This personal information management program offers an alternative to Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook for group contacts and calendaring.

Meant to be quick and easy, the Now software sports an old-fashioned-looking but straightforward-to-use interface. The included server component makes it easy for Apple and Windows users to share contact address books, schedule meetings, track tasks, and check calendars over the network. But you won’t find any unique group organisational features here, and the program lacks integrated e-mail client software.

At $200 per seat (multi-user licensing available), Now’s product is similarly priced to competitor Lotus Domino Collaboration Express. The Lotus interface has a more modern look and includes an integrated e-mail client, making the Now product seem a bit overpriced.

Microsoft’s $99 Entourage X (a version of Outlook for small offices with Mac OS X systems) offers some compatibility with PC users who run Outlook via an Exchange server, but Entourage fails to offer truly fully-featured group-calendaring features for Mac users.

Now’s products have long served the Mac-centric small-business audience, and this update enables companies that have added Windows PCs to share the same PIM system. These offices will get their money’s worth here; otherwise, the product hardly seems remarkable.

Now Up-To-Date & Contact Price: $200 Distributor: PICA Software Phone: (02) 9388 9588 URL: www.pica.com.au