NameCatcher, an iPhone App Solution to 'Hey Buddy!'

It happens to all of us.

Standing in line at the grocery store, attending the kids' school recitals or walking down the street.

Someone you know or have met, skips up to you and says, "Hi, Mary/Julie/Sarah/JoAnn," remembering your name perfectly.

Like a deer in the headlights, you freeze, thinking, "Oh no! I can't remember her name."

Sound familiar? In search of a solution? 

NameCatcher is an application for the iphone to help you remember people's names and helps you find them when you need to remember.

A busy Hopkinton mother of two, Kelly Nowlin came up with this idea as a result of taking copious notes in her rolodex to help her remember important business contacts.

Her bulging rolodex became even fatter when she became a mom.

Eventually Nowlin purchased an iPhone and added her lists of teachers, school administrators, coaches, other parents, doctors, specialists and even the ice-cream man to her "notes" section.

"I would add their first name and type next to it the place where I met them. Then I would add a detail or two about them to help me connect the face with the name the next time I saw them," Nowlin said.

While on a walk with her dog Molly, Kelly had an "ah-ha" moment: Why didn't she develop an app that helps people remember names?

Kelly came up with the application concept and shared her ideas with business partner and friend Lisa Gordon of Needham. Together they interviewed companies in New Hampshire to help them develop an app that would be compatable with the iPhone. 

After months of research and development, NameCatcher was born. For only 99 cents, people can download the NameCatcher app, and be on their way to never forgetting people's names again.

This unique app allows users to snap a photo of the person, location or object to help them remember a name. 

Name searches can also be used by typing in any keyword or category. Another feature allows people to find names with a GPS search, pinpointing where they met that person.

"I think that this application is useful for business purposes and for personal use," Nowlin said. 

"Busy moms who are in and out of doctors' offices, baseball fields and school activities can make people feel special by remembering their names," she said. "Our ultimate goal it to make the other person feel valued and important."

To learn more about the app see, catcherinthesky.com.