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I use the Mac OS a lot. Does anyone have recommendations on a good application to use to manage addresses? How about an e-ail program that uses PGP?

afmoffa's picture

I know we're supposed to answer the question asked, but...

In this day and age, it's expected of most people in business (heck, of most people) that your phone will be your primary address book. I think the better way to answer your question would be figure out what software works best for the phone you have, and then get the Mac OS version of that software. It's bad bad bad to have two sets of address books, so it's important that your phone sync up with your computer.

  • iPhone = Address Book + iCal + iTunes (all of these are standard on every Mac since at least...2005?
  • WebOS/Palm = Palm Desktop and/or Missing Sync.
  • Blackberry = Blackberry for Mac
  • Android = Google Calendar + GMail
  • Windows Mobile = Missing Sync (but good luck, buddy)

I think there was a podcast once upon a time that said you should print out your entire address book once a year or so. Like, on paper and everything. Good idea. 

 

stewartlogan's picture

I agree with syncing your address book as often as possible to ensure that changes are recorded and everything is up to date.  Also look into an online CRM to keep your info "in the cloud" so you don't have to worry about losing access due to a layoff without knowing it.

And, as mentioned, print a copy annually or quarterly, as was mentioned previously.  It's always nice to have a backup.

afmoffa's picture

While I stand by my suggestion that your cell phone should be the deciding factor in what Mac contact/calendar/address book you use, I would like to add a point, based on stewartlogan, above:

If your cell phone is actually your employer's property, and if you are synchronizing it with your office Mac, then you must do BOTH:

  • print the contact list, every page, at least once per quarter
  • export the data and TEST IT on your home computer (Mac or PC)

The cloud CRM is a good suggestion. Your address book should be something you can still get to even if there is a sudden layoff, a fire, or a computer virus (last one is highly unlikely on a Mac, but still).

MetaKnight's picture

Thank you for the feedback and information.  I recently purchased an iPhone so I will be using the native address book of the Mcc OS to manage my contacts.

I do print out my business address book every quarter, just in case.