You're not alone. Most people who are upgrading to the new version of Outlook have discovered it's quite a bit different from the old one. No, I can't come over and show you how to use it. Yes, I sound weary saying that. Yes, I've said it a lot.

I know you've read all the Outlook 2007 articles on OutlookPower. Yes, I know we go way back. I'm still not going to do it. I've got too much stuff of my own I need to do.

Stop crying. Grown men don't cry. Stop. It. I can't understand you though the blubbering. Look, we've talked about this before. Professional wrestlers don't cry even if their email doesn't work. There's no crying in wrestling. Now, wipe off the phone.

That's a good boy. I know you're tough. Yes, yes you are. I know it's just the frustration with the computer. No, I really don't need you to hurt someone for me in return for my help. Right now, I'm pretty much liking most people.

OK, tell you what. I still can't come over to help you out, but I can offer the next best thing. I can introduce you to two incredible Outlook experts who will come to your house and help with your PC. Their names are Bill and Lon, and they're about to be your new best friends.

Bill Mann's How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
I've often talked about how we here at OutlookPower have access to the top experts in their fields, and we're able to bring their knowledge to you in the magazine. Many of you reading this article will recognize Bill's name. Bill's one of our favorite contributing editors here at OutlookPower. Bill has also written a bunch of excellent technology books including his most recent, How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A


If you use Outlook 2007, this book will help. Roll over picture for a larger image.

This is the kitchen-sink book for Outlook 2007 users. It's not just about how to get started with Outlook or even just how to get used to the new Ribbon interface. Bill covers many of the more complex tasks you're going to want to do with Outlook including dealing with more than one email account, email management and filtering strategies, managing contacts and to-do items, and so forth.

What really sets this book apart and gets it my vote for a bookshelf essential is that it also covers how to use Outlook with other systems. There's a special section on using Outlook 2007 with Gmail and Hotmail, for instance. There's also a chapter on using Outlook 2007 with Exchange and Sharepoint, as well as chapters on tweaking, customizing, and getting the best performance. And, perhaps most important, there's a whole section on email security.

Bill's book is 465 pages long, so obviously I'm not going to be able to tell you everything that's in it. But I will tell you this: it gets five flying envelopes out of five.

OUR RATING: 5 of 5