EssentialPIM Pro Portable 2.0
Keeping track of all the personal bits of information that make up your life is always tough, but that’s not for a lack of choices. PDAs and smartphones are one answer, as are online options such as Google Calendar and Yahoo! Calendar, and there are always PC-based options such as Outlook. Still, these may not be the best options for some users, so for them there’s EssentialPIM. There are four versions of EssentialPIM: t wo EssentialPIM Free editions(a desktop and a portable version) and two EssentialPIM Pro versions (desktop and portable). The EssentialPIM Pro Portable version is now out in beta, but all of the versions work almost identically.
As its name suggests, you can install the Portable version on a portable drive, such as a USB flash drive, compact flash card, or floppy disk, making it perfect to keep with you wherever you go, provided the destination has a Windows-based PC with a USB port. Also, Pro Portable offers 128-bit encryption, so even if you lose your drive, your personal information should be safe.
EssentialPIM has an intuitive interface that invites you to explore it, a bright and attractive color scheme, and the ability to drag-and-drop everywhere. The PIM remembers data as you type it, making it easier to reuse later.
Data exchange is one of EssentialPIM’s strong suits. The information manager automatically syncs data from Outlook, the address book from Outlook Express, and schedules from iCal and Google Calendar, for instance. It can also import/export data from CSV, HTML, RTF, and other formats. Synchronizing with many Windows Mobile devices is possible, but, as of this writing, Essential PIM Pro Portable didn’t support Palm OS devices.
As this is the last of the EssentialPIM 2.0 betas, it’s very stable and polished and even includes a thorough Help file. As such, Pro Portable is worth entrusting your personal data to.