Organise yourself with Outlook

Do more
Outlook can connect to more types of email system than its free counterparts. This isn’t particularly useful for home users, as the Pop3 and Imap systems used by most ISPs are supported by both Outlook Express and Windows Mail.

It has other advantages, though. Outlook Express has no built-in junk mail filter, but Outlook includes one that sorts spam into a special folder. Outlook can also automatically archive old messages, making it ideal for those who send lots of emails.

While these email extras are handy, they pale in comparison with the other tools Outlook has to offer. Outlook Express allows you to collect a list of contacts, which it stores in the Windows Address Book, while Windows Mail does the same with Vista’s renamed Windows Contacts.

Outlook, on the other hand, uses its own built-in contacts database, which appears as a folder within the main Outlook Navigation Pane or Folder List on the left-hand side of the screen.

It’s also possible to set up multiple address books - one for work contacts and one for friends and family, for example - and synchronise all the contact details on your computer with a compatible mobile phone or handheld PC so that you have access to the same people’s details whether you’re at your desktop or out and about.

Not all mobile devices will sync with Outlook, but the majority, including any device that runs Windows Mobile, most Nokia smartphones and the Apple iPhone, work fine.

Make a date
Windows has, historically speaking, always been a bit useless when it comes to calendars. There’s no calendar directly accessible from within either Outlook Express or Windows Mail.

And, while Windows Vista users at least have the option of using the new Windows Calendar application, those using XP have access to little more than the date and time in the Notification Area, which can’t even schedule appointments.