BuddyPop was an immediate purchase when it was released several years ago. I was thrilled to find this convenient AB access app. BuddyPop runs in the background (no System Preferences) and appears with a keyboard shortcut. I can search any contact fields and I can choose which fields are searchable, among all that Address Book has. There is also integration with Bluetooth, modem, and VoIP dialing. Licenses are 10 €; volume licensing discounted.

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- Ben Rosenthal
PBG4 1.25 - Leopard

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BuddyPop is an excellent solution as well, particularly if you use the phone a ton. But I don't, and for my needs, TapDex gets it done for free (or $5), which is quite a savings over the $20ish cost of BuddyPop.

Different products for different users...

-rob.

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Hello Rob,

I red your article with interest, I was always wondering why someone would copy an application to add just no feature and release a cheaper price... Well, I guess your comment is a partial answer, nevertheless I maintain good developer should try to enhance, not copy.

That to say I may be releasing a cheaper version of BuddyPop without Bluetooth feature some day !

Regards,

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Yes, BuddyPop is a nice app with some features that TapDex doesn't.

I just want to point out that TapDex runs in the background just like BuddyPop. There seems to be a common misconception that System Preferences "plug-ins" somehow consume more resources or do some low-level system stuff. This is not the case.

For an app that doesn't show up in the Dock or have a menu, the most logical place for its preferences to live is in System Preferences. And that's all System Preferences is to TapDex, a place for its configuration interface. The actual app runs in the background and has nothing to do with System Preferences.

Also, to remove TapDex (or any other System Preferences add-on panes), simply Ctrl-click on it in System Preferences and select "Remove" from the contextual menu.

I hope that alleviates the anxiety some folks have when installing an add-on pane! :-)


-Jay Teo
Yellow Mug Software

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