add-in
Latest
Outlook for iOS gets better with third party app support
Outlook mobile turns 2 years old today. To celebrate, Microsoft is introducing an add-in feature on iOS (Android is "coming soon") that promises to reduce the time you spend switching between apps.
Use Microsoft Outlook to schedule a meeting at Starbucks
At March's Build developer conference, Microsoft gave the full rundown on a number of Office extensions for Mac. Part of that announcement was a Starbucks add-in that allows you to send gift cards and book meetings inside Outlook. Well, that extension, er "add-in," is ready for prime time. This means that you can easily send a "thank you" cup of coffee or schedule a meeting at your nearby Starbucks location while you're looking at a related email. And if you need to place an order, the add-in will boot you out to the coffee company's mobile app to input all the details for your Grand Soy Latte or Iced Americano.
Windows Phone beta app plays nice with WHS 2011, streams media from your network
Fancy accessing your Windows Home Server directly from your Windows Phone? Then you might want to experiment with the Phone Connector add-in for WHS 2011 beta (aka Vail). This lets you connect you to core network functions and settings via an app on your handset, including alerts, user accounts and connected devices. Crucially, it also streams all your lovely media, so long as it's in WP-supported codecs. And if you pin the app to your home screen, you'll get a nifty live tile with your network's name, free disk space and a breakdown of network health alerts. Sure, you might have a bit of fuss to get this RC working, but then that's half the fun.
AirPlay for Windows Media Center does exactly what you're thinking it does
This isn't the first time Windows has been invited to the AirPlay party, but Thomas Pleasance's AirPlay for Windows Media Center addin seems to already be one of the smoother combinations we've seen and it's still in beta. Unsurprisingly, it does what the name says, so after installing Apple's Bonjour service and the free client on your Media Center PC you should be able to stream video or pictures to it (there's no support for music yet) from an iPad or iPhone with a simple click. The Digital Lifestyle has already gotten a quick hands-on with the app and got it working seamlessly as seen above, check that out for more details or hit the source link to download the necessary software to make it all work.
Microsoft shows off Home Server 'Vail' app for Windows Phone 7
Things may have been looking bleak for Microsoft's upcoming version of Windows Home Server, dubbed "Vail," when HP announced that it was dropping the OS in favor of WebOS last month, but Microsoft has now given it a boost of confidence that should put any rumors of its death to rest. The company is showing off an add-in for Vail that will let you manage alerts on your Windows Phone 7 phone, access media stored on your home server, and in turn send pictures stored on your phone to your server (but not other media, apparently). Still no firm word on a release, but Microsoft says it will available "soon." Hit up the source link below for Microsoft's complete walkthrough of the app.
HP MediaSmart add-in adds TiVo compatibility, enables video transfers to and fro
For those enjoying media bliss thanks to a little MediaSmart box humming away somewhere in the corner, life just got a even more lovely. HP has announced a partnership with TiVo that allows MediaSmart users to install a Windows Home Server add-in, enabling the two devices to talk sweet nothings to each other. From within the WHS console you'll be able to suck recorded content from the TiVo onto the MediaSmart's expansive storage array and, from there, play it on any of your compatible devices (PC, Mac, Xbox, PS3, etc.). Or, when you start to miss those happy TiVo sounds, you can send that content back over to DVR to view from there. The WHS extension is available right now to MediaSmart owners, so get on with the downloading already.
vmcPlayIt pulls PlayOn streams into Media Center and Media Center Extenders
Sure there's other ways to get bits like Hulu and Netflix on your Windows Media Center and Media Center Extender interface, but since PlayOn media server's already set up to add streaming video from those and other services like ESPN and YouTube, why not slide them all in at once? If you've already dropped the cash for a PlayOn install or are trying out a demo, the vmcPlayIt add-in serves as a Vista Media Center front end for all those video sources. 32- and 64-bit versions are available for the low low price of free, if this matches your setup it should be worth a try.[Via eHomeUpgrade]
MyNetflix, vmcNetFlix and NetflixMC plug-ins get compared
Not really impressed with vmcNetFlix? Just perplexed by the sheer number of Netflix plug-in choices out there? Fret not, as Missing Remote has spent some quality time with a trio of apps: MyNetflix, vmcNetFlix and NetflixMC. The entire trio brings Netflix "Watch Now" content to Media Center Extenders, and reviewers tested each one on performance / usability, features and overall impressions. We're not going to spoil anything, so give that read link some love and see which fits you best.
