Why Hasn't Anyone Developed a Great Mobile Contact Manager?
One of the biggest features of the highly-anticipated Palm Pre is the contact and calendar management system called "Synergy." With this new functionality, your Facebook, Google, AIM, and/or Microsoft Exchange contact data is merged together, de-duped, and made available to you within your phone's contacts.
While it's great to see a mobile device include out-of-box functionality for contact import from webmail and social networking sites, there's still a major problem with this type of syncing: no filters. You see, most people don't want their entire contact list from any online resource dumped into their phone. The reason is simple - we just don't phone all our online friends.
Contact Sync: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Think about who you've friended on Facebook. Unless you've been extremely selective, I can guarantee you that you have more than a small handful of what can only be called casual, online acquaintances. Maybe they're people you know from around the 'net or maybe they're those old high school friends who wanted to catch up. Either way, what they're not is people who you need on speed dial.
Now think about who's in your Gmail address book. If you've been with Gmail since the beta days (oh wait, they're still in beta...ok...the private beta days), your address book there is probably over-crowded with hundreds if not thousands of random email addresses belonging to people you don't know, bots, and auto-responders. Hardly the kind of data you'd want in your phone.
And yet, on the Pre, all this data is being dumped into your device without any sort of advanced filtering going on. That would almost be OK if the phone also offered some sort of "favoriting" or filtering mechanism after the data is loaded so you could see different views of your contacts, but instead, they're just all there. Instead of a simple, compact list where it's easy to find your actual contacts, you have no choice but to start typing to find someone by name. There's simply too much data for scrolling to be worthwhile.
All-or-Nothing is Good for Nothing. Why Can't We Sync Lists?
This problem isn't limited to the Pre alone. Android pulls in all your Gmail contacts and some of the contact apps for iPhone which sync with Facebook like MyPhone+ for Facebook (iTunes URL) just dump your friend list data in its entirety, too.
This is a shame, especially considering that both Google and Facebook as well as many other webmail services offer ways to create contact lists or, as they're called in Facebook "friend lists." But why isn't there a program that lets you pick and choose which lists come into your phone? Why is it all-or-nothing?
Call, Email, or Text...What about Tweet, Wall Post, and Share?
But too much of a good thing isn't the only problem with contact management programs today. There's also the fact that they only let you communicate in traditional ways: call, text message, or email. Why don't contact managers offer features that let you send a tweet to your friend? Or post something to their Facebook wall? These new types of public communication are just as important as the old ones.
Phone calls and texts are great for private, personal chats. Emails are better for sharing info - especially attachments - and communicating with business colleagues who don't need to be bothered with small talk. But Twitter and Facebook let you share something with a friend...and also with a network. On Twitter, that's a more public type of sharing (if it's an "@" reply, that is) and on Facebook, it's somewhat public, but with a closer network of friends.
Then there's the issue of multimedia sharing. Why can't I post a video recorded with my phone to YouTube at the same time I send it to my friend's phone, or do the same for a photo and post it to flickr, MMS, or another device?
The closest application we've seen to offer this sort of functionality is Asurion's social address book, which debuted at DEMO 09. Unfortunately though, the app is limited to Android phones and is still in private beta.
Developers: Enough with the Twitter Apps, Build this Instead
With all the growth taking place in social networking sites over the past few years, the ability to incorporate the social element more deeply into our phone's contact list is an area that is crying out - perhaps even screaming - for innovation. But instead of building something useful like this, so many of today's developers seem too content to create yet another Twitter application,or even clones of ones that already exist!
Why isn't someone working on an address book application that will blow Palm Pre's "Synergy" out-of-the-water? We want to see something that makes the Pre look behind the times. We want to see something powerful and, oh, while you're at it...cross-platform too. (Cough, iPhone first please, cough). If someone out there is building this app, please let us know. We'd be the first to sing its praises.
Image credit Palm Pre: forum member retroremakes
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Windows Live has the option to do this on Windows mobile (sync with live) and it was an absolute nightmare! clogged up the phonebook big time, but we can create groups. I agree though, we definatly need to have a new contacts manager. The new web - filtering the last web :D
Posted by: Stuart Evans
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June 4, 2009 10:47 AM
Great points, Sarah. FYI, on an Android phone, there ARE several layers of filtering. First off, probably not everyone you've ever emailed is actually in your "My Contacts" list. If you click on Contacts in the web UI, you'll see "My Contacts" and "All Contacts"...you probably have more of the latter. (you can move people into "My Contacts" from all contacts).
Only the "My Contacts" are sync'd to the Android phone by default...but you can change that. In the phone preferences, you can choose to limit the phone sync to one or more of your Contact groups.
Finally, there's a special "starred" Contact list that you can adjust on both phone and in web ui, that filters your contact list down further, and also shows up as a separate tab in the Android Contact UI.
I don't have so many contacts that I limit my sync (all "My Contacts" get sync'd; I use the phone for email alot as well, and I might need an address), but I usually make phone calls off the "starred" tab...that's my "real-life friends" for the most part.
So that's how I handle things on the G1. Works pretty well! Again, though...I understand your point, and obviously, this stuff is only getting more complex. We need the parties involved to continue to be creative and help out here.
@Stuart: yep, I'm still waiting for the filtering. Good thing I wasn't holding my breath!
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 4, 2009 11:00 AM
I agree I hate contact management everywhere, it's horrible!
Posted by: Brian Bufalo
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June 4, 2009 11:00 AM
Interesting ideas here.
Posted by: Ken Kennedy
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June 4, 2009 11:03 AM
This is a big issue that must be solved now! Great article Sarah!
Posted by: Jorge Escobar
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June 4, 2009 11:07 AM
@Ken: Thanks for the info - Android sounds better than Pre, in my opinion, based on the functionality you just described.
However, in my Gmail "My Contacts" I have tons of people (over 2000!!) - lots of whom I don't really know and/or don't chat with regularly. I've never touched this list in my life, preferring to create my own (friends, family, etc) so it's just the auto-created one that Google made for me. I've been with Gmail since day 1 (almost), so the list has had plenty of time to grow. I definitely would NOT want to use it as my primary contact list on my phone without major editing. It's a mess!
Thanks Jorge! :)
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 4, 2009 11:12 AM
what about google sync?
Posted by: Elyssa Durant
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June 4, 2009 11:12 AM
I want to see this as well. After it's built for the iPhone, can some one please make sure it is quickly developed for Blackberries (and specifically Storms!)
Speaking of Blackberry Storm... within the Facebook app, view friends, click on one of them, "Connect to Blackberry Contact," select contact. Completely manual but... my contact list now has friends Facebook display images, Facebook display name, and along with Email __, PIN __, SMS __, MMS __, Instant Message.. there's a Facebook option. Clicking it let's me Send Message, Write on Wall, or Poke.
@Timmy: at least with the manual method, you can be selective about your list. Love the Facebook posting options, too! But I can't stand the Storm's button after being on an iPhone for so long.
@Elyssa: I would want to filter my Google contact list too!
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 4, 2009 11:47 AM
so what would be the best way for this to be implemented? would we be looking at something like a web app that imports all your contacts, you select what/who you want (similar to friendfeed groups) and then this gets synchronised to your phone ? or just standalone app ? or all done on phone ?
Posted by: Stuart Evans
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June 4, 2009 11:49 AM
really suprised the iphone doesn't have an app to manage this
Posted by: Stuart Evans
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June 4, 2009 11:56 AM
The closest I’ve come to being able to properly sync contact data between phone and computer was with an old Handspring Treo and a PIM called Time & Chaos. TheT&C people had a neat little utility program that would sync T&C with any Palm-powered device. The Handspring Treo was such a device, and by using this utility, and filtering the T&C contact database, one could sync only the data one wanted to have on the phone. It was, for its time, amazing.
Alas, Handspring is no more (for that matter, Palm software is all but gone, too), and Time &
Chaos, which was never mainstream, has evolved into something that I personally don’t find as useful as it was in its earlier incarnations.
I hope that someday, the folks at Google will hear our pleas, and create a way to be able to sync our data in a meaningful way.
Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion, not that of Palm Inc. where I work.
I've been using fb and gmail for quite a while, and have the same issues with very large lists of contacts in both. But using fb and gmail means that I have to accept that membership in my contacts list is not something that I can tightly control. And once I accepted that for fb and gmail, accepting it for the Pre was no big thing.
The net effect on my daily behavior is small: when I want to find someone on my Pre (or in gmail, for that matter), I don't scroll through my contacts list, I search. Its faster, and I don't need to spend anywhere near as much time maintaining my contacts as I did when using Mac Address Book, Outlook, etc.
I do wish FB had better filtering, though, so I could more easily weed out the posts from "friends" who I only know from playing games like Mafia Wars. Its a separate but similar problem.
Great article.
Posted by: Russ Jackson
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June 4, 2009 12:25 PM
Excellent post Sarah. I often wondered about why such an app does not exist yet in iPhone. Somebody needs to thank you for writing the requirement spec :)
@Stuart: I'd be open to trying anything as long as it let me pick and choose or import specific lists.
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 4, 2009 2:01 PM
Many reasons. In simple terms - the carriers and device makers didn't want it. Jason Devitt explains their reasoning here: http://venturebeat.com/2009/06/02/the-battle-for-your-address-book-will-souped-up-contact-apps-monetize-the-data-explosion/ And now - surprise - carriers and device makers still want to control innovation : http://www.gsmworld.com/newsroom/press-releases/2009/2531.htm
Posted by: Matthäus Krzykowski
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June 4, 2009 3:31 PM
Now think about who's in your Gmail address book. If you've been with Gmail since the beta days (oh wait, they're still in beta...ok...Sony VGP-BPL2C the private beta days), your address book there is probably over-crowded with hundreds if not thousands of random email addresses belonging to people you don't know, bots, and auto-responders. Hardly the kind of data you'd want in your phone.
Anyone Developed a Great Mobile Contact Manager
Yes you are right, nobody try to or want to connect all the Mobile manager to a one. Apple and Black berry are separate. Hope the open source can connect the gmail facebook twitter and ..........
very true - syncing everything is not the right way to go considering average social network dimensions. i mean even now i don't know all the names of the people in my phone book, not to mention what it'd be like if everyone i know or knew was on it.
perhaps an app that would analyse a frequency of communication with a given person and create separate lists that we can either discard (with exceptions) or accept and edit.
this is definitely an important element of making 'the cloud' useful rather than overwhelming, so yes, developers, please leave twitter alone :)
Goosync works pretty good for me on my Blackberry Storm.
Gmail from goosync, and Outlook from Blackberry Enterprise Server. Calendar and Contacts sync well.
Great article!
This is the new strategy of Fring.
Regarding "the issue of multimedia sharing", the social mail you created and sent are marked with hyperlinks so you can post them to anywhere you want by using isayusay.net. Also, everyone will see your latest and greatest while having the option to update your content at anytime without having to send the links again.
> Enough with the Twitter Apps
Amen!!!
Why single out one manufacturer? Each business should have one master contact database with bi-directional sync capabilities with all of their other devices and apps.
The issue isn't where the contacts come from, but separating out the ones you talk to from the ones you don't. At Sensobi, we are developing an app for the BlackBerry that keeps track of your emails, calls, and texts, and uses that information not only to clean up your contact list, but also to help you keep track of your history with each person - right from the address book. If you're interesting in learning more, check out our blog about it: http://www.sensobi.com/blog/2009/06/pulling-back-the-curtain-aka-a-big-announcement/
And if you'd like to sign up for our private beta, go to www.sensobi.com/
Cheers,
Andy
I use NuevaSync instead of GoogleSync to sync my Google Contacts with my iPhone. Unlike GoogleSync this allows me to define a "PhoneContacts" list and only sync this.
Sounds like what you're after yes?
Posted by: damianharvey.myopenid.com
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June 5, 2009 7:10 AM
I agree totally !!! Wonderful suggestion. Developers start your engines!
Dear Sarah,
thanks for discovering this big challenge.
The good news: This DOES exist! At cellity we are completely focused on solving exactly what you describe. We have developed our software for almost a year and launched in open beta last December, it has been able to attract a constantly growing user base.
Our award winning cellity Communicator includes a full fedged address book 2.0 that syncs all your contacts from Outlook, GMail, all major email accounts, your mobile phonebook, even your contacts on major social networks such as Twitter and Facebook can be syncronized.
No double contacts.
It works as a web app, as a mobile web app and as java client, running on almost any mobile device.
It even works on the iPhone and on Android.
Too good to be true? Try it at www.cellity.com, it´s free.
Sarik
Hi Sarah,
I'd suggest posting a requirements spec somewhere. I'm sure that somebody will design/implement an app that meets the spec. Now getting it accepted by the OEMs/Carriers is another situation.... ;-)
Charles
Great article! Sounds like something this (non-US) phone can do:
http://www.inqmobile.com/
ZYB is already doing this with their "Social Phonebook" for JAVA-enabled phones..
Im using ZYB to sync my friends from Facebook into my iPhone...
http://zyb.com
@Sarah: I had the same problem with contacts once I started using Google Sync with my iPhone (also an early private beta user of Gmail).
I assume somewhere, you do have a good list of contacts, though, right? Just delete all your contacts in Gmail and import your good list of contacts. (Gmail no longer adds every new email to your contacts, instead sending it to a "suggested contacts" list). Gmail contact import only supports CSV but the most contact managers can handle that. For Apple's Address Book, there's an app call AtoG that will get it in a format Gmail can use.
Anyways, after doing this, my contacts have stayed neat and tidy with no problem, and I love being able to add a contact to my iPhone and almost immediately see it in Gmail.
That’s exactly what we’re going to do today – right here, right now. Facebook or Twitter: which one do you prefer? Cast your vote in the poll below. You have until noon EST on Friday October 16th before the polls close. Let the great battle begin.
I found an excellent free contact manager for my BlackBerry at http://www.comparatio.com/products/mcm/index.html. Worth checking out. Will also do reports, access inventory, etc.
Sarah, this was another great post - it's something that I'm looking for as well for the iPhone.
I looked at Zyb and although it looks great, they seem to be focused on Nokia, and I looked at cellity and of course they are gone.
just wondering if there's any news...