Software

Product Spotlight: EverDesk Optima e-mail client

By // May 26, 2009, 6:24 AM PST // justin_m_james

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  • My Documents

    If your e-mails are tightly related to your projects, EverDesk Optima is designed for you. Users who are willing to spend the time needed to learn to use its feature set will be able to leverage it well. It has some functionality that is very innovative in the e-mail management space.

    While on the surface, the user interface resembles Microsoft Outlook, a closer look reveals the differences. For one thing, the folder list on the left is not my list of email folders, but the contents of "My Documents." For another thing, some of the items in the list are not emails, but files.

    For a full review, check out the corresponding Product Spotlight.

    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

  • Recycle bin

    This is what the corresponding directory on my hard drive looks like. The e-mails are stored as .eml files. Instead of using a "Recycle Bin" in the email application, EverDesk Optima counts on the Windows Recycle Bin.

    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

  • Search

    As you can see, the search system allows multiple search criteria to be combined to really focus on what you want.

    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

  • Contacts

    Contacts are much more "upfront" in EverDesk Optima than in other e-mail applications. You can also see Optima's limited functionality for e-mail editing. What is here should satisfy most users, though.

    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

  • Sorting

    Optima sports some automatic sorting rules, but other than putting new messages into folders, it cannot do anything else. Users with more advanced rules needs should look elsewhere.

    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

  • Calendar

    The calendar looks just like Outlook's calendar does.

    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

  • Meeting limitation

    Sadly, Optima's capabilities for calendaring are not nearly as in-depth as Outlook's. You cannot invite other people to meetings, and the details text is plain text only.

    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

  • Interface



    Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

My Documents

If your e-mails are tightly related to your projects, EverDesk Optima is designed for you. Users who are willing to spend the time needed to learn to use its feature set will be able to leverage it well. It has some functionality that is very innovative in the e-mail management space.

While on the surface, the user interface resembles Microsoft Outlook, a closer look reveals the differences. For one thing, the folder list on the left is not my list of email folders, but the contents of "My Documents." For another thing, some of the items in the list are not emails, but files.

For a full review, check out the corresponding Product Spotlight.

Images by Justin James for TechRepublic

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By Justin James

Justin James is an OutSystems MVP, architect, and developer with expertise in SaaS applications and enterprise applications.