Entourage missing features and other tidbits

[Joseph Linaschke]

Title: Entourage missing features and other tidbits

Hi all,

Besides the obvious problems with Entourage, after having used it for some time I've compiled a list of what I see as some gaps in the application that hopefully can be addressed in the next version. I think it worthwhile for all of us to look at this list, add to it and comment where appropriate, since MS does monitor this list and maybe our words can do some good! I recognize that most things I'm asking for here were already possible in Palm Desktop, and I'd rather not hear a bunch of rants like "well if you like it so much, go back to it..." because that isn't the issue. We all want a solid, killer application to handle our day to days, and hopefully with our help it can be achieved in Entourage.

So with no further ado...

1) Problem: There is no easy way to jump quickly to any given date. If you want to see January of last year in month view, or January 3rd in day view, you have to scroll through every month in the mini-calendar – which can be a slow process if you have a full calendar, waiting for each screen to update.
Fix: There should be a "go to" command, which allows you to select a year and month without having to scroll.

2) Problem: We all know that searching for a name is way too slow. It's probably a major database handling issue, but all I know as a user is that with the Palm Desktop, I could bring up a name instantly. Entourage takes ages.
Fix: beyond my scope, but must be possible... Palm Desktop did it.

3) Problem: When you open the contact list, you can do a quick search/sort by "Name contains" or "Company contains". Many times I've typed in a Name then realized that I had it set to Company, had to wait for it to finish sorting, then reset it to Name.
Fix: Fourth (first!) search criteria; "Name or Company contains"

4) Problem: There is no auto link feature – you shouldn't have to search for a name when making appointments or notes as you currently do. The Palm Desktop had a fantastic "auto link" feature. Hit Command-L, and instantly the software would scan your appointment and bring up any contacts with matching key words. Very fast, very convenient. "Dinner with Bob at Chez Snooty" would instantly give you the option to link to Bob's *and* Chez Snooty's contact listing. Trés cool ;-)
Fix: Implement Auto-Link feature

5) Problem: When a Task brings up an alarm, you should be able to dismiss not only the alarm, but also 'complete' the task. I use tasks quite a bit as reminders; "call the bank", "make appointment with bob", etc. When the alarm pops up, I'm reminded to do it and I do... but hitting "dismiss" only dismisses the alarm. If you look in the task list, it will still show up there as incomplete. To 'complete' it in the alarm window, you must double click on the event, click 'completed', and close the event.
Fix: Include a Completed check box column in the alarm window, just like in the Tasks window.

6) Problem: Links in alarms. If an alarm pops up, "Call Bob", and you've previously linked Bob's contact info to the task (naturally using the Auto Link feature described above), you currently have to open the task, then select the link from the link icon to open it.
Fix: The alarm window should have a link column, just like the mail window.



OK, that's my list. I'm sure many of you have more, but I like what I've come up with ;-)

be gentle

-Joseph-