Personal Information Manager (PIM)

PIM software is a very general term and may include any of the following features:

• Address books
• Lists (e.g., task lists)
• Significant dates (e.g., birthdays, anniversaries, appointments and meetings)
• RSS feeds
• Reminders and alerts
• Notes
• Email, instant messaging (IM) and fax communication
• Voicemail
• Project management

It used to be that synchronization was implemented as a a point-in-time update between computers and devices. As more software migrates to the cloud, a PIM that syncs between multiple types of devices is standard.

Most users would probably never use the PIM term. For example, a user might know all his contacts and calendar information is with Google Apps, but he would not necessarily refer to it as his PIM.