I am a sales executive currently using ACT as my contact database. ACT no longer produces a product that is Mac compatible and I am desperately searching for a Mac compatible contact database software that is similar in user interface to ACT. Does anyone have any experience/bright ideas/suggestions?
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Mac contact dtabase software similar to ACT
- Thread starter Zubenel
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I've never used ACT, but Bento is a great contact database solution:
http://www.filemaker.com/products/bento/overview.html
http://www.filemaker.com/products/bento/overview.html
If you use Beneto do you lose anything by no longer using the apps that come with the Mac? Would you be able to sync with an ITouch or IPhone?
Act 2 Mac
Ive had a look at Daylite
http://www.marketcircle.com/index.html
+ there's another one called
http://www.nowsoftware.com/
Im still deciding
but Importing to iCal or address book is not really an option.
Its needs to take Notes / History info
Ive had a look at Daylite
http://www.marketcircle.com/index.html
+ there's another one called
http://www.nowsoftware.com/
Im still deciding
but Importing to iCal or address book is not really an option.
Its needs to take Notes / History info
Now Contact is evil. I refuse to use or recommend it after bitter, bitter experience and terrible support.
Act replacement....
We used mac in our property mgmt and real estate business years ago until it was no longer available or supported for the mac. We then used Daylight. Frankly, we were not happy with daylight or the support. We did use if for a few years. Then we tried Now up to date, which was a little easier interface, but had some issues to it that we could not get over. Finally, with the advent of the intel macs we went back to ACT using parallels. ACT has allowed us to customize are database and it works great. With all of that said, we are constantly looking for a Mac side database that is close to ACT. It would make things much easier for emailing, syncing with address book etc.. So far all we seem to find our Address Book style databases but not of the flexibility of ACT. After all of these years I am surprised that someone has not come up with one. I have even written to ACT in the last week to bring it back.
We used mac in our property mgmt and real estate business years ago until it was no longer available or supported for the mac. We then used Daylight. Frankly, we were not happy with daylight or the support. We did use if for a few years. Then we tried Now up to date, which was a little easier interface, but had some issues to it that we could not get over. Finally, with the advent of the intel macs we went back to ACT using parallels. ACT has allowed us to customize are database and it works great. With all of that said, we are constantly looking for a Mac side database that is close to ACT. It would make things much easier for emailing, syncing with address book etc.. So far all we seem to find our Address Book style databases but not of the flexibility of ACT. After all of these years I am surprised that someone has not come up with one. I have even written to ACT in the last week to bring it back.
Bento vs Daylite
I just down-loaded Daylite
http://marketcircle.com/daylite/
It seems like a flat database like Bento.
http://www.bentotrial.com/trial/default.aspx
Am I wrong? Is it a relational database?
Does nothing radically different from Bento and did not automatically import all my contact and calendar information from iCal and Address Book the way Bento did.
Just comparing the import function, Bento had 3 steps, Daylite had 8.
Bento was way more plug and play.
What do you recommend for a relational database for small business and iMac intel?
I just down-loaded Daylite
http://marketcircle.com/daylite/
It seems like a flat database like Bento.
http://www.bentotrial.com/trial/default.aspx
Am I wrong? Is it a relational database?
Does nothing radically different from Bento and did not automatically import all my contact and calendar information from iCal and Address Book the way Bento did.
Just comparing the import function, Bento had 3 steps, Daylite had 8.
Bento was way more plug and play.
What do you recommend for a relational database for small business and iMac intel?
I've been looking for database software as well. FileMaker Pro 9 seems to be a good choice but I don't have any hands on experience with it.
Can you describe how the sync to iPhone works? I am using MobileMe and have seamless automatic updates of my mail, contacts and calendar. How does it work with Daylight?
That's what I was going to suggest as well. Maybe give Zoho CRM a free test drive.
Try Daylite
Zubinel,
I feel your pain. Just came over from the PC world where I started in 1986. The biggest problem has been finding something to replace ACT. Just stumbled upon Daylite. Still evaluating it but the training videos are terrific and from the look of them the app seems to provide everything ACT did. They have a free trial period so nothing to lose.
I'm hopeful that this may be the app that solve my ACT problem.
Best,
Zandiman
Zubinel,
I feel your pain. Just came over from the PC world where I started in 1986. The biggest problem has been finding something to replace ACT. Just stumbled upon Daylite. Still evaluating it but the training videos are terrific and from the look of them the app seems to provide everything ACT did. They have a free trial period so nothing to lose.
I'm hopeful that this may be the app that solve my ACT problem.
Best,
Zandiman
Try looking for "Contactizer"
I have used ACT for several years to keep track of sales calls and such. Just got my first Mac. I have been told to try a program called Contactizer. I was hoping some of you would have suggested it. Now I am hoping that some of you will try it and repost.
I have used ACT for several years to keep track of sales calls and such. Just got my first Mac. I have been told to try a program called Contactizer. I was hoping some of you would have suggested it. Now I am hoping that some of you will try it and repost.
Now that work has authorized the use of Macs, I'm using my new MacBook Pro. Although I've used Macs for personal use, I haven't had a need to run ACT Contact Mgr, which is what we use for clients. It's a windows only program.
I hate to setup windows with either boot camp or VMware, just to use Act.
Any suggestions as to an alternate? I need to be able to document notes from meetings, phone calls, etc. I talked to a Genius in the Apple store, asked about Bento, he said no.
I'm open for suggestions on this.
Thanks....
I hate to setup windows with either boot camp or VMware, just to use Act.
Any suggestions as to an alternate? I need to be able to document notes from meetings, phone calls, etc. I talked to a Genius in the Apple store, asked about Bento, he said no.
I'm open for suggestions on this.
Thanks....
CRM for Mac
I'm trying the trial of Daylite. The integration with iCal is good, but the reporting tool is rubbish. The iPhone version requires an extra server license which I've heard is expensive. Customer support is also a bit unhelpful. I personally prefer Salesforce.com but it's too expensive for personal/small business use. ACT for Mac would be nice. Having tried bootcamp, I now prefer running Windows as a VM using VMWare Fusion, for Windows Apps I still use. I have it running in one of the Spaces, so I can easily switch from Mac to Windows whenever necessary, without having to reboot.
I'm trying the trial of Daylite. The integration with iCal is good, but the reporting tool is rubbish. The iPhone version requires an extra server license which I've heard is expensive. Customer support is also a bit unhelpful. I personally prefer Salesforce.com but it's too expensive for personal/small business use. ACT for Mac would be nice. Having tried bootcamp, I now prefer running Windows as a VM using VMWare Fusion, for Windows Apps I still use. I have it running in one of the Spaces, so I can easily switch from Mac to Windows whenever necessary, without having to reboot.
ACT! on iMac
Longtime user of Act, since 1990s DOS versions.
I have good luck using Wine and using Act Version 6. Version 7 because of .NET will not install for some reason.
I downloaded Wine from this website [intel macs only]
http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/
All the installs are simple. Run other M$ programs as well.
Typical disclaimers apply. No affiliation with any programs.
john
Longtime user of Act, since 1990s DOS versions.
I have good luck using Wine and using Act Version 6. Version 7 because of .NET will not install for some reason.
I downloaded Wine from this website [intel macs only]
http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/
All the installs are simple. Run other M$ programs as well.
Typical disclaimers apply. No affiliation with any programs.
john
If syncing with iPhones, iPad's, etc is a concern then I'd look at a non-Mac app something cloud based.
ZoHo CRM is free upto 3 users. Sugar CRM is free also.
They are true CRM's and do much more than ACT does. All web based, can access them with any device and work globally.
Have to find a cheap hosting option or run it in house on one of the computers you have, Sugar CRM is not too terribly difficult to setup under Apache and its free for the base version.
www.sugarcrm.com
ZoHo CRM is free upto 3 users. Sugar CRM is free also.
They are true CRM's and do much more than ACT does. All web based, can access them with any device and work globally.
Have to find a cheap hosting option or run it in house on one of the computers you have, Sugar CRM is not too terribly difficult to setup under Apache and its free for the base version.
www.sugarcrm.com