get back home, I can upload them to Facebook, then tag the pictures (put names to the faces in the picture). If I don't have the camera, I can use my iPhone to take a picture, and post it on FB. The friends are notified that their picture has been posted, which generates more interaction.

Events generates a list of attending, not attending and undecided guests. Here's what I love about this. There may be people that I know on FB, but have never met. By looking at the lists, I can make a mental note of who I might want to meet. I even have a picture of them (if their profile picture is a picture of them).

And, last but not least, it's FREE!

There is something magical that happens when a bunch of people who have only known each other on the internet finally meet. It makes you wonder if computers might actually not be evil.