LinkedIn reboots its Contacts for iPhone app as LinkedIn Connected

LinkedIn Connected 1.0 for iOS (iPhone screenshot 001)LinkedIn Connected 1.0 for iOS (iPhone screenshot 002)

After retiring CardMunch, its standalone iPhone app for scanning business cards, in favor of Evernote’s business card scanning service last month, LinkedIn today rebranded another standalone iOS app – LinkedIn Contacts. The app shall be known henceforth as LinkedIn Connected.

The app has been reimagined and redesigned for a much cleaner appearance.

Aside from the name change, the free download has all the same features like its predecessor, but more advanced than before and with “much more focus on strengthening your relationships”…

Unlike Contacts, the Connected app focuses on providing push notifications for pre-meeting intelligence and reminders right before meetings, while keeping you up-to-date on important updates from your extended business networks, stuff like job changes, birthdays, work anniversaries and more.

Each item update is presented in a beautifully laid out “card” format. You can swipe from the right to advance to the next card and each update also includes suggestions as to who you could network with next.

This is how the app helps you make the most of your in between moments:

  • Celebrate moments that matter: Know when people in your network change jobs, are mentioned in the news, have work anniversaries or birthdays and be reminded to connect with people you just recently had a meeting with. Now you have a reason to stay in touch with people in your network.
  • Stay connected to your connections: In a matter of minutes and just a few swipes, Connected makes networking more fun and light touch. Connected’s card-based app experience, a first for LinkedIn, puts people at its center, is simple and easy to use. Connected is a focused app that is specifically designed to help you network effectively.
  • Take the “work” out of networking: We’ve noted that we’re continuing to build out mobile features, based on anticipatory computing, that will delight you. When you sync your contacts and calendars with Connected, you can turn on highly relevant and timely push notifications for pre-meeting intelligence and reminders right before meetings.

LinkedIn hopes the app will help job hunters and people in professional occupations make some sense out of the more than nine million comments, likes and congratulations posted across LinkedIn.

To learn how the team built Connected using sophisticated anticipatory computing algorithms, check out LinkedIn’s engineering post here.

LinkedIn Connected 1.0 for iOS (iPhone screenshot 003)LinkedIn Connected 1.0 for iOS (iPhone screenshot 004)

LinkedIn Contacts originally launched in April of last year.

Conceived as a smarter way to stay in touch with your most important relationships, LinkedIn Contacts failed to gain traction, despite being available on LinkedIn.com. Moreover, the app integrated users’ email accounts and calendars and brought all their contacts from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and other address books in one place.

Download LinkedIn Connected free in the App Store.

The app is available in English and requires iOS 7.0 or later.