LLUF XOBNI?

I had a friend write me an effusive IM about Xobni, so I thought I'd take a minute to discuss the latest version. XOBNI is a Microsoft Outlook Inbox application that helps the user better access what they need from the avalanche of email messages we all face.

BTW, look at the name hard for an instant and you will see why they called their offering XOBNI. Could it be...inbox spelled backwards?

XOBNI appears in a window next to your Outlook. It collects a bunch of info from every email you receive so you can get at what you need faster. Some highlights include:

- Faster search for people and discussions you want to access now
- Threaded conversations so you can refer back to past messages
- Analysis of your correspondence with individuals so you know what, when, and how to best contact them.
- Organization of attachments from past conversations, by individual and topic.
- LinkedIn plug in to discover the social network of your correspondents.
- Telephone contact info automatically extracted from emails -- no more entering info manually into Outlook.
- Autoscheduler

Here's a video of the highlights.



I keep my inbox frighteningly organized without XOBNI, though it takes more than a little time to do so. But the ways in which I catalog info, and my personal business rules -- for example IMMEDIATELY keying in phone numbers when I get them -- really mirror XOBNI's simpler approach. It'd meet a time saving need for me, but if you are one of those people with 20,000 emails in the inbox, it could be of even broader benefit.

Microsoft was trying to acquire them about two months ago, but apparently the XOBNI people have bigger plans than being an Outlook plug-in, including being compatible with Yahoo Mail.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.