Im sure its not just me but outlook has always seemed very sluggish...and this week I had finally had enough when it stopped synchronising with my IMAP inbox folder...So I reverted back to using Mozilla Thunderbird...And boy its so much sleeker...
Install took seconds...and best of all with a couple of free addins it fully integrates with google calendar and contacts, which is perfect for me especially since I have my iPhone sync directly with google calendar and contacts via a great free service www.nuevaSync.com. This removes the need to sync my iPhone except for Media content...My contacts and calendar are sync'd all the time..