Business Card Reader is an amazing app that takes advantage of the iPhone platform. Put simply this app lets you take a photo with your iPhone and then OCR (optical character recognition) the contact info and then add it to your contacts.
You have to see it in action to believe it so I'm just going to show you with this video:
The Bottom Line
This app utilizes the Macro Lens features of the iPhone 3GS. So while it will work with the iPhone 3G or 2G, you will need to get a Macro lens attachment to physically put on your iPhone such as the Griffin Clarifi Protective case with built-in close-up lens case for iPhone
There is no magic involved – OCR is OCR, so it will only be as good as the source card that you are using. If there are smudges, script fonts, logos that run through the type, etc. Business Card Reader will not be able to recognize those words. Also note that there currently doesn't appear to be a mode for vertically oriented cards.
You can download Business Card Reader here from the App Store:
Evernote will do this too – and a whole lot more.
Bob, thanks for the tip. I’m downloading it now. However, I don’t see anything in the description that suggests I can take a picture of a business card, OCR and have it automatically added to my Contacts on my phone at the same time. Simply taking the picture and making it searchable is not the same thing.
Evernote does decent OCR but I haven’t seen where it automatically fills in the forms in a standard contact program. The closest app I can think about that does this is the Neat scanner with Neatworks software (which I’m awaiting the next version of Mac software because it’s currently on a PC in my home)
Man if Apple only could have shoehorned a camera into the Touch. Oh well I’m gonna end up buying into the next iPhone refresh anyways.
“scanR Business Card Scanner” will also do this. You take a picture and send it to their servers and a few minutes later receive an email with a vcard (made popular by Outlook) attachment that you can import into your favourite contact management software. Really requires the 3GS because the cameras on earlier iPhones weren’t good enough.
When I got my HTC Touch Pro from Alltell months ago it came with a program called WorldCard Mobile. I use it all the time and it does the same thing.
Info is here http://worldcard.penpowerinc.com/worldcard-moile.html
It apparently is on sale in the app store for iPhone now for $3.99 also. I use the Windows Mobile version.
Great blog Terry. I always learn a lot here.
Anthony Russo
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Wouldn’t it be great if you could simply lay the card on the screen and have it scan that way. WOW!
Terry,
I know you are an Apple iphone guy but do you think you will ever get into reviewing android apps? Or atleast doing some of your photog stuff in android apps?
Thanks, Bill
In order to review it or the apps for it, I’d have to be a user of it. That’s not in my plans. So most likely not. I’m VERY HAPPY with my iPhone and have no plans of switching or using a second phone.