SNARF Rival In ´ClearContext´

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It seems like 2006 will not just be a year of wirelessUSB, Windows Vista and the mainstream adoption of dual core processors, it will also be about the ordering of information.

Last year (just four days ago, but I’ve been dying to say that!) I spoke about SNARF, Microsoft’s beta software designed to revolutionise the way we sort our increasingly cluttered inboxes. It gathered a large amount of feedback with a notable voice being that of a less widely publicized, but no less intriguing rival: ClearContext.

Now it wouldn’t be fair to report just one side of the story so I took a look. Two years in development but still in beta, ClearContext is certainly a labour of love. It takes a very different approach to SNARF by opting not to create a second user interface and instead integrates seamlessly into the existing Outlook controls. Yet like SNARF it also works to prioritise email based on important factors such as the sender, conversation history and topic of conversation.

Building on this, however, are ambitious plans for the software to also add email driven task management such as automated task assignment, scheduling, deferral, delegation, follow-up management and more. Given that email these days is about far more than simple sending and receiving, this functionality could be a real boon to those with a complicated and time consuming calendar.

Beta version 2.0 has just been announced and you could do a lot worse than start your new year by checking it out at the link below. It’s free to evaluate, $29.95 to purchase outright and comes with a full money back guarantee. Work smart in 2006 my readers, not just hard.

Link:
ClearContext

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