The Real Mac Genius

Use:

The primary function of Address Book is to allow you to organize contacts by email, phone number, AIM, and more. It also allows you to organize your contacts to sync with your other Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad.

Basics:

The first thing to do is add contacts. To do this you click on the ”+” in the middle section and fill out the information about the contact. If you want to edit a contact that you previously made, just select the contact you want to edit and press “Edit.” To organize contacts further you are given the option to make groups such as Friends or Coworkers. To do this click the “+” in the first column. You are also given the option for how you would like to view your contacts from columns to just a single contact, this is where you can type in the name to find the contact you want. I prefer to use columns just because it is easier to see all my contacts. To delete contacts select the desired contact and press delete, a screen will pop up saying “Cancel” or “Delete,” if you want to delete it press “Delete,” but if you don’t press “Cancel.” For the times when syncing with your iPod and iPad go wrong and you end up with duplicates, all that you have to do is go to the top menu bar and select cards, after go to “Look for Duplicates.”

Advanced:

Some more advanced options range from syncing accounts, designing a custom template, and taking images from Facebook and using them on your contacts. First, is syncing accounts, which is very similar to syncing iCal. To do this go to Address Book’s Preferences and select “Accounts.” Then depending on what account you have choose from MobileMe, Yahoo!, or Google. Select “Agree” and then type in your account and password. To sync your contacts to your account click on the arrows in a circle symbol on the top of your Menu Bar. This is great if you have multiple computers and can sync so they are the same. Next to customize your contact templates, stay in Preferences and go to Template, which should be on the Top Menu of Address Book’s Preferences. From there you can add or remove cell phone numbers and emails. You can mess around with it and customize it to your likings. Now for my favorite, using Facebook photos for Contacts. To easily do this take your iPod Touch or iPhone and go to the Facebook application. Select the “Friends” section and click on the button at the top right (arrow coming out of the box) button. From there select “Sync Contacts.” Then turn “Syncing” on and “Replace Photos” if you want to take out current photos and replace them with the Facebook photos.

Overview:

Clearly, the Address Book is simple, but effective. It also includes cool things like getting Facebook photos on your contacts and syncing your contacts from computer to computer. Not to mention it comes free on your Mac!

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