The Task Organizer lets you change the due date on tasks, manage and view all tasks, and when the sidebar is closed, it will pop up reminders when you have overdue items.

In the new sidebar, you can also view the status of your projects, pin the most important projects for quick access, edit and create new tasks right in the sidebar and filter tasks by date, category, priority or other options.

The sidebar features a “Project” tab as well which you can switch to in order to gain access to your project list and its associated tasks, files and contacts. Here, you can add free-form notes to projects, move and rename projects and quickly jump from this tab directly to the associated email folder for that particular projects.

As always, ClearContext still helps with filtering your barrage of incoming email with its automatic filing and organizational features, including the great option to automatically file entire email threads from the inbox. it also lets you quickly turn emails into appointments or tasks, automatically reminds you to follow up on sent email you need a reply on, offers Do Not Disturb and Autosign features and a lot more.

Registered v5 customers can download v5.1 here. New customers can purchase v5 here.  if you’re using the older version of ClearContext (Pro v4), you can purchase an upgrade to v5 here.

The cool thing about this add-in, which installs itself as new tab on Ribbon-enabled versions of Word and PowerPoint, is that it lets you download and test watermarked images in your documents before buying. You can move them around and even crop them to see how they look.

Once you have an image you like, purchasing can be done right from within your document. Same goes for searches, buying credits, and signing in and out of your Veer account.

The Veer Images add-in is a free download available here for Windows XP, Visa, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 computers.

(via The Microsoft Office Blog)

Based on user feedback, the hint system in Ribbon Hero has been revamped with updated wording that helps you find features faster. Hint images have been improved as well.

Finally, you can now comment on Facebook posts directly from the Ribbon Hero add-in and you’ll be notified when you earn achievements whether or not you’re logged into Facebook. There are more sound effects when this happens, too.

If you’ve never played Ribbon Hero (or challenged your friends), you can download and install the add-in now from here. It’s a lot more fun learning Office this way than having to page through some stuffy old manual, anyway. Even if you’re already comfortable with Office software, you can upgrade your skills by learning new, more advanced features with Ribbon Hero.

Curious as to how this whole “make Office a game” thing came about? Check out this behind-the-scenes look at the software posted here on Ch. 10  in January.

In addition to the extra storage, MediaSmart owners can watch the recorded shows on either a PC, Mac or TV by way of the Home Server’s remote streaming option.   

Some of the more recent add-ons integrate social networks into your inbox for a bit of social CRM while others focus on more advanced search and organizational tools.

Below are some of the more recent ones I’ve come across.

(One caveat: I haven’t used all of these in the list below myself. However, the ones I have used in the past – Lookeen, Xobni, and ClearContext – all worked well.)

NEO Pro 4.1 (www.emailorganizer.com) - Automatically manages your inbox and catalogs all email messages using virtual folder structure to significantly reduce email overload and boost overall productivity – with no manual upkeep, clicking, or dragging to folders.

Lookeen (www.lookeen.net) - Provides a fast search for all things in Outlook.

Xobni (www.xobni.com) - Helps find emails, conversations, contact info & attachments faster while integrating social networks and email analytics features.

ClearContext Professional (www.clearcontext.com) - Keeps messages organized by suggesting the right folders to instantly file messages and conversations with one-click.

Chilibase for Outlook (www.chilibase.net) - Easily search and track all contacts and conversation threads.

RedCritter (www.redcritter.com) - Plugs documents, tweets, messages, maps and more — all related to the message you are currently viewing — into Outlook.

SimpyFile (www.techhit.com) - Turns filing Outlook messages into a one-click action and suggesting the correct target folder.

Auto-Mate (www.pergenex.com) - Applies flexible rules to your Outlook folders periodically, automatically organizing your mail in the manner of a personal assistant.

Advanced Folders Watch (http://www.mapilab.com/outlook/folders_watch/) - Monitors new mail messages and posts appearing in Microsoft Outook folders and public folders on Microsoft Exchange Server.

E-mail Follow-Up (www.mapilab.com/outlook/email_followup/) - Reminds you if an email you sent did not receive a reply after a certain time, thus requiring a follow-up email.

Donavon recommends that you create a separate account just for your Windows Home Server so as not to confuse your followers with these automated messages. 

For installation instructions including screenshots, check out this blog post. You can download the WHSTweet add-in here.

The gwabbit plugin automatically identifies a user’s contact info in the body of an email and then, with a click of a button, it can transform that text into an Outlook contact. It’s incredibly fast and a HUGE timesaver.

Now gwabbit has introduced a companion to their Outlook plugin, with a new Contact Manager designed for BlackBerry users. This version of gwabbit does pretty much the same thing as its counterpart – it automatically searches for signatures in your emails and lets you add them to your BlackBerry address book with just one click. And if your BlackBerry is being synced back to Outlook, as most BlackBerry devices in a corporate environment are, those new contacts are synced as well.

Gwabbit for Outlook is available as a one-time download for $19.95 (free trial available) and the new BlackBerry version will be available by month-end via an annual subscription of $9.95.

Since the tool was originally built back in 1999, it may look a little…uhhh…retro by modern standards, but don’t let the appearance fool you – this may easily be the most useful Outlook plugin you’ve installed in a long time.

Of course, anyone choosing to use the tool must do so at their own risk because – be warned! – it does delete email. That’s its purpose. For that reason alone, the legal department at Microsoft was hesitant about it being released to the public.

Note that Microsoft does not support the tool nor can they be held responsible for what it does.

That said, you can get the Microsoft Outlook Thread Compressor for free from here: http://threadcompressor.co.uk/default.aspx. You’ll find installation instructions and more information on that site, too.