For people with a busy social or business network, it can be difficult to keep in touch with everyone. Now with the release of version 4 of MailList King by Xequte Software, it is even easier to combine a list of contacts onto one mailing list and send out mass messages. This mailing-list management software allows the users' e-mail software to function as a mailing-list server. In addition, the software program will give users the power to subscribe, unsubscribe, and send out messages to a number of mailing-list groups at once. The updated version can be integrated with all MAPI-compliant e-mail programs, such as Outlook Express and Eudora. The program now also includes an HTML editor to create rich-text messages, and can embed images and Web links into messages. Users can download a trial version from Xequte Web site. The Standard version is $49.99, and the Professional is $79.

Once a user is done sending and receiving the plethora of messages, Mailbag Assistant 3 from Fookes Software can help sift though all the e-mails. Mailbag Assistant can search message folders--no matter if they are stored on a computer, on a network drive, or on removable media--track down specific e-mails, filter out ones that have viruses, and organize and archive them. Some of the more advanced features include complex searches using Boolean operations that link multiple criteria; creating message subsets; using a full-featured scripting language to create custom operations; and compiling word and traffic statistics. Users can download a free 30-day trial copy, or pay $29.95 for the program.

For frequent FTP users, FileStream Inc. has released ConcordFTP 2, an easy-to-use FTP client for transferring files. This updated version has new automation features such as daily backup of folders and sites, uploading and downloading of images and files when they have been updated, and auto-downloading of newer files. Users can run the FTP client with its six-panel interface, or in Silent mode, which does script-driven file transfers. Users can download a time-limited evaluation version. Full cost is $49.95.

Use the 3D-Album for a new way to display photos on a computer. Created by the Micro Research Institute Inc., this program allows users to display their photos in a 3D, onscreen presentation style. It only takes three steps to create a presentation, which can be copied onto a CD, put on a Web page, or turned into a screen saver. The photo presentation can also be accompanied with music or a voiceover. The program costs $39.95.