EssentialPIM is a free and multilingual personal information manager which includes three components: a calendar, note taker and contact manager.

It has a very usable interface, with things kept simple but extremely functional. This results in a small file size, and the use of few system resources.

The Calendar comes with day, week, month and year views, reminders and repeat options. The Notes component includes all the usual formatting options (bold, italics etc) along with the ability to insert images or tables.

Finally, the Contacts element lets you store work and personal details for individuals, along with IM details, images and birthdays.

If you're an Outlook or Outlook Express user, you can import existing data directly into EssentialPIM. Data can also be exported in HTML, RT, CSV and TXT formats.

Multiple databases can be created, so you can have separate PIMs for work and home, or for each family member. For security, each database can be password-protected and encrypted.

This is a major (2.5) release of EssentialPIM and now enables you to synchronise your calendar with Windows Mobile 5.x and smartphones, two-way Google synchronisation, a sticky notes option to post your 'to do' notes to your desktop and many other improvements and fixes.