The iPhone’s built-in Phone and Address Book apps are fine for most people, but have you ever wished it was more efficient or better organized? Yeah, me neither. But a new app called Buzz Contacts ($0.99, App Store link) is quickly changing my mind. Buzz seeks to replace your default Phone and Contacts apps with a much faster and more efficient solution.
Buzz Contacts allows you to set up and organize your contacts in unique ways, and lets you make phone calls or send text messages or emails with a single click.
With Buzz, you’ll no longer scroll through long lists to get in touch with people. Instead, your favorite contacts are organized into groups (e.g., “Family”). Each of them are a tap away with one touch calls, messaging (SMS), email, or FaceTime. Buzz also introduces a concept from Agenda called “status taps,” which provides you with the ability to send frequently used phrases like, “On my way home.” or “What are you up to?” to an individual contact or any number of contacts in a group.
Besides status taps, Buzz provides two ways to interact with your favorite contacts…the traditional list view and our innovative “grid view,” which makes it amazingly easy to keep your most favorite contacts a tap away. Buzz also includes a beautiful dialer, which allows you to dial by name or number.
I’ve been using this app since reading about it on MacStories this morning, and am extremely impressed. It’s not very often that I truly get excited about an iOS app – but Buzz has replaced two of Apple’s own apps with a single solution that actually works better – it’s beautifully designed, is more efficient and easier to use, and helps me keep all of my contacts organized. And to me, that’s something worth getting excited over.
The half-dozen or so people that I frequently call or message can now be reached with a single tap, rather than having to search for them in my contact list, or using the iPhone’s search feature.
For a mere $0.99, I cannot recommend this app highly enough. Download this app. It’s one of the most useful, time-saving, and handy apps I’ve ever loaded onto my iPhone ($0.99, App Store link).
Features
- Quickly add contacts from within Buzz via your local iOS Address Book
- Assign a specific action (e.g., call or SMS) to each favorite contact added
- Actions include one touch calls, messaging (SMS), email, or FaceTime
- Double-tap a favorite contact to see all actions available
- In app messaging and emails allow you to always stay in Buzz
- Leave “Confirm Calls” on to also return to Buzz after a call
- Turn on “status taps” to send frequently used phrases via SMS or email
- View contacts in the innovative “grid” or traditional “list” view
- Organize contacts into groups; fast switching between groups via the slide-out menu
- Tap title bar to rename group
- Group actions to send a message or email any number of contacts in a group
- Incredible dialer that allows dialing by name or number
- Ability to access all contacts and edit them from the iOS Address Book
