the ultimate online exercise system!

EssentialPIM is a very simple but surprisingly powerful PIM (personal information manager, hence the PIM in the name…), which comes in two versions, a Free version and a Pro version. Neither of them is open-source, but the developer has made some convincing commitments to maintaining a free version of the program for the foreseeable future.

EssentialPIM is regularly updated (both Free and Pro versions!), and recently made the transition to full Unicode support which, as anybody who has to write in or quote from multiple languages will appreciate, is essential for any modern text-processing application, whether it be a word processor or a web editor…

What EssentialPIM is not…

EssentialPIM is not an Outlook clone or replacement, although it uses a similar interface structure. It does not support e-mail. Neither is it a fully-fledged word processor — it doesn’t check your spelling or count words. The developers have clearly focused on keeping EssentialPIM as small and fast as possible, but in doing so they have managed to include a striking range of really useful features, ranging from a fast, convenient search function to a reasonably capable rich text editor, from tabbed notes to a (yes, this is definitely unusual!) tabbed notes tree (only in the Pro version).

Some of the goodies awaiting you…

Here’s the essential EssentialPIM interface:

As you can see, the interface is divided into sections, clearly labelled on the left. While this appears to mimic Outlook, the neat little ‘Actions’ bar that sits above the buttons that move you from one section to another is unique to EssentialPIM, in that it is context-sensitive and makes it very easy to, for example, create new appointments, switch from daily to weekly (or month or year) view in ‘Schedule’, update or edit contacts, and shift notes around in their outline tree.

That most of these functions come as standard in the Free version is really impressive. The Pro version adds in some very neat extras, including network sharing (for which you really have to use the full Network Edition), secure encryption, sticky notes on your desktop, storing/linking attachments, categories, custom views, hierarchical to-do lists, and the aforementioned multiple tabs in note trees and individual notes. Not to mention contact groups! Better still, a slightly enhanced edition of the Pro version allows you to synchronise with Windows Mobile, Palm or iPod devices, or with Outlook or Google Calendar.

But even the Free version will allow you to import Outlook data (contacts, appointments and notes), although I have found that contacts are not always imported in full. Gratifyingly, if you come across a bug in the Free version and inform technical support, they will (usually!) respond, and you will (usually) find the problem has been dealt with in a subsequent update. I reported a problem with the search function, and it was resolved within a couple of weeks.

EssentialPIM becomes seriously useful on a netbook, because its simplicity and speed mean that it is ideally adapted for taking quick notes, speedily entering appointments, looking up contacts and so on. The Pro version also works well on a netbook as a simple document and project manager.

I can’t think of a free PIM application that surpasses EssentialPIM, although I have experimented with a number of them. In the paid-for stakes, it is up against some impressive competition such as WinOrganizer. But I use EssentialPIM extensively, even at work, at once because it is elegantly simple and unexpectedly powerful (offering, for example, tables and a wide range of export formats, including a very nice HTML export option complete with linked index…

Steady, consistent development

As an experienced “software watcher”, what I love about EssentialPIM is its consistency. I have been watching EssentialPIM for several years now, and it’s been steadily getting better and better, without losing sight of the basic principles that clearly inspired its creators in the first place. Applications that steadily evolve are always reassuring — even some of the most professional, expensive applications can alarm regular users when development suddenly appears to stall or stop completely.

Give it a go. It’s also easy to uninstall if you find it’s not for you.

Essential links

You’ll find all versions of EssentialPIM here.

Or download the Free (or trial Pro) version here.

Oh, and I forgot to mention there’s even a Portable version (Free and Pro), ideal for installing on a USB drive and transferring from desktop or desktop-replacing laptop to netbook and vice versa. In point of fact, there are two portable versions, one optimised for U3 drives…