Outlook plugin that looks genuinely useful

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Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Apr 20, 2009 at 07:32 PM

http://www.xobni.com/

(Jack, if you are listening I’d like your opinion. I don’t use Outlook but most of my co-workers do.)

Alexander

Posted by Franz Grieser
Apr 20, 2009 at 07:56 PM

Hi Alex.

Xobni is useful, yes. But I prefer Lookeen though it costs $40 - but it is worth every cent.

If you’re interested, I’l look for the reviews I wrote on both tools and translate the most important parts into English.

Regards, Franz

Posted by Franz Grieser
Apr 20, 2009 at 07:57 PM

Alex.

I forgot the link: http://www.lookeen.net/en/

Franz

Posted by Franz Grieser
Apr 21, 2009 at 05:35 AM

Hi.

A short comparison.

What both add-ins do very well:
+ fast search using an index
+ threaded views of conversations

Xobni
+ free (so far; last year the developers said that Xobni would be free as long as it has beta status)
+ integration with Facebook, Linkedin and Skype

Lookeen
+ search engine for Outlook and the desktop (good replacement of Windows Desktop Search)
+ search engine for data on Exchange servers
+ can use a central index for all shared data
+ allows you to drill down on search results applying filters

I should mention that I took part in the beta program for Lookeen 2. So I may be biased :-)

Franz

Posted by Jack Crawford
Apr 21, 2009 at 10:07 AM

For me the value of the various Outlook plugins on the market depend on exactly what you are looking for - do you want a simpler interface or quicker searching or improved connectivity with particular tools or better integration with your workflow etc.

For me the most important of these is workflow. If you want better searching, for example, any of the classy indexers can do the job for you. What impressed me so much with ClearContext (see previous threads on this site for further comments) is that their solution integrates Outlook with the way I work. The killer functionality is a one-button creation of a task with the original email inside it (and more..).

So it’s horses for courses. Having said that, I haven’t tried either Xobni or Lookeen, as they don’t meet a particular need I have.

Jack

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