If you’re using a Mac, you can sync contact information from the Address Book program in OS X, Microsoft Entourage or Yahoo! Address Book. For Windows users, you can use Windows Address Book, Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo! Address Book.

Even though the iPhone shares information with these programs, it still syncs through iTunes when you connect your iPhone to the computer. You can select whether to copy all contacts of just certain groups through the Contacts Tab in iTunes.

To add a contact on the iPhone itself, press the “+” icon in your contacts list. When you next sync your iPhone those contact details will be copied to your computer as well.

The iPhone also conveniently offers the ability to set custom ringtones and images to different contacts so when it rings you know instantly who the caller is just from the ringtone.

The quickest way to access the contacts information is by pressing the dedicated Contacts button on the main menu. You can also get to them from the Phone application by pressing the contacts button at the bottom of the screen. The contacts list will be sorted alphabetically.

iPhone 2.0 software also introduces the ability to search for a contact using the search bar at the top of the contacts list and typing in the name you’re after. Once you’ve found the contact you’re looking for, press their name and you’ll be given the full list of their contact details. By pressing the desired information, the iPhone will automatically launch the relevant application. For example, if you select the contact’s mobile number, the iPhone will call the contact’s mobile number. If you select the email address, the Mail app will open with a new message addressed to them.

Making and Reordering Your Favourites

The favourites function is designed so you can easily find the people you call and message more frequently than others. To make a contact a favourite, simply cycle to the bottom of that person’s entry and press the button marked “Add to Favourites”. Alternatively, you can access the Favourites tab at the bottom of the contacts list screen and press the “+” icon, then simply cycle through the list to find the contact you wish to add.

If you want to remove a person from Favourites or rearrange the order, press the Edit button on the top left of the screen and press the red negative symbol next to the name. This action only removes them from your favourites list, not from the whole contacts list.

Using the iPhone’s intuitive touch screen, users can easily flick through contacts quickly and easily, add or remove individual details and even dial, email or send an SMS to a contact directly from the address book.

In addition to that, the iPhone 2.0 software brought with it the ability to search for a contact by typing in the person’s name rather than scrolling through the entire address book to find a single contact. Users can also make certain contacts “favourites” to keep their listings at the very top of the list for easy access.

Updating a contact on the iPhone will also automatically update that contact’s information the next time it is synced with the user’s computer to keep both address books completely up to date.