One of the worst features of previous versions of Outlook was the inability to find things quickly. One had to go to third-party tools such as Google Desktop, Copernic Desktop or a free but crash-prone add-in called Lookout. Now, thanks to the XML document standard, searches are fast, and cut across e-mail folders, contacts, tasks and calendar entries, a feature that has been too long in coming.
The main window in Outlook now manages to shoehorn in a To-Do bar, which is imports stuff from Access, Project and OneNote. The calendar function can now be available to everyone on the office team, including those outside the office. A new scheduling assistant (it's no longer called a wizard, have you noticed?) helps automate calendaring tasks. Outlook also is more easily integrated with the SharePoint Server for others to see as well. The information handled by Outlook can also be colour-coded.
One truly welcome feature is the installation of improved junk-mail filtering, as well as filtering of websites that specialize in phishing attacks.
