Personal information managers - reviews of three software and three Web-based PIMs - Software Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, May, 2000 by Carol S. Holzberg

On your hard disk or online--the latest ways to get organized

BLAME IT ON TOO LITTLE TIME, TOO many clients, or even your own sloppy work habits, but losing client phone numbers and appointment reminders under home office clutter is no way to run a business. To keep disorganization from costing you time and money, pick up a personal information manager (PIM). By tracking your schedule, contacts, and to-do lists, as well as logging calls, taking meeting notes, and linking to your handheld organizer, a PIM increases productivity and helps you juggle the details of your business life.

Software PIMs can be found at any computer retail store or as parts of office suite packages. They'll store all your information on your desktop or notebook PC, and often share it with other productivity tools such as word processors, spreadsheets, and e-mail programs.

The newest PIMs, however, are Web-based information managers that store your data on an Internet server. They're inexpensive or even free, and excel at online collaboration and information sharing. On the minus side, these services are only as reliable as your Internet connection, and most lack the call-logging, time-tracking, and data-import features of their hard-disk-dwelling counterparts.

We lived and worked with three software and three Web-based PIMs for nearly a month. We imported (or typed in) our contact data, set up appointments, tracked activities, printed mail-merge letters and pages for our three-ring organizer, and synchronized information with our Palm PDA. Though not all of these solutions gave our home office all the information management it needed, nearly all of the PIMs offered relief from the mountains of sticky notes that once littered our office.

Day-Timer Organizer 2000

HOC RATING 7

Day-Timers Inc. combines its time-management know-how with computer technology in Day-Timer Organizer 2000. This PIM offers a straightforward graphical interface and all the basics: a task list, contact database, notebook, expense tracker, call manager, and calendar.

Unlike the other PIMs in this roundup, Day-Timer let us open and arrange several data windows simultaneously. In fact, time-saving shortcuts enabled us to view the day's schedule, add an event or note, and see our address book even when the program wasn't running.

The program's drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to add, change, and manage contact and event information. You can import data from SalesLogix's Act, as well as from Microsoft's Outlook and Schedule+.

We used the program to send e-mail messages to individuals and groups directly from Day-Timer, though we couldn't override the program's choice of Outlook as our default e-mail application. Built-in "Web launcher" support lets you open any Web site from the notes field of a contact entry. Not forgetting the need for hard copy, the program prints to a variety of paper formats and sizes.

Day-Timer provides a few appealing extras, including audio reminders, a dialer, and a stopwatch for timing calls. On the other hand, it has no contact-tracking options, and its spell-checker works only within the notebook module. Its low $40 price makes it attractive, but Day-Timer Organizer is somewhat limited compared to the other PIMs here.

[up arrow] Low price; multiple data views

[down arrow] No contact tracking

Lotus Organizer 6.0

HOC RATING 8

Lotus Organizer 6.0 ($79) is a Web-friendly contact manager that even inexperienced users will appreciate. It offers typical PIM functions plus a bookmark manager, an automatic area code changer, links to street maps and postage on the Web, and the ability to publish entries in HTML, download Web contents to your notepad, and schedule meetings over the Internet with iCalendar.

One of the most flexible programs we tested, this component of Lotus SmartSuite lets both single-PC and LAN users convert other PIMs' data files to Organizer format. An EasyClip icon in the Windows taskbar lets you add entries even when the main program isn't running.

Organizer's interface resembles a loose-leaf planner with tabbed sections for different program functions and "pages" for data entry. We found it easy to use, and especially liked the buttons for quickly dialing telephone and fax numbers or sending e-mail messages. Unfortunately, we found ourselves pining for a call timer, and the PIM couldn't check or send e-mail unless our e-mail program was open.

The program boasts conveniences ranging from drag-and-drop event linking to easy synchronization with Palm PDAs and robust print options spanning over three dozen formats. The only thing missing is a spell-checker, but except for that omission, Organizer is a great value for a home business user.

[up arrow] Long list of sophisticated tracking features; easy to use; Web-friendly

[down arrow] No spell-checker or call timer; couldn't check e-mail automatically

Microsoft Outlook 2000

HOC RATING 7

Microsoft Outlook is brimming with added e-mail options, support for distribution lists, new group collaboration features, and tight integration with the world's most popular office suite.