Synchronised address books rool OK, say consumers

Critical Path survey provides more fuel for social network aggregation boom.

A survey commissioned by mobile messaging firm Critical Path has found that 82% of consumers want a way to synchronise their separate address books from social networks and their mobile handsets.

It found that the average person has four different address books spread across different services, with 75% admitting that they find it frustrating trying to update contacts across them.

Meanwhile, the survey also found "a large majority" want automatic updates from their friends, but also control over what updates they receive.

Now - and you may have seen this coming a mile off - Critical Path offers just such a service. It's called Social Address Book, and is a white-label product for mobile operators to help customers synchronise Facebook, Twitter, IM and their mobile contacts.

"It solves many consumer headaches," says CEO Mark Palomba. However, Critical Path is by no means the only company looking at this kind of social network / contacts aggregation.