The Zimbra Desktop brings the excellent online collaboration tool right onto your computer. Although the installation process was a bit lengthy, once Zimbra Desktop was up and running, everything went smoothly. You'll have to have all your server and mail details ready to be able to configure your Zimbra account. After that's done, Zimbra will sync with your mail client and download all your mail data. This can take a certain amount of time so you'll have to be patient.

All your mailbox elements like inbox, contacts, calendar or documents will appear in a new tab in your default browser. We quite like the search feature, set at the top of the interface, which lets you quickly find anything in your items. However, probably because the application is still in Alpha, the search can be quite slow, especially if you have a large mailbox.

In terms of overall performance, Zimbra Desktop ran seamlessly whether online or offline. The application manages to sync ingoing and outgoing data well so that you really never have to worry about the state of your connection. This download also includes the Zimbra Toaster, a discreet little add-on that will pop up every now and then to notify you of any new messages. We're looking forward to further releases of this application, which should prove quite handy for professionals on the go.