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.
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