Flexibits updates contacts app Cardhop, adds deeper integration with Fantastical – TechCrunch
Flexibits, the company behind productivity apps Fantastical and Cardhop, is releasing a new version of Cardhop for both macOS and iOS. This is the second major version of the app, and it adds new features, such as business card scanning, widgets, organizational charts, and deeper integration with Fantastical. Cardhop is a clever take on contact management. It uses the same address book as the default Contacts app on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. But it lets you search, add and edit contacts much more efficiently. On the Mac, Cardhop sits in the menu bar. When you click the icon or hit a keyboard shortcut, you can see your contacts and start typing. This is when it gets interesting. As expected, you can find a contact card by typing a few letters. But you can also add information to an existing contact this way.
For instance, if you type a name followed by a phone number, Cardhop automatically figures out that the phone number doesn’t exist in the existing contact entry — hit enter, and the number is saved. If the person isn’t in your address book, you can create a new contact by dumping information in the search field. The app truly shines if you think Cardhop is a command-line interface to interact with your contacts. You can type “call Jane”, “email Tom” or “Whatsapp Natasha” — Cardhop parses the action for you. It can be convenient to initiate calls on your iPhone from your Mac.
With Cardhop 2, the design has been updated, and there are a handful of new features. You can now create widgets with your favorite actions. Widgets have been a popular feature of iOS 14, and many users will like that new feature. On iOS, you can add it to your home screen. On macOS, you can access it from the Notification Center. If you’re also using Fantastical, you can send a calendar invite to someone else from Cardhop. And if you tend to invite the same group to your events, you can create a group in Cardhop.
The next time you want to send an invitation, you can create an event with everyone in the group from Cardhop. This is going to be an excellent alternative to email aliases. Cardhop can now also generate organizational charts and family trees based on relationships in your contacts. And if you work for a big company with a contact directory, you could easily find the right person to talk with using this new feature. On iOS, Flexibits has also added a business card scanning feature. You can add contacts just by pointing your phone at a business card. Many apps offer that feature already, but now it’s integrated.
