Swap contact info beyond the iPhone with beamME
I have a stack of business cards that is utterly ridiculous. It’s so bad that I’ll be honest: I’m probably never going to look through them. If I need someone’s contact information I’ll simply find it on the web. But that method isn’t particularly reliable or convenient. What I want is a way to digitally transfer contact information onto a device I always have with me: My iPhone. With a new iPhone app, the mobile contact company rmbr, gives me that option.
Their app, called beamMe, is an extension of the rmbrME app the company launched back in August. While that application was meant for use with all phones using text messaging, the iPhone app is a bit more slick and even easier.
When you start up beamME, you tell it which contact information in your address book to import as your own (or you can enter your own if you don’t have an address book entry for yourself). Once that’s done you have two options: 1) Beam your contact information to a mobile number (in the U.S.) using a text message or 2) Beam your contact information to an email address. You can add some optional notes and your name if you like. In a world of ever-increasing features and buttons in applications, this simplicity is nice.
While the text message option requires the recipient to visit rmbrME’s website to get an email sent to any address (preferably one set up on your phone) so it can send you the vCard data to download, sending your information via email directly from the beamME app cuts out this middle step.
And that’s really the way you’ll want to use it. I tested it out using an email address I have on my iPhone and the email instantly appeared in my inbox with the vCard data attached at the bottom. Clicking on this file prompted me to save all the contact information as a new contact (in my iPhone Address Book) or to add it to an existing contact. It’s very simple.
But it’s not quite as simple as the recently launched application Handshake, which uses company servers to provide over-the-air instantaneous syncing. Still, that app has two big limitations: 1) It requires that both users have the Handshake application, and more importantly, 2) It requires that both users have iPhones. BeamMe will send your information from your iPhone to any device.
Also, assuming you pass the first two limitations, Handshake also requires that you swap the data when you are in actual close contact with the other person. For times that you may not have your phone on you or simply don’t want to pull it out to do a swap on the spot, beamME offers a compelling alternative with its email option.
BeamMe is a free app, available here in the App Store.
Next Story: “Downturn” roundtable event is tomorrow: What questions are on your mind?
Previous Story: Bleacher Report’s sports fan journalism gets $3.5M boost
About the Author, MG Siegler
MG Siegler writes about technology trends and new media for VentureBeat, with a focus on mobile topics, social elements and key news stories. Before that, MG wrote about technology on his blog, ParisLemon. Originally from Ohio, MG attended the University of Michigan where he studied film. He's previously lived in Los Angeles where he worked in Hollywood and in San Diego where he did web development. He now lives in San Francisco.