Lotus Organizer 97 - Feb/Mar '98

Lotus Organizer 97

Long a favorite of computer users, Lotus Organizer has garnered numerous accolades in PIM roundups. In some ways, this may be the strongest product in the Lotus SmartSuite. One of its advantages is its utter simplicity. Open Lotus Organizer and the calendar is the first thing you see. Other areas, including To-Do lists, Addresses, Calls, Planner, Notepad and Anniversary, are accessed by clicking on the side tabs. A floating toolbox on the left-hand side provides access to common functions such as creating, copying, moving or linking entries.

The Address Book in Lotus Organizer is both simple and rich. Each entry contains room for a business and home address. Within either area, you can enter two phone numbers and a fax number. You cannot add new fields. Browsing records is easy.

Like any good PIM, Organizer will auto-dial and log notes for calls. However, Organizer does not leverage the telephone features of Windows 95 as much as most of the other PIMs. For example, clicking on the phone icon in the toolbox does not bring up the phone number for the card. To do that, you must choose Quick Dial off the Menu Bar.

Clicking the Calendar tab displays the current year. Alternatively, turn to daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly views by clicking on the toolbox icons on the left. In any of these views, you can change the appearance by clicking on the icon along the top edge of the calendar. New entries are easy to create by clicking on the calendar, although the entry screen is a little cramped.

Alerts can be set, but unlike most PIMs, Organizer sets the date the alarm will occur, rather than a specified period before the event. However, one advantage to this method is that reminders can be scheduled after an event occurs, notifying an attorney to follow up on it.

Organizer is a workgroup-enabled application and others can view your calendar. You can schedule group appointments by searching for free time. Tentative appointments can be "penciled in" to hold time. Attorneys will also appreciate the ability to mark an appointment in Organizer as "confidential."

Organizer can also track to-do items. When you click on the folder tab for To-Do's, the display changes to a clean sheet with tabs for Overdue, Current, Future and Completed tasks. Like calendar items, any task can be marked as confidential.

Lotus Development Corp.
(800) 343-5414

By Michael Jimmerson

From the Shopper's Guide to Personal Information Managers - Feb/Mar '98

Pros: Lotus Organizer 97 is a simple yet effective PIM for all your information.

Cons: Bundled with Lotus SmartSuite, this product may not be a good value alone.

Verdict: Lotus Organizer is a nifty little PIM worth considering. Unfortunately most users will not consider it as a product separate from the Lotus SmartSuite. This is a case of guilt by association.