I can't say I'm an Outlook fan, but for better or worse, I'm stuck with it. Fortunately, I've found a few ways to make the most of it, like using it as an RSS reader for my Google Reader account.

In other words, no more switching over to my browser every time I want to read my feeds.

Want to give this a try yourself? Here's how:

1. Switch to the Mail view.

2. Right click the RSS Feeds option in the Navigation Pane and choose Properties.

3. Click the Home Page tab, and then type this URL into the Address field: http://www.google.com/reader.

4. Make sure that Show home page by default for this folder is enabled.

5. Click OK and you're done!

Now, when you click RSS Feeds, you'll see the Google Reader home page just like in your browser. Sign in and presto, you've got your feeds. It should look a little something like the image up top (click it to see the larger version).