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1. NewzCrawler

Recent Posts

1. 
   Review - Microsoft Windows Live Toolbar

   3.1.0.68 (Oct 12, 2006)

   Nicely done toolbar with some attempts to jam weak apps down your throat (just like Google, Yahoo and ever other toolbar). A couple of apps really make it strong, though, and the first toolbar I've installed in years. The automatic sync to Live Favorites is excellent, and Onfolio provides a superb way to store and find web snippets. Has built-in Live Writer integration both with the browser and Onfolio.
   
   Microsoft gets a lot of knee-jerk dislike because of who they are, but Onfolio just by itself provides more value that you typically see in a free toolbar.
   
   I knock it down to a four because you can't remove the web search field. With a search window already built into IE7, that needs to be made optional.

2. 
   Review - Omea Pro

   2.0 Build 671 (May 15, 2006)

   Absolutely amazing product, which replaces a number of information tools. Only product I have found that allows for quick integration of email, files, RSS, etc, under common views. Manual and rule-based categorization of all the above information objects, plus Usenet and IM via plug-ins. Downside: Jetbrains has scaled back development. Hopefully the bean counters can figure out what they have here and put more $$$ into moving it forward. 2.0 version is a really in a class of it's own.

3. 
   Review - Ultra Recall for Windows NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista

   1.3b (Jul 13, 2005)

   After using it for several weeks, I think that UR isn't really a PIM as much as an information or knowledge manager. It's really a product that will (according to their roadmap) integrate with Outlook rather than replace it.
   
   I use Ultra Recall to centralize information from a variety of different sources... what's impressive is that it allows one to pull together email, files, and websites into a single integrated hierarchy, and even provides somewhat of a database capability. As someone who has been irritated with having to create seperate archives and structures for email, files, shortcuts to directories, web links, UR is a Godsend. After for trying it out, I bought it, and now use it constantly. You can even do things like edit Office documents without leaving the environment.
   
   The tool is very flexible and powerful, but there's a bit of a learning curve. Its real competition are products like Coolbase (which it absolutely destroys, IMO) and all those hierarchical note-taking programes. This is at another level entirely.
   
   If you're looking for a PIM, it's probably not what you want. If you're looking for a way to organize, use, and search lots of unorganized pieces of information, it's a fantastic tool. I absolutely love it.