We covered an app a week ago that filled in a big hole in the Windows Phone OS, specifically you can't save Bing searches to the People Hub. This inability is quite inconvenient as it means you have to manually copy information to your contacts, which if you have a few restaurants to add, can take some time.
Now, Add to Contacts, a different and in many ways a better app, is available from the developer of "I'm a WP7!" meaning you expect quality from the design and implementation. Very Metro-influenced, the app is fast and has great options including the ability to save photos where available.
"With Add to Contacts, the entire process is automated for you, including retrieving an image for your Contact if it’s available!
PRIMARY USE: Go to Bing Search, get local or Local Scout results, go to the apps tab, then tap 'Add to Contacts'!
SECONDARY USE: Search for local results from within the app itself and add them directly to your contacts!
The app provides integrated Local and Nearby search, with the ability so save your most recent search, but the real power comes from tapping Add to Contacts right from your search result profile!"
The app fetches for $0.99 with a free trial. If you need this feature then we have to give a recommendation for this app as it does its job quite admirably. Pick it up here in the Marketplace.
Reader comments
Add to Contacts now available in the Marketplace [Video]
I don't mean to be rude, but this is completely unneccesary. What is wrong with simply adding the search result to your favorite places??? And then just accessing it through the Favorite Places within Maps?
Yes, there are tons of reasons, first, it won't be in your Contacts/People Hub and syncronized, but a really big one is that Favorites (or anything saved from Local Scout or local results) is not available to you via built-in People Hub functionality, including Voice Command. If you save it as a Favorite, Voice Command can't find or access it, but in your People Hub it finds in right away. There are more reasons, but those are the critical ones for most folks.
Because Favorites is only in Local Scout. If you simply want to add the location to your contacts, you can't. It's also about options. As Daniel pointed out, this is a gap in Windows Phone currently. I personally don't see it a a huge issue, but to some folks it may. This is a perfect solution, next to MS adding this into Windows Phone as a native feature/option.
I would also like to point out that this is a perfect use case to why MS brought App Deep Linking capabilities to Windows Phone. This extends the platform without MS spending time on a "minor" feature (minor is only being relative to the user) which would only extend delivery schedules of Windows Phone updates.
I sort of agree, but this stopgap solution would benefit people. Just giving options to how you want to access your favorite establishments that cannot be conveniently transferred over to People.
Whats the difference between the trial and paid versions?
The trial is fully functional for 24 hours. Since Microsoft's statistics show that most users that are going to buy an app upgrade from Trial to Full within 2 hours, we thought we'd give folks a full day, just in case. :)
I don't get the need for this. Who on earth routinely adds restaurants as a CONTACT, for pity's sake? "A big gap in the OS"? Seriously? I travel a lot, and I have yet to come across this "need". Oh, this seems to be a well done app, to be sure. But it's a solution in search of a problem, as I see it.
For people like myself in NYC, eating out is normal, so yes adding contacts for restaurants, stores (especially phone carriers) etc. is very normal.
And yes, it's a big gap as if you can search for contacts/place you should be able to save them with 1-click to your People Hub. That just seems obvious.
Not sure why it's "for pity's sake". But let the market speak and we'll see how well the app does in terms of reviews and sales, shall we?
Forget restaurants. How about business contacts? You look them or their company up, then add them to your phone.
For making reservations ate your favorite haunt. Also, I would buy this app in a heartbeat but I don't have a credit card. And since Zune won't just bill my carrier (another gap in the OS) I don't get to buy paid apps. :'(
I don't think this app is for everyone or even a 'traveler' per se. I could see it being useful to have to stop those annoying copy and pasting or 'calling' a phone number then adding to contacts. Myself, a mom, would use it for calling, dentist, doctor, car shop, to-go places, etc. makes it easier. I would totally buy it. Again, not for everyone, but for those of us that would use it - i'm glad it's there.
...just as a note, we created this app because we found ourselves needing it all the time, and when I posted the idea in the ...i'm a WP7 Forums, other users said absolutely needed it too. So it's driven by pure need. I used it almost everyday, and makes it easy just to say "Call Thai Cottage" or "Call Houston Children's Museum"... " :)
Looks like this application violates the Bing API terms of use:
https://ssl.bing.com/webmaster/developers/tou.aspx
3 b) distribute, publish, facilitate, enable, or allow access or linking to the services from any location or source other than your Website or application;
You're saving the search result
and
3 o) commercialize (i.e., sell, rent, or lease) Bing results
You're selling the app
I'd be taking this down ASAP before Bing seeks damages.
Tink8499, I think you're misunderstanding either the app services, or the requirements, as the app doesn't "save" the results as defined elsewhere by Microsoft legal, but only maintains them temporarily (locally) within the app itself for the user's convenience, and the app clearly doesn't "sell" Bing results, it "sells" the automatic adding of user-retrieved information to the People Hub.
Remember, these concepts have to pass Marketplace legal, and believe me, this simple, easy utility already went through the ringer and came out without a (legal) scratch. :)
You are saving information retrieved via a Bing search
You are selling access to your implementation of the Bing API.
Trust me, cert legal doesn't know jack about legal terms of the API usage. Contact Bing and tell them what you're doing.
Sorry dude, tink is right. I'm the one that was developing BizSaver (referred to in this post).
During development, I sent the XAP of BizSaver over to Chris Koenig (microsoft evangelist) who went thru an internal dialog w/ the Bing team to make sure everything I was doing (exactly what you're doing) was kosher.
It was not.
The Bing team came back and said my app violates TOU in exactly the places that tink has highlighted. Hence why you'll notice that BizSaver now implements Google APIs on the backend instead of Bing.
Since you're charging for this app I'd seriously consider taking it down until you can converse w/ the Bing team on this. I can send you my communications as proof if you're interested.
This app is very well designed - design's never been my strong suit - wish you the best.
I certainly apologize for the changes you had to make, and have no problems if the Bing folks feel like they need to "contact" (pun intended) us on the issue. We disagree, and if they feel differently its very simple to change the backend to serve the same purposes. Thanks for the heads up though!