A few months ago iPhone application developer Tapulous announced FriendBook, an app that would allow users to hold shake their phones together to exchange contact information – a fun and simple alternative to pocketfuls of clumsy business cards. Unfortunately, FriendBook still remains unreleased after a wave of shakeups over at Tapulous, and while we’ve seen a few alternatives like rmbrME, none of them have the simplicity of a proximity-based, wireless transfer.
Thankfully developer Meganova BV has created an application called Nameo that manages to replicate much of the functionality promised by FriendBook. The app was released on the App Store last night and is available for $2.99 here.
To use Nameo, you open up the application on your iPhone and hit “Connect” as your peers do the same. The app will detect other phones in the vicinity and will display a list of available contacts. Clicking on a name will add that contact’s information to your iPhone’s address book. The process is very intuitive, though there was a noticeable lag time whenever I tried to add a contact.
In our testing the app seemed to work well, even when using a first generation iPhone that doesn’t have GPS. My main concern is that Nameo doesn’t seem to have any kind of authorization system when it comes time to swap contact information – the app just displays the name of everyone nearby who has hit Connect, and anyone standing in the vicinity is free to download their information. The app is also very barebones at this point, only allowing users to exchange their name, Email address, and phone number (the developer promises more options including contact photos in a future release).
Update: The phone does have a confirmation system – both users have to click Yes to allowing the other user to access their information. I misread the popup when we tested it.
Nameo is planning to introduce support for other platforms in the future, which will be essential if it ever hopes to become more than a neat trick – especially given the ubiquity of BlackBerrys in the business world. For now it’s a step in the right direction and hopefully will be enough to wake handset manufactures up to the fact that this is something people want, and that we’re desperately in need of a standard that works across all phones.
“Nameo doesn’t seem to have any kind of authorization system”
Yes it does! The App DOES ask you for your permission BEFORE exchanging your data. You should test it again!
Boris, you’re right, I’m really sorry about that (I’ve updated the post). I thought it was asking me if I would like to download their contact info, not if I was going to allow them to download mine.
No problem and thanks for the update! So what do YOU think about the price? See some of the comments below…
I think that $2.99 is perfectly reasonable, and anyone who says it is too much is a total cheapskate.
Unfortunately lots of people are cheap, and you’re going to want to be as ubiquitous as possible. If you make it free you could probably try to find a way to monetize it through targeted advertising, and if you became the de facto way to swap contacts you’d be worth much more than the $2.99 you’re currently charging.
But if you don’t want to make it free, the app is cool enough that most people at a conference might go “hey, I really want that” and spend the $2.99. I’d play around with the pricing and see what seems to stick. Also play around with a “lite” for free, with a Pro version for heavy users (see the comments below for some good ideas).
But will mainstream America pick this up – the bread and butter of small businesses/business card users?
This would be compelling if http://www.mydropcard.com/ didn’t exist.
Dropcard makes you enter another persons email address which is pretty far from Single-Button business card exchange. With Nameo: no typing at all. Just click “Connect”…
ok how is this different to sending a contact via bluetooth for free? surely its easier and quicker to just hand over a hand and move on.
imagine trying to find someone else with this app.
I’m also not very sure how fast/well this will catch on at it’s price point. It’s such a simple application and for there to be any mass effect it needs to be much cheaper or free.
I was about to have a friend test it with me, then I noticed the price, and decided I’d just continue giving out business cards for now.
Hey cheapskate – how many cards can you get printed for $2.99?
Maybe if they had a crippled free version that expired after 10 cards had gone out, you’d be able to decide whether to buy it?
The problem with the $3 price point is what’s called boiling the ocean. It’s only useful is most people have it. I’d happily pay $3 if everyone had it, but I know that many people aren’t going to buy it except the real networking types like David Petherick, so it won’t become ubiquitous. It’s like me asking someone, I want to give you my contact info, if you go to the App Store and pay $3, it’ll be more convenient. I can already hear the answer: “How is that convenient?”
Another idea would be to make it free or at least only $1 [I think that's the price point where you don't really have to think about buying something] until you reach critical mass and then start charging $3 or at that point you might even be able to charge $5.
In the meantime, I won’t be buying it until I find someone else who has it or until it becomes $1. This is not because I’m cheap, but because I don’t see its value for me at the moment.
If it was free, it would have a chance. However, charging anything for something like this really limits the chances of it being useful.
Fail
I’m now thinking that an iPhone has GOT to be my next phone.
I know these guys, and I can see them working into other platforms, but this is just a brilliantly executed idea.
So this is what pushed you over the edge huh?
Yeah. What’s your excuse?
I think for me it was really the horoscope application. As soon as that came out, I was all like, I’m paying the contract termination fee, gonna switch to ATT, gotta have that iPhone.
Horoscopes David. Horoscopes pushed me over the edge.
To leave a comment like that about your friends app only hurts their chances pal. Sounds like you are in need of an iPhone app your buddies make that shakes and digital cum shoots on your face.
Ouch. Ouch. Oscar Wilde, eat your heart out.
I’m off to cry myself to sleep, and maybe I’ll cuddle my iBook while I perhaps jerk off to the latest hard-core hardware. Mmmmm.,,
Because I can print a plethora of business cards for less, I find it cheaper to hand a card to a person. The target person does not require “nameo” either to obtain my information!
lame app and to ask some to pay for it is even lamer. any one that does serious business will laugh at you.
Really well executed and a smart idea. However until this software is ubiquitous amongst many kinds of smart phones and can work at an enteprise worthy level will we see this as a business card replacement.
I have to agree. This is a great idea for when it becomes more commonly used.
This is great! Definitely my next download. I would be worried about the lack of authorization, though. 8^)
dunno about charging for it, maybe they should have a one month trial version. I do think that people prefer this kind of app over business cards, at least I do. The “one button” feature makes it easier to use than similar apps on other phones.
Apple doesn’t allow you to do trial version. But we could lower the price as an introduction offer. Seems that a lot of commenters here have problems with the price…
The price really is an issue. Consider the following situation:
I am having a conversation with someone at an event and we decide to trade info and we both have iPhones. I pull out my phone and launch the app and ask if they have it, or have even heard of it, and they say no. I can’t simply say “oh well go download this app and we can easily exchange info”, because then I have to say “but…. it costs $2.99″. I’d never say that to anyone… ever. For me to do that it would have to be free, or cheap and popular enough to warrant the purchase.
I don’t know. That person can afford to buy a conference ticket, an iPhone with an expensive dataplan but not a $3 lifetime license for an app that you will be able to use as much as you want? Less than one good coffee? With free updates, forever? Seriously no? My guess is if you will launch Nameo he will look at your iPhone and ask you what it is. You will say “Oh its a Virtual Business card exchanger” and that will be enough incentive for the other iPhone owner to get that App too.
But I could be wrong and we can always lower the price!
“trial version” could also be a “lite” version, as others have noted already. Use current version as free lite version, put in more features for business users and charge more than just $3 for that. You’ll have more users, and you’ll make more money. Or you can provide the app for free and charge for syncing with Linkedin and the like.
Still, I do like the app. Can I like permanently volunteer my business card? Like when you’re at a conference and you want your business card to be available to anyone who wants to pick it up?
A light version for free, that would be great and surly help distribute it.
The Pro version could offer transfering contact picture, GPS location info (to answer the question: where did I meet this guy again? Oh right, it was in $city).
Funny how the carrier in the screenshot says T-Mobile…
T-mobile is the Dutch iPhone carrier. The app is made in Amsterdam, that might be the explanation
Is this made by the same people who created the ill-fated Fleck.com? Seems like it. I wonder how this will do. This may be a useful app, but once I saw the price tag, I didnt even bother to check. Just wait for a free app that will do the same.
Apart from this App being a useful single-click exchange moment solution at times where you don’t want to spoil anothers precious time by typing. It does not only save you time at exchange as well as afterwards by scanning your cards.
But most inportant this app is a GREEN solution. Since my great inspirator Eckart Wintzen unfortunately has passed away. Let me shout it out:
I T S A V E S T R E E S !
Kind regards,
Jilles Groenendijk
Can’t believe these negative guys.
Let me draw you a picture. You’re at #FOWA08 in London, and you just finished interviewing Tim Bray. [ http://httv.biz/timbraytnw/ ] You have a few minutes before the next event, so you switch on the iPhone to catch up on who’s around, and connect with those you may not have met yet.
Yes, it’ll miss non-iPhone owners, and you can always bluetooth your details, but I’ve NEVER had time to do that, or been able to get it to work easily – it always ends up with a phone call and then tapping on the keyboard.
Business cards are simple, and good, yes, but they have a failing in terms of not being digital – unless you add a QR code. And there are production costs in getting the information on, and out. Same story for newspapers.
neeh, i don’t think this will work. Maybe if its free. Other then that, naah
Forgetting what the app does, it struck me how smart the “transfer” is. Can’t use Bluetooth? Check. Can’t beam with IR or similar? Check. Instead, the app sends the phone’s location to the server, and if the server detects two phones in close proximity, then the transfer of data is done. That’s a very clever bit of thinking by the developer. Bravo.
very smart indeed…how does it work if more than two phones come into same proximity??
Why is this even on Tech Crunch? Is this a startup? It sounds like a trivial app that few people will ever use in real life.
most apps will never get used in real life. there are too many. only need the top 3-5 contenders in every category if that. When someone gets smart and decides to use “one app” that puts together the “top 20 apps” you will only need to use one app. Integration………. dont you just love it.
OpinionLocator.com
You replied to my comment, but didn’t answer either question. I fail to see how a small/trivial iphone app that has an extremely low chance of gaining traction belongs on TC. I am trying to find out why it is here.
Congrats on spamming your two domain names on TC. I’ll give you credit for that.
@ Buck Duh’
you ready for your giblets?…………1.bubble, 2. yes. Why dont you look up the defintion of spam.
DummyLocator.com-”bingo”
friendBook is still happening.
Someone who is complaining about a $3 app probably isn’t a person that has business cards to start with.
I’d think about a free “lite” version that is name, phone, and email only, and then a pro/business version which adds more functionality.
Good idea – note this one Boris.
I disagree. I don’t think it’s about the actual amount of money as much as the fact that a lot of folks think they should be able to try something for free. I don’t think $3 breaks many people’s banks, but it may be a psychological hurdle.
Many is a time I’ve started to try something only to stop halfway through because of a small payment required. It’s not really the amount, it’s that when I’m in the “trying” mood I’m not necessarily in the “buying” mood.
“Having enough money” is actually not a very good criterion to predict purchase behavior — especially for something that needs to be an impulse buy.
“Is it worth $3 RIGHT NOW when I wasn’t really thinking about this a second ago” is a much better criterion.
I think a good idea for the lite version would be to provide FULL functionality but limit it to say, 50 info exchanges.
That means by the time a person uses up their “trial” they will have used it enough to understand the value, so a conversion from free user to $3 paid user at that point should be pretty easy.
Can’t they just make this one a free version and charge for a pro version that lets you sync with your address book or linkedin account or something?
Thanks for all the feedback. As noted in the article, this is only the 0.1 version. A Light and Pro version with different pricing could work and we are eager to add more features. Comments and feedback are always welcome: boris@nameo.org
Boris – Agree with your thoughts re Cullen aka CheapSkape. I bet a lot of us folks would pony up even more. If iPhone camera supported video (hopefully it will) maybe have a version where users could upload brief videos about their businesses and make them link to site, etc. Also include a loopt/linkedin like setting where you can see if your friends contacts are around – could be very powerful. Ie…You are on main street for lunch – you see that someone you havce been trying to get hold of for a while is across the street – you text him (add this) and say do you have 5 minutes to meet – yada yada yada. Free advice.
Good luck!
AK
ak@andrew-katz.com
I’m not arguing that $3 is too much for ME. I’m arguing that it is hard to recommend something as simple as trading contact information to people you don’t know well, or at all, that costs $3. This argument applies to this application specifically, because it’s something that has to be widespread to work. What good does it do me if no one else uses it?
My instant reaction to the price point was not trying it out, because I assumed others wouldn’t as well for the same reason. I’ve paid for plenty of iPhone applications that instantly benefited me (Things), or were just designed so well I couldn’t help myself (KoiPond).
Video is supported on Iphone. The legal app is yet created
I think the biggest issue with this app is the fact that both sides require the app to exchange information, which is a barrier, it may be a small barrier, but its still a barrier.
Printed business cards are still universal. You don’t need to worry about which phone / installed app the other person has. You can exchange information in a fast, efficient (well for the person giving the card), and professional manner. Which is the goal from a business perspective.
For something to be able to make printed business cards obsolete I think it needs to be a standard feature that is available on on all devices. something which all the major cell phone manufacturers can agree on and install OEM, somethin
@James: We think you’re right.
I’m the CEO of the most widely used digital business card app, rmbrME (http://rmbrme.com) – featured recently here on TC.
Our design philosophy is somewhat different. It might be right or wrong, but we believe that a solution that replaces paper cards must be:
Device Independent: If the sender needs to parse information about the recipient’s phone before sending a card – it doesn’t work. A good solution works between any devices, via email, SMS or web, without limitation or restriction.
Social Network Independent: If the recipient or sender have to negotiate a social network, PIM or CRM commonality prior to connecting, then the solution will not work.
Carrier/Software Independent: If both parties need to be on the same carrier (or wifi network) or have to install software, the solution will not work.
The paper business card is pretty powerful: if you can read, you can parse and use the information on the card. That’s a high bar to reach, and we’re working hard at rmbrME to produce something more valuable and complementary.
Someday, the paper card will go the way of the bank check. Until then, solutions like these can help you become more efficient – either in lieu of, or in tandem with, paper business cards.
-Gabe
Good points – and sending a text and giving you guys some cash is a sound model, but you miss the proximity alert advantages – but this is the killer for me (from your FAQ):
“At this time, rmbrME doesn’t work when you travel abroad, but we’re working on ways to let you roam!”
Abroad meaning outside the US. You are still hampered by the 20th century shackles of Telecom carriers. Sorry, FAIL. I’m a global citizen.
You know why this is dumb? Because you can already do this natively with a blackberry. This just points out a limitation within the iPhone. Both people need iPhone and both need the app. Many other ways to do this. Nice try.
Ok, so either you like the app or you don’t but if you want to see how it works in real time, take a look at this special video screencast of Nameo running on an iPhone 3G and an a 1st gen. iPhone running on T-Mobile network. I try to exchange information using Nameo and add a contact to the address book created from the app.
Take a look: http://idek.net/61
Nice demo, too! QED.
I think this idea is great… and I agree for $2.99 it is exceptionally reasonable rather than entering everyone’s info that you run into. I like the idea of no more business cards…
I don’t like the idea of having to “select” the people in the vicinity. I think you should be able to just grab those around you that are “public” just like a business card. You can grab as many as you want from a table at a convention and they usually don’t say, well wait, you can’t have that unless I know who you are. This idea has some serious potential though.
Things I think should be added: contact photo, website and maybe a one liner about who/what you are (just like the info you get from a business card). The photo would be useful for when you don’t remember the person whose number you just received a few days later…
No… $2.99 is not a lot to ask for an app like this. But it’s a lot to ask for a BETA like this.
Also, good point made above about not wanting to ask SOMEONE ELSE to pay for the app in order to share info with them.
And, most importantly, this is not going to be for trading “business cards”. It’s going to be for trading contact info — most likely hookups in clubs/bars. The iPhone is the absolutely crap for business purposes.
So… if it’s mainly for “hooking up”, then your demographic isn’t going to shell out 3 bucks for it. Make it a free download and monetize it a different way.
There’s also 2D barcodes – and iPhone apps to go with with them. A much better way to exchange contact info. Because you are not restricted to small world of us stupid iPhone users. Any mobile phone with a reader can exchange this way.
Hmmm…. Fail.
Wow, just like 1997 and beaming from the Palm Pilot. Didn’t work then, won’t work now. Even 10m iPhones doesn’t make a ubiquitous system.
check out icard on itunes. It works the same, but for free! (http://www.icard-app.com)
Well, no single click there. You will have to come up with an unique code and exchange that, type it in and THEN you are connected.
Very good app thanks Boris and your team. The only regret is that both has to be a nameo users in order to exchange it, so it would be nice at least the the sender should have nameo installed and the receiver could drop it without to be a nameo user.
I don’t Know if possible, but this schema will spread your application as standard iPhone app.
sender—has to be instalaled nameo
receveir—no nameo (then if he want to spread it he has to be nameo as well).
Is that possible? this will solve the nitial barrier to have both have to be installaed. BTW great application, keep it going!
Chris
On the UK version of the iTunes App store this app costs £0.59 (59 pence), so it looks like they reduced the cost to a dollar. Not too much then. However, it seems to miss a trick from the mobile industry, known as super-distribution. As alluded to above, you allow the app to be spread virally from one handset to another – but this is done via SMS and WAP push – something the iPhone can’t do to install apps. So to get real, massive distribution you’d need to make it free. In which case, you’d then have an interesting application for some other revenue stream like advertising or, since it’s about contacts, dating… maybe…
Yep, reduced the price after reading all the feedback here. See if this is enough to win people over.
A: “Hey, I like your thinking. Let’s work together. Let’s swap business cards. Here, let me launch, Nameo.”
B: “OK, Let me launch it on my iPhone too. Oh, here’s a list. What was your name again?”
A: “You forgot my name. Get lost.”
Send version= $1.99, receive should be free. The Acrobat etc model.
Smart idea, Boris, I love the way how you use location unobtrusively to connect people. I bought the app right away. There’s just one problem: the chance of meeting someone else who also uses Nameo is so small, that it’s impractical to use.
Here’s my breakdown: there are 800 million people in the US and Europe. Even if you make Nameo free and it becomes the #1 download in the App Store (currently that position is held by TapTap Revenge with 2 million downloads), only 0,25% of the population has Nameo installed.
The chance of two random people meeting each other, who both have Nameo is 0,25% * 0,25% = 0,0625% (equals 1:1666)
In other words, you need to meet 1666 people, to find 1 who also has Nameo.
But it gets worse. The ratio between free apps and paid apps is 85:15 (of every 100 apps downloaded in the App Store, 15 have been paid for and 85 are free). Which means, that as long as you charge money for Nameo, the Nameo connect-ratio is maximum 1:60.000
So, even if you have the best selling app on the store, the ratio is too low to be practical. I would say: make it free and you have a chance of becoming the standard. And make sure you get it to work on Nokia, Windows Mobile and Java.
1. make it free.
2. get it everywhere.
3. then charge later.
I would like to see an application that can take a picture of a biz card and import the particulars into my list of contacts correctly.
This is available as a free app on the Samsung Omnia under the name “Smart Reader” and works pretty well, so why not available for the iPhone?