A Better Contact Application - Search/Sort By Contact
I receive a fair amount of questions with regards to all Eseries devices. The second most commonly asked question is “How do I sort or search my contacts by company name?” Since the built in address book doesn’t let me do that I have invested in a great contact application from Alon Software. Their Alon Contact Guide For S60 3rd Edition is a Godsend!
There is so much to like and appreciate about this software. Case in point - the basic layout provides so much more valuable information at a glance than the built in address book. It puzzles me that the native contact application only can display four lines of basic information, and not even the most relevant information.
Another great feature is the ability to change the display size of the information from Small, Medium to Large. The display can further be changed with color options and borders.
If you’re not blessed with 20/20 then Alon’s ability to increase the display size is something you’re going to like.
All in all, the number of ways Alon Contact Guide lets the end user control the display of the information is impressive.
Compare the two screenshots below. The left is of Alon and the right is the standard address book.
My favourite feature by far is the powerful search function. The application lets you search your contacts by virtually any field of information.
In addition to searching by names you can also search by phone number, email address, company, title and even by note.
This powerful search feature alone is worth the price of the application - $19.95. I meet a lot of people at work and find myself often only remembering one snippet of information. It can be part of a name, where they work or even their title.
Searching for the title “Programmer”, below left, returned two matches. Searching part of an email address “.edu” ,below right, returned one match. If you have several hundred contacts I can gladly recommend this software. The more you rely on your address book the more you will appreciate this software.
However, I did come across one shortcoming. Although the software lets you interact with the address information and other applications or functions, such as send SMS, dial a number, browse a webpage send an email I couldn’t make the software to work with Mail For Exchange or BlackBerrry Connect.
You can send an email directly from the application if you have enabled a regular POP/IMAP account but for some reason it will not let you send an email directly from the application using BBC or M4E. I did contact the creators of the application and they are looking into this issue but at the moment it’s not compatible. You can still send email from BBC and M4E but you just cannot initiate the email from Alon Contact Guide.
However, I still recommend the software. If you don’t use M4E or BBC then this is not an issue. If you do use M4E or BBC you can still use all other functions.
Alon offers a generous 14 day trial of this software so head over and try it out!
December 28th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Brilliant
December 28th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
What 3rd party software software should Nokia buy and integrate into S60?…
Most of todays web elite use Firefox, hell I’ve been using it since version .6 back when it was called Phoenix. Their philosophy has always been to make a bare bones web browser and have users create extensions that allow…
December 28th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
Has anyone tested this app with Microsoft Exchange? (I am waiting on a reply from Alon Software on this question, as well, so I will post their reply if someone here does not answer this question, first)
December 28th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
very frustrated here. Downloaded ALON Contact Pro for S60 3rd Edition and have installed it on my Nokia E61 a couple of weeks ago. Started playing right away, but found that could not make the Main Search work. When I press on the hardware buttons nothing happens unless I press on any of the number buttons where I get letters (not matching the one on the key).
Today I have decided to give it a second chance after it was posted here… Can anyone please help????
December 28th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
Tried to install this on my E62 but it says “not supported”…
December 28th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Hi LA6507,
I assume you mean “Mail For Exchange” when you say “Microsoft Exchange”. Per my review - it doesn’t work with BlackBerry Connect nor Mail For Exchange.
Chris,
Did you try this:
http://www.e-series.org/archives/192
December 28th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Ed, do you know if you can filter contacts by business / personal..thats my biggest issue… especially when sending mass text to friends i have to go through my entire contact list ..it be easier if i could sort them by business or personal?? it sucks thought that it wont work w\ mail for exchange though…
December 28th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Can I use this program and the standard Nokia contact app for 2 different programs?
December 29th, 2006 at 8:16 am
In order to get this to run on the E61 (or E62, I presume), you’ll have to get Alon’s 3rd Edition apps. It doesn’t look like “Pro” is available, only the straight “ALON Contact Guide” here: http://www.alonsoftware.com/products/product12.htm.
I didn’t like the fact that this version didn’t let me type with my keyboard. Seems to assume that people text with their number pad.
December 29th, 2006 at 8:58 am
I’m having the same issue as Chris with my E62. It’s not a certificate error, it states the app is not supported. I verified my certificate setting anyway and it was set as in the link.
Anyone get this to install on the 62?
I’m contacting the vendor and will post back.
Thanks
December 29th, 2006 at 9:05 am
I figured out the issue. Your “”head over” link points to the wrong version. The correct version for the S60 3rd is http://www.alonsoftware.com/products/product12.htm.
Chris this should solve your issue.
Regards
December 29th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Hi Dan & Scott,
Thanks for pointing this out. I corrected the links now.
Cheers!
December 29th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
thanks!
December 30th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Sounds like what I am looking for, but emailing M4E would be a ‘must have’.
Let me ask those who have installed: what ever happened to the wonderful ‘categories’ which we have established on our M4E contact list? Does it come through with this program??
January 1st, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Scott Greiff, I am having exactly the same problem as you with regards to being only able to use the number pad and not the keyboard. Sent an email to Alon Software, but reply (following) was not much help.
“Hello Mark,
Thanks for the information.
Our programmers will check it and try to fix the bug if it takes place.
Best regards,
Alexander Suvorov
Support ALON Software”
January 4th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Too bad you can’t start searching right off the main startup page like the native Nokia app, you have to hit Options then Search. A big pain when you’re driving and one-handing the E61. Otherwise, not a bad attempt.
January 5th, 2007 at 6:46 am
Would it be able to sync with mac address book?
January 6th, 2007 at 5:03 am
NOW it works!!!!!!!!!
I could not search using the main keyboard, and after a few emails back and forth with Alon Software, they fixed the problem. Here is a link to version 1.11. Enjoy!!
http://www.alonsoftware.com/downloads/AlonContactGuide_s60_3rd_temp.sis
January 7th, 2007 at 6:41 am
has anyone managed to get photos to work with this application? i am using v1.11 and all contact entries appear to be photoless even though there are thumbnaila when viewed with the native contacts application.
another nuisance is the fact that you cannot scroll the notes associated with contact entries unless you select to “edit” them. finally, it would be really nice if you could select the phone numbers that appear in notes and CALL them by pushing the joystick.
January 8th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I tried to install Alon Contact Guide trial on my E61 3rd edition but I get a certificate error and installation doesn’t start…
I’m getting the kit from Alon website
Have you already solved this issue?
Ciao,
Nicola
January 9th, 2007 at 5:48 am
QWERTY-Bug is fixed, but only for English. Russian letter is not active(((
Earlier versions for 7-8 Symbian were correct for Russian
January 12th, 2007 at 6:48 am
I use a Nokia e61 and tried installing both downloadable trial-versions: AlonContactGuide_s60_3rd_temp.sis and AlonContactGuide_s60_3rd.sis Both return a “Certificate Error” during installation, just like Nicola experienced. Actually I have this problem with many applications. Can someone please help out?
Thanks,
Caspar
January 12th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Nicola and Casper and everyobe else, this is the most commonly asked question “certificate error”. Solution can be found here:
http://www.e-series.org/archives/45
March 15th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Does anyone know how to get a Nokia E50 to display caller names which are in my contacts list? Out of about 100 names, only 1 so far displays - the rest come up as numbers. I can’t find anything wrong with my address book or anything special about the 1 name which displays.
May 13th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Hi All,
Has anyone ever experienced the following issue, I am unable to receive text messages on my E61, i’ve had the phone for a while, the problem just occurred over the past couple of days, I can send texts just fine but i’m not receiving text messages or delivery reports, I have tried the following to repair;
Remove and refit battery
Delete all stored texts
Removed SD Card
Checked Message Centre Number (ok)
Put my sim card into another phone, texts come through fine, this eliminates a network problem (vodafone)
Anybody got any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Ciaran
May 17th, 2007 at 9:44 am
I have found a way to search on my E61 (&5500) by company.
Simply go to write a text message and enter the name of the company in the To: field, when you hit the centre button it brings up a list of all names that match your entry in either the name or company field.
Having 700 customers on my E61 this was a big problem for me as I cannot remember all of their names, this is the best solution I can find without spending any money!!
May 21st, 2007 at 10:41 am
[...] Another solution is to use Alon Contact Guide, an enhanced address book which lets you search any field of information. But once again, that is an additional download. [...]
May 29th, 2007 at 10:05 am
@Gordon
This is the same problem I am facing. Apparently, E61 does not parse the various different ways in which phone numbers are stored. Outlook stores them as: +91 (732) 445-6979 or you may save it as +1 (432) 4778443 or as 44-343-234-2342
For the caller ID to work with E61 the incoming number must be stored exactly as the operator send it - that is as you ‘read’ the incoming number on your phone. I know this is very stupid. Reading some of these so basic and already-perfected-on-other-phones features makes one think that Nokia is run by idiots.
June 7th, 2007 at 11:33 am
I have downloaded alon trial version and cannot use main search work. No reply when pressing the qwerty keyboard. Also no replies when i type the first name of the contact.
The only search way is only options - find etc? It is not convinient at all.
Thanks
Manolis
June 12th, 2007 at 12:59 am
Is this fully integrated into the phone, i.e. if I press the address book button on the right side of my E50 will it open ALON or the standard contact application?
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:44 am
I loaded the Alon program onto my Nokia E90 and I’m really disappointed. First, it takes about 20 seconds to open the Alon program, so if someone wants to give me their phone number, they lose patience and write it on a piece of paper ! Second, you can search by ALMOST every field, and searching by notes is definitely what I bought it for, but you can’t search by address !!! So if I’m going to London, for example, I can’t type in London and get all my contacts who live there. What a glaring omission !!!
Third, and most frustrating right now, is that I can’t edit from Alon. When I select a contact in the program, then do options, then edit, it throws me out of the program onto the main page. Which takes me back to problem number one …
This is so frustrating !!! Are there any other programs out there besides Alon ? I also sent them a question about one function on the program and they never even answered.
So that $19 price to me is still too expensive …