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Business card with built-in ECG is perfect for cardiologists
Some people can make business cards that stand out and show off their skills. Take for example, that one engineer who created a card that lights up and that programmer who designed one that can play Tetris. But what if you're a medical professional, specifically a cardiologist? A company called MobilECG has created a business card that's directly connected to your field: it has a built-in ECG that actually works. According to its blog post, the device has sensors that measure "the real ECG signal between the users' hands," so long as their thumbs are touching the finger pads.
This Arduino-powered business card looks like a Game Boy and runs Tetris (video)
Off-white business cards with Silian Rail lettering are so passé -- these days; it's all about creativity. This Game Boy look-alike, for instance, demonstrates its creator's skills in one fell swoop: It doesn't just display a résumé, it's also a simple gaming handheld that can play Tetris. The device was made by Oregon programmer Kevin Bates, who calls it the Arduboy, because it uses a barebones Arduino board (the tiny computer also found inside Kegbot and Fish on Wheels) connected to an OLED screen. To make the hand-held gaming experience as authentic as possible, he also equipped the card with capacitive touch buttons, a speaker and a replaceable battery that lasts up to nine hours.
Five apps for business card scanning
Persistent critters, those little analog cardboard rectangles. Even with the option to scan QR Codes, email vCards or bump phones to swap contact information, the venerable business card keeps on trucking -- and keeps on making it challenging to leap from analog to digital information. If your career or avocation takes you to meetings, trade shows or conferences, chances are you too have a pile of to-be-dealt-with business cards that could stand a good digital shakedown. Here's our five apps rundown of a few good choices for handling business card scanning on the go. SHAPE's Business Card Reader: Last year, we noted that the US$4.99 Business Card Reader expanded its offerings with an iPad version of the app. BCR delivers capable scanning and OCR (using libraries licensed from high-end scanning developer ABBYY, which has its own app suite as well), with a good verification step to make sure that the recognition is matching the actual card data. BCR can quickly export scanned data to your device address book, match LinkedIn connections, and in the latest version it hooks directly into the CRM tools of Salesforce.com for marketing and sales pros. Evernote Hello: I wasn't all that taken with the first version of Evernote's free meet-and-manage contact app; it was buggy, and it seemed awkward to ask a new acquaintance "Mind if I take your picture so I remember you?" Things have definitely changed for the better with January's version 2 release. In addition to manual entry and Hello-to-Hello audio contact sharing (very cool, I recommend giving it a try), the beautifully designed app now supports business card scanning -- temporarily free for both regular and premium Evernote users, although at some point down the road the regular user scan allowance may be curtailed or changed to IAP. Evernote's expertise with text recognition and knowledge of the iPhone's camera capabilities seems to have paid off, as Hello is now delivering some of the best and quickest scan results I've seen. My favorite feature is the heads-up display that automatically detects the card and gives you instant feedback on getting the best image ("use a shallower angle," "center the card," "hold the phone steady," etc.); as soon as Hello thinks it's got the shot, it captures the scan automatically. If it can't auto-detect, it falls back to manual mode, but most of the time with a light card on a dark background it nails it in one try. Within a few seconds, the data is detected, and if you're signed into LinkedIn via Hello, the card will be matched with that contact immediately. Hello also links a "meeting" note to give context to the encounter, rather than leaving a bare contact without metadata. Some minor quibbles aside (you can't edit the Hello notes in either the desktop or iOS versions of the regular Evernote app, for one), Hello is a winner. Without a firm date or pricing for the end of the free scan trial for non-premium Evernote users, my recommendation is to use it while you can. LinkedIn's CardMunch: With more than 2 million cards processed already, the free scanning app from your friendly neighborhood social network for professional use has simplicity and volume on its side. Assuming you already use LinkedIn's connection ecosystem, CardMunch's scanning speed and off-device processing make it great for dealing with a lot of cards in batch mode, and you can make notes on each scan before it's recognized on the back end. Of course, the trade-off of the cloud processing step is that you can't easily OCR cards on the plane on the way home without forking over for some WiFi. Also, checking for errors is a two-step process since the scan and the data return are a few minutes apart -- but CardMunch tends to make fewer mistakes than other apps, so that's not a big drawback. WorldCard Mobile: When I last checked out the $6.99 WCM app a year ago, it stood up well against competitors like CardMunch and BCR. Since then, the app has added QR Code scanning with support for both vCard and meCard formats, iOS 6 compatibility, support for double-sided cards, batch scanning, duplicate search and direct synchronization with Google contacts. WCM's interface is still in need of some redesign TLC, but for rapid and accurate scanning, it's a good choice. Note that WCM also requires you to tap a small button on the screen to take a card photo, while other apps let you tap the whole screen or auto-detect the card (Evernote Hello). NeatCloud and NeatMobile: If you're in the habit of keeping all your print-to-digital documents in the Neat ecosystem driven by one of the company's desktop scanners, you're already comfortable with the OCR and filing capabilities of the platform. What's new is that Neat is extending your scanned repository into the cloud and onto your iPhone, with the NeatMobile / NeatCloud combination app and service. NeatCloud gives you on-the-road access to your scanned docs, and in turn the NeatMobile app allows you to scan back to that pile of data from wherever you happen to be. This sync isn't a free service, however; monthly plans start at $5.99 for individual users. As such, the mobile app doesn't worry much about handling address book sync or other standalone features; the workflow is that you'll do that processing back on your Mac or PC with the downloaded scans. Neat's app does a solid job of scanning business cards in standalone mode, but for true accuracy with a human touch the optional NeatVerify pass submits your scan for a once-over by a person to make sure everything is in the right place. NeatVerify credits are linked to your NeatCloud account.
RE/MAX Regional Services using Passbook for business cards
We've already seen Apple's Passbook app used for sports tickets, gift cards and boarding passes, but leave it to the real estate industry to embrace one of its more interesting uses: business cards. RE/MAX is partnering with digital business card provider Vizibility to offer virtual, Passbook-compatible cards for all 4,500 of its real estate agents. The digital IDs include details like basic contact information and links to public profiles on sites such as LinkedIn. There's even a feature that allows you to see which contacts you share with whoever's card you are viewing. As the official press release notes, Vizibility's joint venture with RE/MAX marks the biggest consolidated push for Passbook-enabled business cards yet. But whether the functionality will become a major trend in the business world remains to be seen.
RE/MAX real estate agents to carry Passbook business cards on their iPhones
We've seen some creative use cases for Passbook in iOS 6. Modernizing the dreaded business card exchange is still fresh, though, and that's where the real estate agents at RE/MAX come into play. Using a platform from Vizibility, the realtor is reportedly the first company rolling out a large-scale, Passbook-based method that lets 4,500 of its staff share their basic details, contact files and social networks from their iPhones. Profiles won't just be inert listings, either. Geofencing can limit the lock screen shortcut to an open house or the office, while cards can include company directories and update contacts over time. NFC transfers and QR codes are available for those who can rely on short-range wireless or still have to dish out traditional paper stock. Vizibility's Passbook approach won't guarantee a sale for a cramped house -- but it might keep a good bargain from being lost in the business card shuffle.
Moo.com working on NFC-equipped business cards, kicks off limited beta program today
Do you recall those fancy business cards that took a design cue straight out of your adored Facebook Timeline? Well, the company behind such neat idea is now working on bringing cards equipped with NFC technology, which will allow folks to add things like email address, URLs and even pinpoint locations for easy access via any maps application. Of course, most of this information can already be shared using typical business cards, but one of the biggest pros with the Near Field Communication method will be the ability to change this info at any given time without having to purchase a whole new set. Moo plans on having the NFC-ready cards available to the masses by 2013 -- that said, the startup's currently running a beta program where it will allow 150,000 lucky folks get a complimentary card with their order of a traditional sheet. There's a video demo down below for you to check out, and you should probably act fast if you're looking to get one for yourself ahead of the extensive rollout.
Daily iPad App: Business Card Reader HD lets you scan business cards on the go
SHAPE Services has an iPad version of its Business Card Reader app that'll make it easy for you to manage your business cards right on your tablet. The iPad version works in a similar way as its iPhone counterpart. It uses the camera on your iPad 3 to snap a photo of a business card and has a text recognition system that'll parse out the relevant contact details. Once you import the information, you can easily add the contact's details to your iPad address book. You can also sync the data to LinkedIn and other CRM systems using the instructions on SHAPE Service's website. The app works smoothly as long as you have a firm, steady grip on your iPad. Because the iPad is on the large side, though, it's hard to maintain a steady hand while photographing the business card. Any shakiness introduces blur, which diminishes the app's ability to recognize text. As a result, there can be several errors in the contact information that need to be corrected before you can save the entry. That being said, Business Card Reader HD can be useful when you want to enter a business card, and you only have your iPad. You just have to keep as still as possible to get the best results. The app is on sale right now, so you can purchase Business Card Reader HD for US$1.99, which is 70 percent off the app's regular $6.99 price tag.
Engineer makes light-up business cards with 555 timer, proves PCB skills
Sure, there have been some pretty creative variations on the standard paper business card, but if you're looking to make a career in electronics engineering, card stock isn't necessarily the best option for material. Such was the case for one student, who had the canny idea to make a card that demonstrates his printed circuit board know-how. He used a 555 timer that outputs a clock to the LEDs on the biz card, and placing a nine-volt battery on the terminals sets off the mini light show. See for yourself in the video below.
Moo.com makes business cards from your Facebook Timeline
It's a new year, which probably means that you're due for new business cards. And look, your card design from last year is precisely that -- so last year. Moo has announced a clever new design, which allows you to "take your Facebook Timeline offline, and hand it out to new friends, contacts and potential clients." Wildly enough, creating 'em is as easy as tweaking your Timeline. Once you're ready to roll, just sign in and allow Moo to access your data (cue privacy advocate yelling), check that you spelled your name right and hand over $15 for a stack of 50 cards. Update: Looks like there is a Like button after you've ordered. Nice!
CardMunch app adds LinkedIn profiles
Some of you may remember CardMunch before LinkedIn acquired it earlier this year. The app lets you scan business cards and add them to a contact list. It uses Amazon's Mechanical Turk service and an actual human to do the optical character recognition needed to translate the image into text. Now that LinkedIn has been working with the developers for the past few months, an updated version complete with LinkedIn profile integration has been released. Besides its tie-in to LinkedIn, the updated app has a fresh, new UI and improved support for the iPhone's camera. It also lets you add notes to each business card so you can remember where and when you met this new contact. Best of all, the app, which used to cost US$2.99 and 25 cents per scanned business card, is now available for free. [Via TechCrunch]
DIY business card displays your info via persistence of vision, fails to impress Patrick Bateman (video)
Still fancy the age-old business card and enjoy outrageous DIY projects that may or may not make you look foolish? Continue on then, dear reader. The peeps over at Instructables have provided a lengthy and seemingly difficult set of directions on how to craft a persistence of vision business card. POV allows your eyes to see text or images generated by light waving back and forth -- in other words, your name is displayed by swinging your arm in a giant circle. If you're cool with this, hit the source link, build your own and be sure to let us know how many contacts you make.
Video: augmented reality business card sells itself
Does your feeble mind recall those wicked awesome 3D Topps cards from earlier this year? How could you forget, right? It seems as if that very same technology has been shifted over to the wine and cheese crowd, and thanks to one James Alliban, now those all-too-boring business cards can also be equipped with augmented reality. Put simply, these cards have been imprinted with a 3D grid of colored planes on one side, and when placed in front of a PC webcam, a pixelated pop-up arrives to really make that first impression one that sticks. Hop on past the break to see exactly what we mean.[Via GadgetVenue]
