Therefore, almost all the products we will review are paid software. Part 2: Best iPhone Backup Extractor 2018 – PhoneRescue. PhoneRescue – iOS data recovery could be your best iPhone backup extractor if you're facing a severe iOS data deletion or corruption disaster. It's fully capable of extracting up to 26+ different types of files from iTunes/iCloud backup without connecting iPhone.
- This client management software – a part of the ERP business solution – is a standalone application. Incorporating some of the popular contact management applications, NetSuite comes in a clean and easy to use interface.
- For this list of the best email apps, we only considered email clients, leaving out email services and email assistant apps. An email client is a piece of software you install on your computer or mobile device to access email, even if that email is hosted by another service. An example is the Mail app that comes pre-installed on iOS devices.
- The Best Video Editing Software Under $100 We tested nine video editing programs on Mac and Windows laptops for more than 100 hours. Here is the best software for less than $100.
- Contact management software is often combined (integrated) with other CRM functionalities into broader software suites. Integrated suites add efficiency to internal workflow processes by minimizing the number of interfaces employees use to complete individual tasks.
Mac OS X has a great built-in address book and a number of useful third-party alternatives, but out of all the options Cobook is our favorite. It's a very new app, currently still in beta, but its intelligent search and social media integration make it very easy to love.
Cobook
Platform: Mac OS X
Price: Free
Download Page
Price: Free
Download Page
Features
- Identifies the type of information you're searching or adding as you type it.
- Automatically updates your contacts via social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
- Utilizes the Mac OS X built-in Address Book database so you can still use Address Book if you want. This means you can still sync with iCloud and any other service Address Book supports (e.g. Google Contacts).
- Lives in your menubar for quick and easy access.
- Very simple setup process that walks you through everything you need to do to get started.
- Global keyboard shortcut allows for full keyboard control.
- Automatically checks for updates and offers to update itself.
Where It Excels
Cobook understands what you're typing based on its format, whether you're searching or adding new information to a contact. If you type in a phone number that doesn't exist it'll offer to create a new contact. If a contact is listed, it'll offer to add whatever information you've put into the search field. Cobook just knows what you're trying to do. This makes it super easy to find and update your contacts.
Advertisement
On top of that, Cobook pulls data from Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to updated your Address Book without any effort on your part. This saves a ton of time because your updates will involve adding notes more so than it will involve adding phone numbers and addresses.
All in all, Cobook automatically updates your address book for you and makes it much easier to perform an manual updates you need to make yourself. Plus it's free, and we love apps that both cost nothing and also happen to be pretty amazing.
Advertisement
Where It Falls Short
Because Cobook's interface only lives in the menubar, this poses a few problems. First and foremost, if you want to view contact information while you're typing in another window, you can't really do that because clicking away from Cobook will hide the interface back in the menubar. Additionally, Cobook can really only live in one location and can't be resized. While I like having it tucked away in the menubar, it can be problematic on occasion and it would be nice to be able to switch to a moveable window when needed.
Advertisement
Because Cobook syncs with your social media accounts, you're letting it change your address book based on what other people input into their profiles. Most of the time this is great because you don't have to update anything at all, but you also can end up with more information than you want or a different information than you need. This isn't Cobook's fault, but it's something to be aware of when using an app that uses data you don't control to change the data you do.
The Competition
Address Book is the obvious competition. It's already built into Mac OS X and is pretty great. Cobook relies on it, so it's hard to argue it can do anything that Cobook can't. In fact, you really have to use them together if you're planning on setting up sync with iCloud (or other services) as Cobook can't handle that functionality. While it's technically another app and therefore competition, both work very well together and you don't really have to pick one or the other.
Advertisement
Microsoft Outlook for Mac is what you use when you need an address book app with Microsoft Exchange support. Other than that, there aren't too many plusses.
Contact Book ($5) is an Address Book alternative that pulls from the same databased but offers a slightly different interface and a few bonus features. You can color-code contacts, add social networking information, remind yourself of various events, and more. But it costs $5 and does less than Cobook, so it's hard to consider it as a better option.
Advertisement
Best Contact Software For Mac
Private Contact ($7) is a simple address book that's designed for storing private contacts. The idea is pretty simple and straightforward, but pretty useful if you want to safeguard your contacts.
The Daylite Productivity Suite ($230 or $30/month) includes more than just a contacts app. It is, as the name suggests, a large suite of tools to help you get things done better. This allows for tighter integration with its other apps so you can better manage your contacts and sort them by relationship rather than just name. This is a good option if you're looking for something more business-oriented, though the cost is pretty high if all you want is the contacts app.
Advertisement
Best Software For Machine Design
Lifehacker's App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.
Best Software For Mac Maintenance
Advertisement