ClearContext

ClearContext attacks Outlook with an organizational bent

Editors' note: This article originally stated in error that ClearContext Professional was released this week. The content below has been updated to correct this mistake.

As evidenced by this article on NudgeMail, e-mail organization is of personal interest to me--and I know I'm not the only inbox control freak structured individual in existence. Certainly, ClearContext was counting on that when it developed ClearContext Professional, a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook.

The goal of ClearContext Professional is to help you stay in control of your inbox by providing organizational tools and rules for e-mails, tasks, appointments, and projects. Adding it to … Read more

ClearContext tames Outlook

Update! I forgot to mention that you can get access to the ClearContext beta by using the invite code webware on the ClearContext site.

The Outlook plug-in Xobni (download) has been getting a lot of press recently, but it's not the only Outlook helper out there.

On Monday, ClearContext, which has had a paid, enterprise-level e-mail organizer for a while now (download), is releasing ClearContext Personal, a free, de-featured version of the product (download). ClearContext isn't Webware, but since I've covered Xobni here, I'd be remiss to ignore it.

CEO Deva Hazarika acknowledged to me that … Read more

OK, just admit that Outlook's lame--and fix it, already

Smart e-mail may be a contradiction in terms, but let's get a show of hands: how many of you believe Microsoft is going to supply the answer?

I didn't think so.

When the company brain trust repairs to the Ballmer Bunker to chew over its next big idea, post-Yahoo, I've got a suggestion: how about doing something to deal with e-mail and its discontents? Something grand--like bringing Microsoft Outlook into the 21st century. I don't mean a tweak here and there; I'm talking about a top-to-bottom overhaul.

The product debuted in 1997 and has improved … Read more

My good deed done for Mike Arrington

The first e-mail program I ever used was MCI Mail. When the IT administrator swung by one day, he told me "this was the future." Maybe he had Blade Runner in mind.

Within a few weeks, my inbox was already swamped and I had no idea how best to proceed. I subsequently graduated to Lotus Notes and then later, a kludgy product from Microsoft whose name I thankfully can't recall. These days I'm on MS Outlook, where I've become master of the mass block-delete.

Amazing that about two decades after e-mail became a must-have tool … Read more