Orbit: mobile phone book plus social networking updates

Filed under: Social Software, Mobile

Orbit is a mobile app that brings together your Facebook and your phone book. It's a phone book at heart, but it shows your friends' recent Twitter and Facebook status updates, and allows you to create groups called "orbits." You can turn the level of social noise from each orbit or individual up or down according to your needs. Of course, you can also initiate a call, text or email from within the app.

As long as Facebook won't allow phone numbers to be exported into your contact app of choice, something like Orbit seems to be the best solution for a light Facebook/phonebook combo. Being able to take a quick glace at a friend's latest Facebook or Twitter status before you call is a cool feature, but it's the customizable groups that really make Orbit appealing. Orbit's favorites list also changes dynamically, updating your favorite contacts depending on who you communicate with most often.

The only problem with Orbit is that it isn't out yet. It's coming to the iPhone and the BlackBerry before the end of the year, and if it turns out to be as useful as it looks on paper, it's going to have a permanent place on my iPhone's home screen.

Orbit: mobile phone book plus social networking updates originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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