Skype users, test the latest Skype 4 Beta 2
If you're a keen user of Skype 3 then you were probably one of the keenest to download and test the new version of Skype 4, which entered beta testing last month. We downloaded and installed it immediately, but were quickly disappointed. The biggest problem was the re-designed interface which was arranged to give video calls the priority. Who really uses Skype to make video calls? Seriously? In business, I don't want to necessarily 'see' the other user when I make a call.
Skype 4 Beta 2 is now available and a the user-interface now enables you to select a compact version (read: the same design as Skype 3.x), received more informed and clearer alerts, so you can see when a call is incoming and more. We're not entirely convinced by Skype 4 and it seems our web users feel the same way, if you take a look at our end-user rating.
Skype 4 Beta 2 link.




Although it's used by many corporations, Outlook has a rather outdated and clunky way of storing your email. It's used the same .pst database system for years and can take a lot of system resources when downloading, processing and storing your email (although this does seem to have improved with Outlook 2007). It's too easy to get frustrated, cancel the downloading email or even attempt to close Outlook. Either way, you'll then have to re-download the same emails again in the future and may be left with duplicates on your system.
If you upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007 you may have found that Microsoft Outlook different little from the previous version. Indeed, there are some users who prefer the previous Office 2003, with it's more simplistic user-interface, rather than the ribbon you find in the latest suite. However, there aren't too many alternatives to Outlook that offer the flexibility and collaboration tools. Install Outlook 2007 across a number of workstations and it isn't a cheap solution for enabling your staff to access their email.
If you use your email client to write to different users, you might want to customise your messages depending on the recipient. For instance, if you write to the boss, you might want your email to be formalm with a particular signature. Write to your customers and it could be more informal with a basic signature, as you might not want them calling you on your direct line.
With many of us moving over to web mail, this enables us to access our incoming email from just about any location, as long as you have access to a web browser. If you're at work, you can't set up your email client to download your personal email and you won't want to be seen to be checking your Gmail account every 10 minutes to see if you've received mail. The answer is an assistant that will keep checking your account to see if you have a new message and then notify you discreetly.
If you were going to consider an email client, what would be your final choice? There aren't too many email clients available and the market is dominated by the paid-for Microsoft Outlook and the free Mozilla Thunderbird. Recenty Qualcomm stopped developing the Eudora email client and decided to help with the next version of Thunderbird. Indeed, at one stage there were rumours that there wouldn't be a new version of the free email client.
If you work across multiple computers, you probably use a different email client on each to download and process your email. On your work PC you may have Microsoft Outlook installed, your Mac-based laptop may use Mozilla Thunderbird, whilst you may only bother with an online mail service from your home PC. Either way, you'll be using different email clients to access your email. Wouldn't be handy to be able to bring the email under one interface, on one system?