Looking for Lookout? Want to make it work with Outlook 2007? My thanks to Frank Taylor over at vmware for raising my awareness of this fix.
Lookoutsoft created Lookout – a lean mean search machine -years ago. Then, back in the summer of 2004 Microsoft made creators Mike Belshe and Eric Hahn an offer they did not refuse and bought Lookout into the Microsoft machine. On the day it was downloadable with Microsoft credentials, I personally mailed over 3500 people working for corporate clients to tell them to download it. Previously I had restricted advocacy of this to individuals and small businesses where freeware was not seen as an issue.
People loved Lookout’s lean purposefulness. Over time Microsoft fattened it up as they incorporated it into their stable. Many people (especially tech savvy ones) stuck with the original.
So, if you loved it but since got hold of a new laptop and lost Lookout, or migrated to Outlook 2007 and found it did not work, here’s how to get hold of this lean, light and lightening fast search tool.
First: If you have Outlook 2003 you should be OK with a standard install; if you have Outlook 2007 check out this link to see what you have to do to make it work properly. Do scroll down to the end of the comments area to check recent developments. Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/13l9Xt
Second: you can hit this Google search http://bit.ly/LtaB6 and select a download site that grabs you. My suggestion is Major Geeks @ http://bit.ly/d6xE8
Of course, there is always the current crop to choose from:-
Copernic http://www.copernic.com/ is probably the lightest and nearest to Lookout
Xonbi (inbox backwards) http://www.xobni.com/ is more feature rich and displays additional info that can be useful but it is a little heavier in resource.
Both the above – in my opinion – are preferable to Google Desktop and Windows search
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice article, but I think you missed one really good , reliable and extremly fast tool LOOKEEN: http://www.lookeen.net
In my opinion it is sensless to work with LookOut further, because its an old tool, which isn´t developed anymore…there are many other good products which can keep up with LookOut…but I wouldn´t work with google desktop search, because I don´t trust google, but thats just my opinion!
Lookeen is a tiny, fast and easy e-mail help! Another reason I work with Lookeen is that you don´t support a big company like Microsoft, because Microsoft has enough money!
HI Eth, thanks for your input. There are a few good, purposeful search tools out there and I have seen Lookeen before. I am often asked about Lookout by former fans of that app. This article is mainly for them.
My beef with Google and Microsoft searches is the overhead more than anything else. My current search tool if Copernic.
Thanks Richard, I loved Lookout and migrated to Copernic when my laptop was replaced and all TP software was erased! I’m sure you will get a few of our techies taking advantage of this!
I find Copernic is a good tool too, but I prefer Lookeen, even because it is cheaper and can the same copernic can do! I also like that it is no second application like Copernic is! Its within Outlook and you don´t have to switch between them! But thats just my opinion!
THe sales people at lookeen have spammed every site I have found that references lookout. I’ve tried it and it is unintuitive and ultimately less flexible than lookout. Microsoft’s acquisition is just another example of the inexorable march of execrable software. They also bought and obliterated a great little deign tool called expression. THere are very vew reliable *little* programs that do what they do extremely well. I wish someone would at least use lookout as a template and give us some of its functionality (looking ahead here to office 2010 on window7 – my lookout with 2003, is far flakier than it was with XP).
Hi Gethin, thanks for your comments. I have looked at Lookeen quite a while ago and dismissed it.
Yes, it is increasingly difficult to find reliable boutique software that can be used alongside the ‘Corporate’ stuff. The reality for many of my readers – I suspect – is that they are using Microsoft products as their main programmes, so integration with MS is vital for them.
I get so many emails and blog comments pointing me to new software packages that I just can’t look into because they do not integrate well with MS and do not add anything significant to the productivity mix.
You have a great looking site, by the way, http://www.ediblemedia.com.au