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Are you missing your Rolodex but don’t want to look Old School? Does your wallet need to go on a diet because so many business cards are stuffed inside that you can’t close it?
When you’re handed a business card, you have to enter the information into your phone or onto your computer. Typing is involved, mistakes are made and the artistry of the business card is lost in translation. If you try to remember someone as “the guy with the logo that looks like a Lady Gaga outfit,” you’re lost.
The good news is that tech can help you transfer business card information swiftly in ways that are seamless and often fun. If you’re headed to a conference, convention or business meeting where you’ll be heading home with a fistful of cards, you should know there are easy ways to make sure all of that contact information makes its way into your phone painlessly.
WorldCard Mobile
The WorldCard Mobile app scans business cards using your smartphone camera then syncs the information into your contacts list. You can add the information to an existing contact or create a new contact. This app is a huge time saver, especially if you have a lot of cards to process.
This app has plenty of features, including the ability to customize how information is saved so business card information integrates with your contact list format. You can choose the language, order in which the name is displayed, and the locations where your contacts and images will be saved.
You can also copy contact information from an email signature and have the app convert it into your preferred contact format and add it to your contacts.
WorldCard Mobile also provides a Card Holder section where the images of scanned business cards are stored. The cards are organized alphabetically and you can organize these images into groups if you have a lot of cards.
The developer provided me with the iPhone app to test which I loaded onto my iPhone 4S (this app is also available for Android phones). The scanning process is easy; the app guides you through each step. The app has lines to help you align your card and allows you to crop the image.
I scanned an assortment of cards with complex designs, international contact information, dark backgrounds and low contrast text. As I put the app through its paces, most of the information was converted with 100% accuracy. Occasionally, the app had difficulty with a digit in a phone number, so make sure to check the information before you dispose of the card. The app had an uncanny ability to not only read the information, but to put the information in the proper category: contact name, work phone, email, etc.
This app is available in the iTunes App Store for $6.99 and in the Android Market for $5.99.
CardMunch
CardMunch is a free iPhone app from LinkedIn that also scans business cards for your contacts list. If you are an active LinkedIn user, this app is for you.
CardMunch takes a picture of the business card with your iPhone camera and sends the image to LinkedIn who processes it and returns it to the app within a few minutes. Like WorldCard Mobile, CardMunch retains an image of the card on your phone and transfers the information to your iPhone contact list.
After the card has been processed, you have the contact information from the business card plus the information in the person’s LinkedIn profile. You can also use the app to connect with the person on LinkedIn and see any connections you have in common. CardMunch retrieves the person’s profile picture from LinkedIn and stores it on the app, though doesn’t send it to the contact list.
CardMunch is free in the iTunes App Store here: CardMunch. The app is not yet available for Android phones.
Bump
Bump is an incredibly useful app if you and your new contact both have smartphones. With Bump, you both open the app, one of you chooses your contact information and then you physically bump your phones together. The contact information is shared from the sender with the receiver instantly.
The app is free in the iTunes App Store here and the Android Market here. Read my full review of Bump: Bump – The Fun, Fast and Free Way to Share!
Note: if you happen to receive a $1500 diamond business card from a contact, you may want to skip the apps and keep the business card in your wallet.
Are you befuddled about how to organize your business cards? Do you store a wad of business cards in your desk drawer? Do you like having all the information from a business card with you on your phone but hate to type in the information? Let us know in the Comments section below!
* Business cards image by Rubens Cavalheiro
You amaze me Carolyn!
To be very honest, I do none of what you mentioned above- but its wonderful to see all the information shared above. It truly is an eye opener for the likes of me 🙂 Guess I better check up these awesome apps 🙂
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Harleena, You may not receive a lot of business cards. I created business cards for The Wonder of Tech that I hand out when people want the link to my blog. It’s easier than scribbling down the link on a piece of paper.
I get a lot of business cards from others and I like the ability to retain the logos on my phone. I’m a visual person so it helps me to see the cards and associate them with the person I met.
Bump was very helpful for me to transfer my contacts from my iPhone to my Android phone.
I hope you find these apps useful, Harleena! 🙂
Hey Carolyn,
Can I say I love you 😉
I keep meeting so many people because that is a part of my job and they keep giving me their business cards ALL the time and I keep stuffing them in the huge wallet I carry. At the end of the year, I sort them out and somehow so many gets misplaced!
My dad gifted me a smart phone when I finished my masters and it has the option of scanning business cards. But somehow, they miss out on clarity especially when the font is really small. Though I love the concept of scanning it and having it safe, the old soul in me still keeps collecting! Will check out the other applications! 🙂
Thanks for enlightening me once again!
Hi Hajra, I’m so glad this is helpful to you! 🙂 You’re right, you can scan business cards with your smartphone camera and save them to an album in your photos app, but they won’t be integrated into your contacts list. These apps allow you to have the best of both worlds: keep the image of the cards, plus include the information in your contacts.
I hope you enjoy these apps, Hajra!
Hi Hajra,
This is Alfred from WorldCard Mobile team,
As Carolyn mentioned, professional scanner apps are really vary from in-build apps regarding clarity, recognizing ability, recognizing speed and so on.
If you would like to check out the Worldcard Mobile app, please free to request me a free copy of it 🙂
Hi Alfred, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Thank you very much for providing me with the opportunity to review WorldCard Mobile and for offering the app to Hajra.
As you can tell from the review , I was very impressed with your app, both the accuracy and the breadth of features. Best wishes for much continued success with WorldCard Mobile!
Brilliant; brilliant! I keep a book of business cards in my car – but how much more convenient would it be to have them all stored on my iPhone! I’m downloading Cardmunch now!
Hi Ruth, Yes, these apps are brilliant. They solve a common problem and work very well. I’m so glad you find these useful. They seem to be the best way to store the information in a way that’s easy to access.
Enjoy!
Hi Carolyn, I’ve used all three products and am now enjoying Cardmunch. It can be a little buggy and works better on my iPad than iPhone. The iPhone version hangs sometime. The cards are transcribed by a person and recently someone wrote an extra email address on their card and it ended up in the database. Pretty amazing.
Turnaround time can vary significantly – from minutes to hours. The product is now owned by LinkedIn and I did see one mention of it on the LinkedIn Settings page. I hope they will polish it and really promote it since its is a great concept – if a little rough a the present.
It is only available on iPhone and iPad now. But I assume it will be coming soon to an Android near you.
Hi Gary, that’s interesting that you have had experience with all three of these apps. I had very quick turn-around times when I scanned cards using CardMunch, but they weren’t instant as with WorldCard Mobile. I didn’t try using the apps on my iPad, but that would be another interesting test to see the difference in performance.
Thanks for your informative comment, Gary!
Okay, you didn’t mention iPod in there so does that mean that app isn’t compatible? I know you usually mention those for my sake since I’m such a dunce when it comes to understanding how all of these work together.
That is just too darn cool Carolyn. I get business cards when I got to meetings so this is a fabulous way of keeping them all together. Girl, you are the absolute best!
I love you!!! 🙂 You are definitely our go to girl. There’s no one else like you and that’s a darn good thing. We are so blessed to have you reporting about all these cool apps. You’re the best Carolyn and I can’t tell you that enough!
Hi Adrienne, You’re right, I didn’t mention either the iPad or the iPod Touch, but all of these apps work on those devices as well as the iPhone. I should have mentioned them, I guess I just figured everyone kept their contacts on their phones, but you’re right, you can use them on your iPod Touch!
Thank you for you very kind words. This may be my most successful post ever. I don’t believe any other post generated two professions of love in the Comments section as this post has!
Seriously, though, I am thrilled these apps will help you with your contacts. I truly appreciate your leaving me such a wonderful comment and letting me know that you were helped by this! :-bd
Oh boy Carolyn, now I’m really excited. Thanks so much for letting me know.. You KNOW I’m not that up on this stuff but I always appreciate you sharing about the other devices because this still really confuses me but not when you share it. That’s why you got the LOVE mentioned my friend.
Thank you so much Carolyn and enjoy your weekend.
Anytime, Adrienne! I really hope you enjoy these apps. 🙂
ohooo Thats an awesome post. Seriously i was planning to make a Card of mine but i thought to be something new like paperless e-paper type and your post made my job easier 🙂
Carolyn Loads of thanks
Hi Suresh, I’m so glad you liked the post and that it will make your job easier. That makes my day!
Thanks for stopping by and letting me know. 🙂
My niece introduced me to Bump. I was surprised to find out how much I liked it. It works quite nicely and has been a useful addition to the apps that help me keep my productivity higher.
Hello Jack, Bump is one of my favorite apps. I am shocked that it’s free, but it is. They keep expanding the app so it does so much more than when it first came out. You can transfer apps, songs and photos through it now as well as send instant messages through it. You can even bump across the miles. It’s actually fun to use. I bet you and your niece had a giggle the first time you used it.
You may want to check out the other apps as well!
Wow, I might as well be a hundred, because I know none of all these things!
Well, I have to say that I am never the first person in line to get new tech stuff, more last one of the last 🙂 There is no stopping on what can be done these days, and sites like yours educate people like me in this regard.
Hi Sylviane, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! No worries, you don’t have to be 100 to learn about new tech. With all of the apps available now, no one knows all of them. Here at The Wonder of Tech, we try to bring you the greatest tech that is fun, useful or both. We’re all here to learn so never feel bad about not knowing tech.
So glad to have you stop by and leave an awesome comment, Sylviane. You’re very welcome to visit again at any time. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
The only app that you mention that I actually have installed, and that I have heard of, is Bump. But I have only tested it a few times. It works great, but I haven’t really had any reason for using it. Now that I’m starting my own business, I’ll probably need at least one of the other apps… because I guess that I’ll be doing a lot more networking, and I’ll probably even need a business card on my own 🙂
By the way, do you know any good places to get business cards online… some creative and unique business cards?
Thanks a lot for sharing this, perfect timing as always 🙂
Hi Jens, Yes, I was thinking at the Expo you ran last week one of the business card apps would be very handy for you to have. You may have received a bunch of cards from different universities there. As you build your new business and network more, you will find great use for these apps.
I have used Vistaprint for years. I’ve been thinking of writing a review of them because it’s a great online site. I’ve used them in the UK and the US but I don’t know if they’re in Norway.
Who else could have got us all this information in such an interesting manner apart from you Carolyn.
Sometimes you really amaze me at how well informed you are with all these latest apps and gadgets and you also have time and patience to share it with all of us. Hats Off!!!
Hi Praveen, Thank you very much for your kind words. Actually, I’m grateful to the readers for sharing my excitement about awesome tech! Before my blog, I might tell a couple of friends about a cool new app or website but I wanted to shout it to the world. Now I get to do that and I’m delighted to learn of those who listen to my cheers.
Have a great weekend, Praveen!
Good ideas i like it very much, keep up good work. I was surprised to find out how much I liked it. It works quite nicely and has been a useful addition to the apps that help me keep my productivity higher.
Hi Andrew, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you like the app. Which one did you download? You’re right, these apps help with productivity. When you return from a meeting you have plenty to do without having to worry about typing information into your contacts list. Glad this post helped!
haha nice idea. I don’t have that many business cards in my wallet. So not of much use to me. But nice sahre:D
Hi Karan, Good point, not every article will relate to every reader, but file this somewhere in the back of your mind for later. Someday you may get a lot of business cards and need to organize them.
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment! 🙂
I don’t think I will be able to remember it for that long. My memory sucks:D I am just a student right now. But I will surely visit this again when I feel the need:)
No problem, Karan. Just head back to The Wonder of Tech whenever you find the need for these apps or other great tech! 🙂
I had an app called CamCard but don’t think it was very efficient and haven’t used it yet. I loaded CardMunch (because it was free….:) and will see how it works for me. I have quite a few business cards……if you can imagine that……
Thanks for the info, always useful.
I hope your weekend is going well.
Hey Bill, I thought you might stop by this post. Loved your “Monkey Business” tweet. 😀
Yes, I imagine you have a business card or two to load into your new iPhone. You can try out WorldCard Mobile for free, there is a free version available in the iTunes Store. You can only load three cards with the free version. In the unlikely event you need to load more than three cards, you have to get the paid version. But at least you get to see how it works with the free version.
Enjoy! :-bd
Hi Bill,
Hope WorldCard Mobile will fulfill the efficiency that you are looking for.
I can able to provide you with the free copy of it’s paid version if you would like to use it 🙂 Please let me know.
Hey Alfred, I think I replied to the wrong comment, but I would love to try the app; thanks so much for the offer. I believe it would be very useful for me and I could tell my other associates; we are always looking for good apps.
Hi Bill,
Hope you have received and checked out the app 🙂
Alfred, thank you very much for your kind offer to Bill. I’m sure he will make very good use of WorldCard Mobile! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for making the things happened 🙂
Thanks so much for reaching out and providing Bill with the app, Alfred!
Man, the stuff I learn from you! I really DO appreciate how you put things!! Wonderful. I don’t have the smarty phones, but it was still something I didn’t know!! And! I have copied info wrong before! What a bummer that is, if and when it happens. I’ll bet this is terrific to have.
Thanks for smartin’ me up some more!!
~Amber-Lee
Amber-Lee, Lol, I have never heard the term “smarty-phones” but I really like it! It’s easy to copy the wrong information when you’re trying to get the contact from the card into your phone. These apps aren’t perfect, but they sure save a lot of time over typing the information yourself.
Thanks for stopping by and teaching me a great new tech term, Amber-Lee! 🙂
Wow, I would love to try it; that would be great. Thanks so much for the offer.