Xobni - A New Star Trek Race or Cool Outlook Plugin?

A client who uses Outlook like none I know recently referred me to an App called Xobni. Admittedly hesitant at first; I've come to enjoy this little tool. With its all inclusive features it's sure to be a hit for other avid Outlook users. So let's proceed onward with Big G's review of Xobni!

Xobni is a comprehensive search and index tool that works with MS Outlook. Unlike some that only integrate various Outlook features; this one goes quite a few steps beyond and incorporates Social Networking aspects that many are sure to love.

One of the first things I look at when evaluating Outlook Plug-in Applications is not only the ease of installation; but does the application play nice after it's completed. Overall Xobni installed well and played nice. There was some initial degradation in performance but I suspected that had to do with the initial indexing of my Outlook emails, etc.

The other aspect and this is big for some; is that Xobni can be a screen hog unless minimized to the side. If you’re used to having the reading pane available along with the other normal Outlook views; it can get crowded very quickly. After playing with it for a few days, I simply ran with it minimized to the right. A very nice feature is that even minimized; the necessary functionality remained.

The layout is easy to understand which contains a section called “Conversations” and “Files Exchanged”. The Conversations portion is a nice word change for the various emails that have transpired. The Files Exchange show all the attachments and respective dates in which the files were sent. I personally like the separation as it allows me to look for which part I need versus having to find the email first and attachment second. The really neat feature of how these work though is that as you scroll through emails; Xobni changes to reflect what it has previously indexed.

But wait there’s more and this is probably one of the coolest parts and what I think separates it from the competition.

With all the buzz about Social Networking; Xobni incorporates Linked In, Twitter, and Facebook into one spot! During the setup portion; you simply allow Xobni to sign in using your credentials and WHAMO; your email has now become an extension of your Social Networking Marketing Plan.

So now when scrolling through emails [weither you know the person or not] you will see and have access to whatever information or main photos are being used within Linked In, Twitter, or Facebook. The photo feature is a very nice touch as it personalizes the contact and allows one to relate more readily. If you are in sales and have a photo; it puts a face to the person you may be speaking with. For those concerned about privacy issues; it only displays whatever already exists within these environments.

In the end I find Xobni a useful tool that plays nice with Outlook. While I’m not the biggest Outlook user in one sense; when I needed to find an attachment; its search feature allowed me to track it down in no time; much better than others I’ve used.
We give it 9 out of 10 G’s!

You can learn more about Xobni by visiting http://www.xobni.com/.

Winter Tech Tip!

Whoosh!


Just like that and seemingly overnight, Winter has officially arrived!

Did you know that cold weather doesn't harm your laptop?

However, the potential condensation [moisture] once it's put into a warmer environment can be the issue.  So say you left your laptop in the freezing car overnight? What then?

Here are our recommended tips...

1. Wait 10-15 minutes before turning it on.
2. Remember that laptops are made of plastic also and suddenly flipping it open could result in potential cracking.
3. If you do have to leave your laptop in the car, ensure its inside a carrying case. This will provide some basic insulation.

Hopefully these simple yet effective recommendations will keep you computing...at least until Spring!