Handheld Contact

This app has had its struggles but v8.0 deserves credit for finally solving the major problems. Now that it seems stable again, it is the best app for Act on an iPhone. Even Swiftpage’s sales folks recommended it as better than their own iOS app (I called once called them to talk about using their app and was told “HHC is better, even with its buggy release problems.”) I decided to write this because the earlier reviews are about older HHC versions and the developer deserves credit for sticking with it to get the bugs fixed. Those of us who are committed to Act need this app! I don’t use Opportunities or Secondary Contacts, so I can’t comment on those new features in v8.0, but the “basics” (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, History) work very well now. If you haven’t tried HHC recently (or are still using ‘HHC Legacy’ out of fear v8.0 has problems), it’s time to try it again. The developer needs to be sure they thoroughly test new releases. That’s why the app has had checkered reviews. It still has a few cosmetic bugs but nothing affecting functionality or data integrity. If, over time, they fix the cosmetic issues and don’t break it with a future release, I’d move it to 5 stars.

I had this app for a few years to avoid monthly charge from Sage Act! It was OK but not great. Upon renewing last month I was very happy to see how much Handheld Contact has improved. I have no issues on usability at all. For the annual fee I don’t see how you can beat this app to connect with my database. I am sure the full subscription app from Sage is better, but this app has to be 95% of the way there and I am very pleased with how well it syncs and displays the calendar now. Thanks for putting in the effort to make the app work much better than two years ago.

I have been using ACT as my calendar and contact management application since the mid 1990s. Handheld Contact is an amazing app that provides all of ACT’s power and productivity for the iPhone OS and platform. Handheld Contact has virtually the same capabilities as ACT. Having Handheld Contact on my iPhone allows me the use of my favorite contact and calendar manager even at those times that I can’t have my PC or laptop with me. I do not know what I would do without Handheld Contact. It is indispensable.

I’ve been a paid user with multiple accounts for over three years. I’ve been patient, and lived with false promises long enough, and now I’m going to be canceling my account, and asking for full refund. The program crashes constantly, you cannot change activity types, sync issues, and just plain excuses from their support staff. Yes I’m using ver 8.1 build 1. I really wish this program worked, so I can keep my schedule clean and Synced using my iPhone and iPad but it will work somewhat for a few weeks then not work. I even paid for premium support and that’s no better. I’d stay away from this App.

ACT! Is the best enterprise contact manager. The original version could keep easily-retrieved addresses, schedule, keep real-time notes, send faxes, emails, write letters using Word, mail-merge and sync to a handheld device. More recent versions have been riddled with glitches and unscrupulous tech support. The latest outrage is the backdoor access that allows the cloud server to access a desktop copy without a subscriber’s permission. And slows down the desktop app to render it useless. Enter at your own peril.