Every now and then, I come accross some really fantastic products that really jump out at me.  The usual suspects such as Google Desktop, Virtual Earth and the like spread quickly and don't need my mention, but there are some other products that are truly fantastic, but because of their niche apeal get very little attention.

So here are a few that I think are worth mentioning:

• MailEnable - This super easy mail server offers a free “Standard Edition” which includes all the essential mail server components (POP, SMTP, List Server) and a lot more! We often recommend a MailEnable server to our OnTime customers who want to setup a separate SMTP or POP server for email notifications and the new email conversation feature in OnTime 2006.  Fantastic product!
• DataDynamics ActiveReports - You may have already seen my post about how I hate Crystal Reports. Well, ActiveReports is a far superior alternative to Crystal. DataDynamics ActiveReports is a fantastic reporting tool that's designed for developers and offers the perfect re-distribution license (royalty free).  Even their end-user report designer is royalty free.  I totally get the sense that these guys understand ISV needs, unlike Business Objects.  Additionally, ActiveReports for .NET is designed and developed in .NET with a simple XCopy deployment, unlike Crystal's convoluted merge modules.  The new OnTime 2006 Reporting system and Custom Report Designer are now based on the ActiveReports engine.
• DataDynamics SharpGraph - While all the other graphing tools vendors are totally missing the boat with products that cost thousands for royalty-free redistribution (and offer separate web and windows modules), DataDynamics is kicking butt with a $349 product (licensed per developer, no royalties).  Whether you want pie charts, bar charts, 3D or 2D, Web or Windows, this product does it all.  The OnTime 2006 Mini-Dashboard and Full Dashboard use the SharpGraph engine for the pretty graphs. I highly recommend it.

I'm sure there are other products that I'm forgetting, but for now, these were what came to mind.