You can store your favorite URLs, and when you click on the address, Organizer will launch your browser and take you to the site. By hitting another button, you can go directly to MapQuest-created maps and get driving directions. You can also publish your calendar and contacts to the Web so you can stay organized when you're on the road, or share your information with colleagues or family members. Anyone using Microsoft Office 2000 already has Outlook, so if you don't want to buy a separate program, this PIM should be more than adequate to keep you organized. Valerie Potter, reviewing PIMs for CNet, says Outlook excels at integrating e-mail, calendar and contact functions, but isn't her top pick because of its high price, cluttered interface, and Web features, which she doesn't feel are as robust as Lotus Organizer's.
Outlook features a contact database, calendar, task manager and group-scheduling tool.
This program also lets you share the contents of your calendar, to-do lists and contact information via the Internet, so you can coordinate with groups of people. Unlike Organizer, Outlook does not store login information for your favorite URLs, nor can it automatically publish your calendar to the Web. Day-Timer Organizer is picked by Smart Business magazine's Julie Polito, who praises its simplicity and convenience. Polito likes the fact that you can look at your important information on Day-Timer's calendar without launching the whole program. We didn't include Day-Timer in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers because Lotus Organizer and Outlook both offer more features, but if you don't need the Web functions of Lotus Organizer, experts say it's not a bad choice.