Fresh SOS feedback on XOBNI version 1.6.3. Build 5342

[Erez.Network]

SOS feedback on XOBNI version 1.6.3. Build 5342 Nov-21-2008

Part 1 of 2 posts


First of all:
amazing progress and amazing performance !! wow guys, its totally working perfectly.
at last - I can use it on my XP, with the 10 PST's and 15 GB of data in them.

and I say this after abusing xobni on my computers

Here is my feedback:
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Now that Xobni has entered the multiple identity world -- some basic enhancements are needed.
the problem:
which datastore holds my primary database of contacts information?
answer:
in my opinion (and I am sure that bill gates will agree) it should be outlook
the main database for my contacts is outlook contacts,
so I'd like to be able to merge, consolidate, and import anything you can
from facebook,linkedin and others into the person's outlook contact.


At current state: outlook contacts are missing a lot of info that is available in Linkedin and Facebook
Information such as:
outlook.contact.Contact Picture <-- Facebook Profile Picture
outlook.contact.BirthDay <-- Facebook (person.birthday)
outlook.contact <-- URL to facebook profile
outlook.contact <-- URL to Linkedin profile
outlook.contact <--ß new emails of a person

Since now Xobni is the bridge between my outlook and many datasources (social networks)
it gets a new role as outlook contacts missing info populator

this may be a sidekick to xobni's first reason to being invented,
but will add hige value to the total usability of outlook
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1. the neet to gather people information and arrange it inside existing contacts in outlook:
Xobni should have features to Merge info into person's outlook contact
-- if a picture is available -- allow a button to "merge person picture into his outlook contact"

this is highly important since - most people sync their smart phones with outlook contacts
this way profile pictures are synced into smart phones, and allow incoming cellular calls to
be displayed in the smartphone with the picture that xobni assisted in finding and
adding to the contact.
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2. Contacts Creation:

Xobni should be more friendly to people who want to create contacts from the
collected information - that xobni found

feature:
Create or merge into an existing contact
an outlook contact for a person that I have a facebook identity
but no outlook contact.

TIP: ---> See the application "facebook fonebook" as a referance.

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3. fetched Picture in Xobni Frame - Usability
Xobni should allow more usability with fetched pictures:

Feature: Right click on a person's picture in xobni's frame, will give an option to:
"add this picture to the person's outlook contact"
-- if a positive match for the person's contact is found – show the user a dialog box to confirm
adding the picture to the person's outlook contact.
-- also add a checkbox in this dialog à to add additional scavenged
information into that person's contact ID.
and eventually – merge info and pic into the person's contact file.

TIP --> Check out LINKEDIN toolbar's "Grab" Feature.
And implement similar stuff in xobni to increase xobni's
ability to populate outlook contacts (with info from FB/LM/Ho).

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this is my feedback after testing on vista , and XP

More to come soon. Erez.Network @ Gmail.com

[JoBrad]

Yes, yes, and yes! I still don't understand why I have to re-enter all my contact's names from one Xobni installation to another. This is BASIC stuff, guys! You've made this product that works seamlessly (in one respect) with Outlook, yet it won't even work with different versions of itself! I don't really see the benefit of keeping all the collected information internal to a single installation, or even just to Xobni. Let me choose the address book for my contacts to be stored in, and then go through that.
Also, PLEASE put in the ability to specify how your org names its people. Mine has everyone's name like this: last first - alias, for instance. Where alias is the "short" email version of someone's name. So, every installation I have to go through and edit all of my contact's info.