BRRRRRR… Is this a REAL Maine winter, compared to last year? One thing’s for sure, my beach pictures screen savers are getting a real workout.

This week I’m starting a series called “Stuff I Use”, where I’ll cover a software or hardware task and talk about what I use and why. I invite feedback and discussion if you use something else. This week – contact management.

I use Now Contact and Up-To-Date. Here’s why, in a nutshell: you can print things from it. That might sound silly, but I have used Apple’s OSX Address Book and Microsoft Office’s Entourage (which I do use as my primary email application, but that’s ANOTHER column), and neither of these otherwise fine applications can print more than a few label or DayTimer templates. Even though it’s very much the age of email I still need to print “snail-mail” labels to most of my contacts a couple of times a year. Now Contact can print dozens of standard label, postcard and envelope formats, with extensive customizing capabilities. The interface is clean and good looking, and it has all the features – mail merge, search, multiple customizable fields, photo field, menu bar access to frequently used contacts, one-click auto-addressing email from the email application of your choice, categories – you name it. And although I don’t use the Now Up-To-Date calendar features that much (we still have a Staples desk blotter calendar with the requisite coffee spills to satisfy the IRS), there is extensive integration between Contacts and Calendar. It’s also easy to sync address book files between my laptop and my desktop.

So, that’s this week’s “Stuff I Use”. What do you use, and why? Let me know at petez@macmaineiac.com.

Have another great week (come on, Spring!), and, as always, Semper Mac!

© 2003 Peter F. Zimowski