Astonsoft Ltd has released version 4.5 of both free and Pro editions of its personal information manager, EssentialPIM. Version 4.5, which is also available as a portable build, adds a number of new features and improvements.

The most notable new features – full sync capabilities with Google Docs and Google Tasks, a new Attachment Manager and support for custom fields and filters in the To Do Module – are restricted to EssentialPIM 4.5 Pro only.

Other minor new features are available to both Free and Pro users. EssentialPIM 4.5 gains support for one-way syncs with all supported online services, with a new option for choosing whether to synchronize First/Last or Last/First names. The password module is also the recipient of several unspecified “improvements”.

The email module has also been improved, with a new compress command for each IMAP folder helping reclaim lost disk space. Email can also now be received through a proxy server, and Unicode attachment support has also been added.

EssentialPIM 4.5 also adds support for Plaxo import and LinkedIn import and export. The interface has been refreshed with a new font and the Attachments toolbar has also been improved. In terms of performance tweaks, the program claims to open EPIM Today and Mail modules quicker than the previous build.

EssentialPIM 4.5 Free and EssentialPIM 4.5 Free Portable are available for free download for PCs running Windows 2000 or later. EssentialPIM 4.5 Pro is also available as a free trial download – the full version costs $39.95.