ZoomContacts

The Basics

ZoomContacts is the perfect “Large Print” contact application for iPad users who have difficulty seeing the small text on their screen. ZoomContacts uses Apple’s internal Contacts database to store and manage information but presents it using multiple font size / color combination choices. This makes it easier on the eyes for those folks who could use a little visual assistance.

When you launch ZoomContacts, you’ll see your contacts displayed in a sorted list. Don’t have any contacts? Don’t worry – simply use the “+” button to add contacts to the database. 

Experiment with font sizes and colors by using the Font Selector and the Color Selector icons on the bottom of the screen. The Font Selector will allow you to choose from four different font sizes while the Color Selector switches between four different color combinations. When you pick a color combination ZoomContacts will use a custom keyboard that follows that same color scheme. Feel free to experiment – ZoomContacts will remember your settings between launches. 

You can search for contacts by typing directly into the search field or by clicking one of the highlighted letters in the Alphabet Selector on the screen. You can move the Alphabet Selector to the left or right hand side of the screen based on your own preference. In addition, you can click the “+” button on the bottom of the Alphabet Selector to allow the letters to take up the entire screen for maximum visibility. 

The contact database stores information for both names and companies. So when you select a letter, ZoomContacts will display those records whose last name or company starts with that letter. If you use the “Search” field, ZoomContacts will display all contacts whose First Name, Last Name or Company starts with the string you type. Type the wrong thing or ZoomContacts didn’t find what you wanted? No problem, just click the “All” button to show all the records in your contact database again. 

You can scroll through the list of contacts simply by swiping up or down on the list of names.

Contact Details

To see more details on a specific contact in your list (phone numbers, addresses, email, etc.) simply tap on the Contact or Company name and ZoomContacts will display the Contact Detail Page. Scroll up and down this page by swiping with your finger.

The Contact Detail Page contains a few fields that generate special actions when you tap on them. Tapping on an e-mail field will launch the iPad’s built in Mail client and create a new message addressed to the selected email address. Clicking on an address field will launch the iPad’s built in Maps client with the location of the contacts’ address pinpointed.
 
If you would like an even larger view of a contacts’ information, you can enter Single Field Mode by doing a three fingered tap anywhere on the Contact Detail Page screen 

Single Field Mode

In Single Field Mode, ZoomContacts displays only one field and its corresponding label at a time. You can move through the fields by swiping left or right on the screen. To return to the detail view, simply click the “Back” button.

Adding and Editing

Most of the work done adding or editing contacts is done in the Contact Details screen. Simply tap the “+” button from the main screen or tap the “Edit” button on the detail screen for an existing contact.
 
When adding a contact, each field is pre-filled with a label. For example you’ll see “First Name”, “Last Name” and “Company” in the first three fields. Simply tap on the field to display the custom keyboard and begin entering your contacts’ information. To display numbers or special characters, tap the key in the lower left labeled “.?123”. Use the “Tab” key to move between fields on the screen. To hide the custom keyboard, tap the keyboard icon on the lower right or simply tap anywhere in the top half of the screen. 

Many of the fields that ZoomContacts saves have “Labels” associated with them. A label helps identify the information saved in the field itself. For example, you may have two phone numbers for your friend Lucy. One is her home number and the other is her mobile number. ZoomContacts separates the “Labels” from the information itself by a vertical bar on the Contact Detail Page. You can change a field label simply by tapping on it. A selector appears on screen that allows you to pick the label you’d like to change it to or, if you click the “Edit” button, you can add your own label. 

When you’re done simply click the “Done” button to return to the main screen or click “Cancel” and your changes won’t be saved. 

Moving Contacts From Your Computer to ZoomContacts

Remember that ZoomContacts is simply displaying and editing contacts from your iPad’s built in database. All contact synchronization works the way the iPad works. We didn’t change a thing. 

ZoomContacts can be purchased from iTunes here: