The nice folks at Microsoft have produced a video on how to use Twitter in Outlook with TwInbox. Check it out – it’s pretty cool.
OutTwit leaves Beta, Gets a new name – TwInbox.
Today we are announcing the first official, non-beta release of our popular Twitter add-in for Microsoft Outlook.
This version introduces significant enhancements in usability and offers easier access to more information right where you need it. For example, you used to have to click on a person’s profile to see her follower count. Not anymore. Now it is available at a glance when you are reading a tweet.
These changes make OutTwit TwInbox a perfect Twitter client – simple enough for Twitter newbies and powerful enough for business professionals.
New name – TwInbox
OutTwit was a great name for the product. It served us well through the beta cycle. Going forward, the product will be known as TwInbox for Microsoft Outlook.
Enhanced usability
We have moved some of the more frequently used commands from the drop-down up to the toolbar. Now you can compose new updates, send @replies and direct messages and retweet messages and tweets right from the toolbar. You can also configure which components you would like to see displayed on the TwInbox toolbar.
Easier access to information
We have made some of the information that used to require extra clicks, much easier to access. Information such as sender’s full name, website address, follower counts and the number of updates, is shown in every message. No long do you need to click on the sender name to see the profile in a separate window. All necessary information is displayed right where you need it.
Note: Due to the way Twitter Search API works, this information is not available for tweets fetched via search. Twitter folks are working on this issue.

This is yet another example how TwInbox makes information more available to you and makes your Twitter stream much easier and faster to consume.
Improved picture preview
We have enhanced TwitPic picture preview and introduced support for Twitgoo picture preview. So you can see images right in the tweet, without having to click through.
Thank you!
We would like to say a big Thank You! to all OutTwit users. Your feedback and support has been instrumental in helping us reach this milestone. We hope that you like the enhancements we are making. We know we can count on your continued support with future development of TwInbox. Please keep the feedback coming. We love hearing from you!
.
New product – QuickJump – invitation beta launching today
We are excited to announce that today we are starting a public beta testing cycle for our brand new product – QuickJump. QuickJump is our first product that works outside of Outlook.
QuickJump solves a relatively narrow, but very important productivity issue – navigating between various file system folders. QuickJump will help you get to the right folder with just a few keystrokes. What is especially interesting about it is that it works in standard “File Open” or “Save As” dialogs of any windows applications. Of course, you can use it to open folders in File Explorer as well.
How much testing went into QuickJump to date?
QuickJump has been in production deployment at several pilot sites for about two months now. We would like to sincerely thank all participants in the private beta for their feedback and encouragement. Private beta-tester feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for both usability and stability of the product. One of them, Mario Fortier, kindly allowed us to publish his quote. Thank you again!
QuickJump is an incredible piece of software. We first tried it in combination with MessageSave and ended out using it all the time.
We are an IP firm in Canada and are dealing with more then 50,000 files each having it’s own sub directory often with subdirectories. With QuickJump we can really jump into any of those sub in a flash.QuickJump and a bit of methodology and I believe we might never need a Document Management system.
My only regret : I wish I had coded it myself.
Where can I learn more?
Watch a quick screencast demo.
We have also put together this FAQ page.
Enough already, let me download and try it.
To download QuickJump today, you will need a beta invitation code. Please use the following invitation code – qjbeta38982. Download from this page.
Thank you for your interest! We are looking forward to your feedback.
Updated:
Several beta-testers were kind enough to publish reviews of QuickJump.
If you write a review and would like us to list it here, please send us a note.
.
Outlook Addin or toolbar disappears when you close or restart – how to fix
Some of you may experience a situation where an add-in goes missing or a toolbar disappears when you close and reopen Outlook. This is usually caused by one of several reasons.
1. Outlook does not fully exit when you close it
In this case, Outlook does not exit completely when you close its main window. This is usually caused by a third party add-in which prevents Outlook from exiting. You can usually recover the missing toolbar by following these steps:
- Close Outlook
- Open the Task Manager
- Switch to the Processes tab
- Find OUTLOOK.EXE in the “Image Name” column
- Select it and click “End Task”
- Wait 5 seconds, then start Outlook again.
That should bring your missing toolbar back.
If this keeps happening to you, you might want to disable some of the add-ins you have installed, to find which one is causing this issue.
How to disable add-ins in Outlook 2010
How to disable add-ins in Outlook 2007
How to disable add-ins in Outlook 2003
2. Outlook disabled the add-in
If the above steps did not help, please try rebooting. If you still do not see the toolbar, it is possible that Outlook disabled the add-in. In that case, you can re-enable it using the following steps:
Outlook 2010:
- Select the “File” ribbon tab
- Click “Options”
- Click “Add-Ins” in the left column of the Options window
- Select “Disabled Items” in the “Manage” drop-down and click “Go”
- Select the add-in from the list and click “Enable”
- Restart Outlook
Outlook 2007:
- Click on “Help->Disabled Items” menu command
- Select the add-in from the list and click “Enable”
- Restart Outlook
Outlook 2003:
- Click on “Help->About Microsoft Outlook” menu command
- Click the “Disabled Items” button in the lower right-hand corner
- Select the add-in from the list and click “Enable”
- Restart Outlook
OutTwit now supports posting picture files and Outlook email attachments to Twitter
The latest release of OutTwit has introduced several exciting features related to uploading and posting pictures as well as viewing tweets with images in them.
OutTwit now supports posting pictures attached to Outlook email messages as well as any image files from your computer to Twitter via TwitPic, Posterous and Twitgoo.
Read on for details on the new features, then head over to the OutTwit page to download the latest version.
Follow @TechHit on Twitter to keep up to date with news and updates.
1. Posting an Outlook email attachment picture
OutTwit makes posting an Outlook attachment picture to Twitter super simple.
- Select the message
- Open OutTwit’s Post window
- Select the attachments from the list of image thumbnails
- Click Upload to upload the picture, then click Update to post your message to Twitter.
View a quick demo:
2. Posting a picture from your computer
With OutTwit, to post a picture to Twitter you simply drag-and-drop, then click Upload.
- Open OutTwit’s Post window
- Drag and drop the picture you would like to post into that window
- Click Upload, then Update to post the message.
View a quick demo:
3. Previewing TwitPic pictures
If a tweet contains a link to a picture on TwitPic.com, OutTwit will show you a preview of this picture right in the message. You do not have to click on the link to see the picture anymore.
Download and install the latest version of OutTwit from this page. Enjoy and happy OutTwitting!
Office 2007 Service Pack 2 improves stability and performance
Microsoft has released Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Office 2007. This release includes significant performance and stability enhancements. Learn more and download the SP2 here. This page has more detailed installation instructions.
What new features would you like to see in OutTwit
Many of you have sent us messages saying how much you enjoy using OutTwit. Thank you for your kind words! We always like to hear from happy users.
What would make OutTwit even more useful to you? What new features would you like to see added in the future?
- Multiple account support?
- Spell checker?
- TwitPic integration?
- What else?
Let us know in the comments below. Thanks, and keep on OutTwitting!
How to improve Microsoft Outlook performance – 9 simple steps
There are a few simple steps you can take to keep your Outlook running smoothly. If your Outlook is slow and unstable, it can put a serious drain on your productivity and even elevate the stress level. So take a few moments to get it shape.
1. Keep your PSTs at a reasonable size
With Outlook 2003 and 2007 you can create “new style” PST files which do not have the old 2GB limit. However, for best performance, we still recommend keeping your PST files relatively small and not letting them grow too much above 1GB.
Here are a few things you can do to keep PST files from growing:
- Use multiple PSTs.
Create multiple PST files and organize email into them by date or by project, client, etc. - Keep attachments outside of the PST.
Large attachments can quickly fill up your PST and make it grow huge. You can use EZDetach to save attachments outside of Outlook and still keep links to them in email messages. - Save entire email messages outside of Outlook.
Our MessageSave product can help you save entire messages outside of Outlook and create an email archival system using file folders.
2. Disable Add-ins you are not using
Running unnecessary add-ins may make Outlook slower. Check what add-ins you have installed. You probably have more add-ins installed than you think. Use the following instructions to see what addins you have installed and disable the ones you are not using.
How to disable addins in Outlook 2010
How to disable addins in Outlook 2007
How to disable addins in Outlook 2003
3. Compact your PST files
After you have split your messages into multiple PST files and removed some of the attachments, you need to compact the PST file to shrink its size. It is a good idea to compact your PST files periodically.
4. Enable Cached Exchange Mode
If you are using an Exchange-based mail account, enabling Cached Exchange Mode will likely improve Outlook responsiveness.
Note: If the network connection between your computer and the Exchange server is very fast and reliable and if you have a large Exchange mailbox, then disabling Cached Exchange Mode might actually result in better performance.
5. Compact your OST file (Exchange users only)
If you are using an Exchange account in Cached mode, compacting your OST file may help improve performance.
6. Keep an eye on your Desktop Search Indexers
Using products such as Windows Desktop Search and Google Desktop Search is a great way to be able to quickly find email messages. However, if you are not careful, these products my negatively affect Outlook’s and your computer’s performance. Be sure to configure them to only index the email messages and files which you need to be able to find quickly.
Another potential alternative is to use a light-weight search product. For example, there used to be an Outlook search product called Lookout. It worked well and was fairly light-weight on system resources. Microsoft bought the company that made it and the product is no longer officially offered. However, you might still be able to find a download somewhere on the Internet.
7. Keep your computer up to date with patches and Service Packs
Use Microsoft Windows Update service to keep up to date with Windows and Office patches and service packs.
8. Reset Outlook cache files
If you upgraded from Outlook 2003 to Outlook 2007, some people have reported that reseting a few internal Outlook files helps with performance.
9. Disable RSS feeds in Outlook (Outlook 2007)
- Open “Tools->Options->Other->Advanced Options”
- Uncheck “Sync RSS Feeds to the Common Feed List”
How to find and disable Outlook 2007 Add-ins and plugins
Disabling unnecessary plugins is a great way to make your Outlook start faster, run more reliably, take less memory. In Outlook 2007 Add-ins are listed under “Tools->Trust Center->Addins”. There are two types of Addins – COM Add-ins and Exchange Client Extensions.
Disable COM Add-ins
To disable COM Add-ins:
- Select “COM Add-ins” in the Manage drop-down at the bottom of the Trust Center window and click “Go”.
- Uncheck any add-ins that you are not using.
Note: If you see “The connected state of Office Add-ins registered in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE cannot be changed” see this article for help with disabling those add-ins.
Disable Exchange Client Extensions
Exchange Client Extensions are a different type of Add-ins. To disable those:
- Select “Exchange Client Extensions” in the Manage drop-down at the bottom of the Trust Center window and click “Go”.
- Uncheck any add-ins that you are not using.
Do not forget to restart Outlook for changes to take effect.
See more tips on improving Outlook performance and stability.
How to compact an Outlook PST file
After you remove messages or attachments from your mailbox, the PST file size will not necessarily reduce by itself. In order to shrink the size of the PST file, you need to compact it.
To compact a PST file:
- Right click on the top-most folder of your PST. (It is usually called “Personal Folders”, but may also have a different name).
- Select “Properties for…”
- Click “Advanced”
- Click “Compact Now”
See more tips on improving Outlook performance and stability.