Although it was designed primarily for use in a corporate environment, where collaboration features are critical, ACT! is equally useful (if a bit expensive) for home office and small business use. The basic features are easy to use, even if you've never used a PIM before. Your client information and schedules can be as simple or as detailed as you like. The program also includes advanced features, such as client and business forecasts, reports, and graphs, which you can learn to use thoroughly as your business grows.

Each contact record has 60 pre-defined fields, including the typical name, address, phone number, and email address fields; you can also add custom fields as appropriate. The mail merge feature lets you select a group of contacts, and merge their names and addresses into a mailing. The program keeps track of any correspondence you send out, so you can follow up with current or potential clients.

You can view your calendar by day, week, month, or year, and use it to schedule tasks, telephone calls, appointments, and meetings. You can also set alarms to alert you to an upcoming meeting or appointment.

Changes from the 2005 version are fairly minor, and don't offer any compelling reason for current users to upgrade. This is refreshing in a way, because it eliminates the feeling that you must upgrade everything every year or you'll miss something important. The interface is a little better organized, and you can now synchronize specific types of files rather than all files, which can save you time. If you use Lotus Notes, the improved integration with Notes might be worth the cost of the upgrade. The final new feature may be handy if you travel. When you add a scheduled call to your calendar, ACT! automatically includes the phone number when you print the calendar.

A 30-day trial version is available for downloading from the developer's web site.


Pros: Basic features are easy to use. Includes a powerful collection of business features for more advanced users, or for individuals who work in a corporate environment. Compatible with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Pocket PC PDAs, and Palm OS PDAs.
Cons: Requires activation. Upgrade price is fairly high. Doesn't offer any compelling reason for most current home office or small business users to upgrade from the 2005 version.


Specifications:
Available for: IBM PCs and compatibles.

Minimum requirements (PC): Windows XP Home, XP Professional, 2000 Professional, 2000 Server Standard Edition, Server 2003 Standard Edition, Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, Server 2003 Web Edition, 2003 Small Business Server operating systems, 550MHz Pentium III processor or equivalent, 512MB RAM, 500MB available hard drive space, CD-ROM, SVGA (800x600) or higher resolution monitor.