Executive editor Ben Z. Gottesman receives and sends over 200 e-mails each day. A confirmed desktop search addict, he tracked his use of X1 for a day. He used the program no fewer than 17 times over the course of a 12-hour workday. Here are some sample entries:

7:33 A.M. Needed an update from a writer on a quotation in this article. Searched e-mail for blinkx to find the original item.

8:30 A.M. Checked to see whether there was a response to an e-mail about a writer's use of a specific term. Searched e-mail for the term and found nothing. (There's nothing like sending a peeved request for a response you already got.)

9:30 A.M. Needed a set of performance test results for this story. Rather than navigating the Windows folder tree, searched files for dtSearch Excel.

9:43 A.M. Wanted to forward an e-mail to a new staffer about some testing ideas discussed with his predecessor. Searched e-mail for depth of field folder:cameras and found the original note immediately.

10:04 A.M. Received JPEGs of possible cover designs from the art director. Quicker to view them in X1 than launch each and view in the associated graphics program.

1:58 P.M. Was asked whether we had covered a particular product yet. Searched attachments for the product name. Found that the review had been approved two weeks earlier.

3:20 P.M. Used the app again to view a Word attachment just received. Faster and avoids viruses.

4:45 P.M. Needed to find an original e-mail sent to a couple of writers. Searched e-mail for both names together.

5:28 P.M. Needed to add a detail to an article about a licensing deal between two companies. Searched e-mail for the company names and found the announcement.

5:30 P.M. A coworker stopped by to ask for a clarification on an e-mail. Searched on to:coworker.