CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 10/11/2004
- Released on: 08/11/2004
Lookout is a small, 849KB download that installs in less than 2 minutes--that is, if your Windows PC is already running Microsoft.Net Framework 1.1, a system upgrade essential for Lookout-Outlook integration. Our test PC did not have Framework installed, a problem quickly rectified by Lookout's setup routine, which downloaded and installed the 23MB Framework file. This extra step added 6 minutes to the overall setup time.
Lookout installs as a toolbar within Outlook and, after installation, immediately indexes your e-mail messages and attachments so that it can quickly find messages thereafter. Unfortunately, Lookout doesn't index the contents of attachments by default--if you want to search by keyword, you'll need to open Lookout Options > Advanced and reindex by file type. On the plus side, Lookout is fast. We indexed our test group of 129 e-mail messages in 32 seconds, which is very fast.
Lookout is a free search tool for Outlook users. It's fast, but it lacks a file viewer.
Currently, support for Lookout includes only a FAQ on the original Lookout site (accessible through Microsoft.com). It would be nice to have e-mail or user forums for additional questions.
