A new smartphone app is out to curb the professional world’s reliance on paper business cards by bringing these handy tools of the trade into the digital age.
Haystack was launched in Australia’s Brisbane where its founder Ran Heimann resides. Run through the paces of beta testing there, the new iOS and Android app just recently made its debut in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Designed to replace the need to carry paper cards, the app offers a few smart features that go beyond what others on the market currently provide.
How it Works
All users need to do is download the app, scan their physical card or create a new digital one by entering their work email address.
A digital card will be generated as Haystack scans its database of logos to select the company appropriate information.
Once a digital card is created, Haystack users can share it with others whether recipients have the app or not. Users can also incorporate the social networking accounts right into the digital card if they choose.
What Sets It Apart
Perhaps the most notable feature of Haystack is its developers’ recognition that paper business cards still exist and are not likely to go away anytime soon. As Heimann told TechCrunch, “these pieces of paper refuse to die.”
With that in mind, developers created a way for Haystack users to import the paper cards they are given for management within the app.
All users need to do is snap a photo of the hardcopy, verify the email address on the card and create a digital version for easier storage and retrieval of the card when it’s needed.
Haystack also relies on crowdsourcing to help build its database. That means users can have digital cards in their storage automatically updated if a card owner or trusted contact updates contact information on the service.
All of that means as more people use Haystack, the better the service will become at identifying contacts via email address and creating their digital cards automatically.
The information, however, isn’t available to just anyone. Haystack users’ information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, are kept private to other users unless their owners have shared their physical paper card or have sent their digital card using the app.
How to Get It
Haystack is available for free download via the Apple Store and Google Play.
The company is backed by angel funding with an eye toward monetizing down the road by offering a service to businesses where the app can be used in conjunction with CRM systems.
For more information, visit thehaystackapp.com.
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