SNARF is a surprisingly ambitious preview project from Microsoft Research that was created with the idea that social network information that is already available to the computer system can be usefully reflected to the user: a message from a manager might be seen differently than a message from a stranger, for example. It will be interesting to see if this product gains any traction with the powers that be at Microsoft and eventually is released into the world.
The user interface is designed to provide a quick overview of unread mail, organized by its importance which of course is determined by the social network information that SNARF discovers.
