Email Systems and Innovation

Like most information workers I live in my Email client, I am currently using thunderbird with some configurations to help me with the GTD methodology.

But when I look at the email systems around , I think they have become the a non focus items for the Microsoft's of this world. Web based email client has seen some improvement over the past year. But Desktop Email Clients / Systems are still stuck in the past?

I Believe that given the fact that they are the defacto working environment for most knowledge workers they are in position to deliver much more value. Also in the world of SOA driven applications, controlling the user interface and need to have a good user interface will be paramount.

On the information pipes side there is some innovation,SAP DUET is probably the highlight here. But I think what Newsgator is doing on the RSS front is also quite interesting and unique. But I think the big spaces which require/need innovation are the top two layers, Visualization & Organization. On this front I was reading the Forbes article on "The Inside Out web" in which the author David Gelernter talks about the concept of the World Beam.

What is World Beam?

Single Global Information Beam! (Which can be filtered - Separate beams)

Consists of every webpage ever posted. You - and only you - can filter out and examine your own personal bean, which are made up of all the documents you have ever received or created yourself. They can be isolated and blended like custom cappuccinos. You can search them, as well as rewind and fast-forward them.

Constantly growing journal or timeline of electronic documents (interactions)

When you tune in a beam, you will see each new element as it arrives; the beam moves continuously backing slowly into the past at the speed of time, toward the rear of the simulated volume right behind your computer screen. You see a "parade" of documents, each represented by a single vertical-standing page-as if you were watching a file of soldiers from directly in front and slightly above.

Many sorts of information are blended together.

It consists of every email, voice mail document, mp3, project report, snapshot, video, shopping list and so on.

 Can email systems take a few concepts from here.

Organization of Information- Prioritization, Grouping , Relevance, Tags - There is so much that can be done. Now all the organizing is to be done manually or another approach is to dump them all in one folder and use the desktop search tool.

Visualization - This is an area which needs significant work! Not the tool bars and the look and feel but the way the information gets displayed.

Innovate !

Update: Looks like Microsoft is thinking in this direction, but i dont see Outlook getting mentioned wonder why? Live writer is a good example.

Technorati Tags: innovation - email - knowledge+worker - future - forbes - newsgator - sap - duet

Prashanth Rai