Name Buddy: Name-jogging app for iOS

The What's My Name app for Android recently came out to much applause from forgetful people. Now iOS is getting in on the name-remembering game with Name Buddy for iPhone.

Name Buddy takes a different angle from its Android relative. From the very start, you can see that it is aimed at women. Pink is the color scheme theme and the app icon features a manicured finger. Name Buddy is currently on sale for 99 cents as an introductory offer.

The app dispenses with photographs, as the developers figure that if you know people well enough to have their first and last name and find them on Facebook, then you don't need an app to help you out.

Name Buddy is about logging memory-jogging notes. Start off by entering a first name and then fill out the details from there. The "Where You Met" section is pre-populated with common meeting places such as the neighborhood, party, or church.

There's a place for adding in children's names, making this a good tool for parents who are meeting folks through their kids' schools. It could help make the next PTA meeting a little less awkward when you can search Name Buddy to find that little Ricky's mom's name is Patty.

At its heart, Name Buddy is a simple-to-use database app. All of your notes are searchable, so just typing in a pet's name or a particular physical characteristic can lead you to the name of a person. Just make sure to take good, detailed notes in the first place.

I'm giving Name Buddy a shot as a replacement for the scribbled notes I leave myself on my fridge when I'm trying to remember my neighbors' names. I don't foresee using it as a hard-core business tool, but I will try to at least get a handle on my neighborhood and my social life.