Xobni: MS Outlook Social Networking Technology for your Inbox

If you are a Microsoft Outlook user and let your emails build up by the dozens (like me), going back to locate an important message in a sea of junk mail can be an arduous task. Even if you are meticulous about storing and filing your emails, saving hundreds of "important" messages and having to locate a specific one can have the same effect.

Xobni is here to help.

Xobni -- "inbox" spelled backwards -- is a small Internet start-up company based in San Francisco and is introducing a new application that works together with Outlook to give users a better emailing experience. The software basically indexes all of your emails, making them manageable and easily accessible. (Source: nytimes.com)

Think of it as having your very own Outlook secretary.

While there are other programs currently available that perform similar functions, (Google Desktop being among the most popular), Xobni's software offers a few new features. One feature is designed to store and link any phone numbers associated with a sender. When a user searches for a message sent by a specific sender, the contact information of the sender appears in a side panel.

Another interesting feature is one which tries to interpret the social network between senders and receivers. The feature is developed for those in the field of business, targeting executives who frequently send mass emails to their colleagues. If the user identifies a sender as someone of importance, the program kicks in to list other contacts that may also be important. (Source: yahoo.com)

Microsoft is reacting very well to the program, even holding a meeting with the California start-up over a proposed acquisition. While a deal with Microsoft would ensure financial success for the two young co-founders of the company, Xobni is not in any rush to sign on the dotted line.

When the two companies held formal talks, negotiations were broken down over such things as price, location and future independence once a part of Microsoft. The two sides left on amicable terms and both companies are eager to see the public reception of Xobni's software in the coming weeks.

The software can be downloaded and purchased at http://www.xobni.com.