EasyNoter Pro for Windows

EasyNoter Pro is closer to an actual handheld diary or daybook than any full-featured personal information manager we've seen, but now you can use it for free, too. An attractive widget opens like an eBook to reveal a Diary, Notes, Address book, and Reminders. The unique and highly functional 3D layout also combines cyber and paper concepts in unexpectedly productive ways. EasyNoter Pro is free with a registration key that requires your name and e-mail address, or you can buy a permanent license for less than $10.

Pros

Cool covers: The supplied skin, Tribute to Cosmos, is one of many free calendar covers based on awesome NASA/JPL/Caltech images in the Photo Album. Many different free themes are available to download, too.

Bookish but attractive: EasyNoter Pro succeeds in combining eBook and desktop features, like the embedded tree views in the Notes and Address tabs, or the fullscreen view. The inside layout looks like a ringed binder, too.

Extras to hand: Calculator, Windows Media Player, file browser, and more can be found on EasyNoter Pro's inside toolbar. Outside, a digital day-date-time display earns its keep when the book's closed.

Cons

Free is free: This is a minor complaint, but EasyNoter Pro's renewable free license scheme is a bit more awkward than it needs to be, though doubtless some users will pay the minor fee to avoid the fuss. The app's worth the cost, which approximates a freeware donation.

Bottom Line

More elaborate PIMS and more basic diary apps are available, but if you're looking for a worthy desktop diary and notekeeper that stands out from the crowd, definitely try EasyNoter Pro.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of EasyNoter Pro 4.2.