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Microsoft notes how Office 365 will benefit Apple customers
Business people are increasingly accessing files stored in the "cloud," and Microsoft wants in on the action. A new suite of online tools called Office 365, still in beta, is meant to appeal to those users. A recent post on the Office 365 Blog describes how the service will benefit Apple customers. "End users still get a phenomenal experience across the Mac, Safari or iPhone so they can easily work with co-workers on PC's," notes blogger Andrew_MSFT. "The IT department also benefits with access to Admin pages and can set up one set of policies for secure access." Apple customers can benefit in several ways. For example, Office for Mac 2011 users can share and co-author Word and PowerPoint documents via SharePoint Online. Those without Office installed can make "light edits" with SharePoint Portal, view PowerPoint broadcasts and check Exchange email with Outlook Web Access, all via Safari. iPhone users can set up Exchange Active Sync and use one of several third-party apps to view and edit MS Office documents (though there is still no official Office for iPhone app from Microsoft). Office 365 pricing is complicated. ZDnet has put together a slideshow of the options that will likely be available when it launches in mid-2011. ZDnet notes that pricing starts at US$72 per year for the basic service. The service could change a bit but with a rumored July launch, the feature set is probably fixed. Is Office 365 something you'd think of using, or would you prefer to go to Google or even roll your own solution using, say, Dropbox? Let us know in the comments. [Thanks Rich for the tip!]
Microsoft releases Office 2011 Service Pack 1
Office 2011 version 14.1 (Service Pack 1) is now available from Microsoft's website. As announced on April 6, the update includes a variety of improvements to the new Outlook for Mac, including built-in support for Apple's Sync Services which allows users to more easily synchronize Outlook data with other Mac OS X software (like iCal and BusyCal) and devices (like the iPhone and iPad) through iTunes. The update also includes the usual fixes for "critical issues" and patches a security vulnerability that could allow an attacker "to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code." Microsoft offers more details about the software update on its official Office for Mac blog. Even if the update isn't showing in Office's AutoUpdate utility yet, you can download the 246 MB package here. [via MacUpdate]
Microsoft releases OneNote app for iPhone, free for a 'limited time'
Well, here's something of a surprise -- Microsoft has just brought its OneNote app to the iPhone, and it's made it available as a free download "for a limited time" to boot. As with the Windows Phone 7 app (previously the only mobile version), the iPhone app will let you manage notes and shopping lists (and even add pictures taken with the iPhone's camera), and then sync those with Windows Live SkyDrive so you can access them in either the Windows desktop application or its web-based counterpart. As ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley notes, however, perhaps just as interesting as the app itself is the question of what else might follow -- a native OneNote app for iPad, perhaps, or even iOS versions of other Office applications? Microsoft unsurprisingly isn't commenting on those possibilities, but it did note that the OneNote app is the culmination of some 18 to 24 months of development from a team of Microsoft Mac Office and OneNote engineers, which is either a sign of some serious slacking or a fairly significant commitment on Microsoft's part. No word on when the "limited" free period will run out (so you'll probably want to grab it while you can), nor is there any world on a worldwide release -- it's currently only available to US users, unfortunately. [Thanks, Pradeep]
Microsoft axes Office Genuine Advantage, says program has 'served its purpose'
It's not offering any indication that Windows Genuine Advantage will follow suit, but Microsoft has just made the rather surprising move of shutting down its longstanding Office Genuine Advantage program. As with Windows Genuine Advantage, that program was designed to combat piracy and, as any Office user can no doubt attest, it wasn't shy to make its presence known -- warnings like the one above popped up when downloading templates from Office.com, for instance. Why the change? Microsoft isn't exactly offering too many details, with a spokesperson only going as far to say that the program has "served its purpose," and that Microsoft is "making several new investments that will allow us to engage with customers and help victims of fraud." In the meantime, however, it looks like you can now simply go about your business without a warning to be found.
Microsoft Office 2011 update fixes bugs
An update for Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 (14.0.2) boasts improved reliability when accessing Office for Mac through third-party applications, a fix for problems with Microsoft's AutoUpdate program and improved stability for Outlook 2011. The update is available now through MacUpdate, where we were tipped off about it, or it should eventually appear in the AutoUpdate. [via MacUpdate]
Microsoft Office or iWork, that is the question
No doubt about it: Microsoft Office is the 800-pound gorilla of productivity suites, both on the Mac and on Windows. In the latest version, Office 2011, the product teams have added lots of zing both in performance and features. Question is, can you go with alternatives? In particular, what about iWork? The answer is, it depends on the apps that you'll be using, the level of functionality you want from them, how you work and who you collaborate with. As there are great deals to be had today on Office ($80 for Home/Student, which only lacks Outlook vs. the Business edition), it's worth thinking about the match-up. [There are other commercial options, like Mariner Write/Calc, open-source alternatives like KOffice, NeoOffice and Open Office.org, and of course, cloud apps like ThinkFree, SlideRocket and Google Docs. Today we're talking iWork. –Ed.] For basic word processing, Pages is up to the task against Microsoft Word. Sure, things are in different places and the lingo may not be as familiar, and that may take some time getting used to. However, if the end goal is to get your thoughts on paper and to have the flexibility to format these words the way you want to, Pages will do the job. And if you need page layout flexibility, Pages' page layout tools makes for a more elegant and easy-to-use solution for documents that require you to position things around.
Google's Cloud Connect plugs Microsoft Office into Google Docs
It's been a pretty busy time for Google Docs this month -- first Google added support for mobile editing, and it's now finally bridging the considerable divide between the cloud-based service and Microsoft Office with its new Cloud Connect plug-in. That functions just as you'd expect, letting you edit files in Microsoft Office (either 2003, 2007 or 2010) and then sync them with Google Docs every time you hit the save button. Likewise, you can also edit your files in Google Docs and share them with others, and then simply pull down the latest revision the next time you open the document in Office. There's still no word on a widespread release for the plug-in, but those interested in trying it out can sign up for Google's early tester program at the source link below.
Outlook 2011 review: Beyond Entourage, not quite Outlook for Windows
TUAW dives into Microsoft Office 2011 with reviews of the apps that make up the suite. The legend lives on, in somewhat different form. The last time there was a version of Outlook for the Mac, it was Outlook 2001, it ran on Mac OS 9, and it only spoke MAPI (the legacy Exchange mail protocol). It lived alongside Office 2001, which already included Entourage for POP mail and contact/calendar management, so the writing was on the wall. Once Mac OS X came along, Microsoft settled on Entourage as the new Mac personal information management app, and Outlook was long thought to be dead on the platform -- until now. Is it a worthwhile part of the 2011 package, or does Apple's Exchange 2007 support in Snow Leopard's built-in apps match up well? Let's discuss. First things first: Outlook 2011 is not actually Outlook as you know, "love," and use it on various flavors of Windows. It is essentially an upgraded and revamped version of Entourage 2008, but it's polished up with some changes that will make some workflows smoother. I have been using it as my primary email client at my day job, and so far it hasn't had the random fits Entourage was known for. Another thing to note is the difference in editions -- if you buy the Home & Student Edition of Office 2011, you won't even get Outlook. You have to buy Home & Business or the Enterprise corporate edition of Office to get Outlook at all, so if your focus is a shiny new email client, it will cost you (or your employer). Click "Read More" to see the new features in this resurrected app for the Macintosh. %Gallery-107477%
Microsoft updates Office for Mac 2011
Microsoft has released an update to Office for Mac 2011 today. The 14.0.1 update weighs in at 110 MB and includes critical fixes for issues that might cause Office 2011 applications to stop responding or quit unexpectedly. Other issues the update addresses include: Excel: Excel-calculated cells are updated when revisions are made to related data. Reliability is improved when the FORMAT macro command is used. Word: Stability is improved when you build equations. PowerPoint: Stability is improved during slide shows. Compatibility with PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2010 is improved. Outlook: Reliability is improved when you delete messages from multiple IMAP accounts. Email passwords are retained in the keychain after new accounts are imported into Outlook. The update is recommended for all users of Office 2011 and can be downloaded here.
Office 2008 users: 12.2.7 update is available
With about two weeks to go until Office 2011 ships, Microsoft is making sure that Office 2008 is safe and sound with a security and stability update. The 12.2.7 update can be downloaded and installed by running Check for Updates from the Help menu in any of the Office 2008 apps, or letting Microsoft AutoUpdate do its job. What's in the update? For Microsoft Excel, it's a bug fix. According to Microsoft, the update "fixes issues that cause Excel to crash or close unexpectedly sometimes when you try to start an Excel application." And for those of you who use Entourage (Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?), it's about reliability. The update details there say that it fixes issues with Kerberos authentication with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and 2007 as well as an issue where Entourage would create duplicate items in the Exchange 2007 mailbox. You can read all of the details here. The installed update takes up 503.4 MB of your precious hard disk space.
Office 2011 to ship October 26
That's right -- Office for Mac 2011 now has an on-sale date; it's October 26th, which is just about a month away. The suite will be the first Mac OS X version that offers Outlook rather than Entourage, and it will come in a few different flavors. Home and Student 2011 will be available for US$119 (or $149 for a three-copy family pack), and it will come with Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Messenger. Home and Business 2011 will have the whole enchilada and will sell for $199 (or $279 for a two-install pack). The announcement came with the cheery video above, which runs through a few new features of the software and shows you a few of the kind folks running the Mac Business Unit. A couple of us have been using Office for Mac 2011, and we'll have some impressions for you later on. Stay tuned -- if you've been waiting for a brand new Office for Mac, the wait is almost over. [via Mashable and Nadyne Richmond]
Apple's MobileMe News details how iWork for iPad works with iDisk
iWork for iPad was updated yesterday with many changes, one of those being that the mobile app suite now includes integration with the MobileMe iDisk. What does that mean for iPad users who use Pages, Numbers, and Keynote? You can save your documents to the iDisk and then open them either from the iPad or any other internet-attached Mac or Windows machine. The details were posted on MobileMe News, the blog of the MobileMe team. Windows users can point a browser to me.com/idisk and upload existing Microsoft Office documents. Once the documents are in the cloud, they can be opened from the iPad for viewing or editing. Once work has been completed on the documents, they can be saved back to the iDisk as iWork, Microsoft Office, or PDF files. It would be nice if iWork for iPad also supported Dropbox or Box.net, but for the time being, it's good to see that Apple has added support for their own cloud storage solution. [via TiPB]
In Brief: Amazon tips hand on Microsoft Office release date
Computerworld points to an October 26 ship date for Microsoft Office 2011, based on Amazon's page updates indicating the 10/26 availability -- the products have since been switched back to "sign up to be notified" pre-release mode. Gregg Keizler's piece also reiterates the discount options for buying Office 2008 and saving on Office 2011; by purchasing the 2008 versions now, buyers can get $25 or $50 off versus the purchase price of the next version. We expect to hear more about Office 2011 features and fancy bits over the next few weeks. [9to5mac rang us up to say they actually posted this at 11:58pm on Sept. 9, 2010. Thanks!]
New Microsoft brand logos, company tagline revealed at MGX event? (update: no new logos, tagline is a go)
It looks like Microsoft may have revealed something big at its annual MGX (Microsoft Global Exchange) event, namely... new logos for its main brands and a fresh brand motto. "Be What's Next" touts a teaser which has been posted on YouTube, along with a fast moving sequence of morphing logos, shuffling from Windows, to Windows Phone, Xbox, Bing, and finally the familiar Office logo that's been kicking around for a little longer. It's unclear if these are just treatments used for a promo at the event, or if this is a signal that Redmond is dumping its familiar (and frankly dated) iconography for something a little looser, leaner, and hipper, but we can't say it would be a bad thing. It would certainly make sense against a backdrop of potential comeback in the mobile space, gains in search, and the seemingly successful (or at least satisfying) Windows 7 launch. One thing is for sure, MGX is a corporate, non-public opportunity for the Microsoft faithful to cheer the brand (Ballmer received a 30 year commemoration at MGX 2010), so this would definitely be the place to unfurl some new branding. Check the video after the break to see the new style, and hit the gallery below for a bigger look. Update: So... the YouTube video has been pulled. Fear not, we've got our own copy! Update 2: We've just been contacted by Microsoft and told that these are not new logos which will be used on products, rather a standalone treatment to show the flexibility of joined brands. However, the "Be What's Next" tagline is real, and will be showing up here and there. [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-97972%
Entelligence: Time for Microsoft to once again embrace and extend
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. A core part of Microsoft's strategy from days gone by was known as embrace and extend. With a reboot of their mobile platform due later this year, is it time for Microsoft to think about moving some of their services and applications to competitor's platforms? To some degree, it's already happening. Microsoft licenses the ActiveSync protocol which allows Android, iOS and other platforms to wirelessly sync with Exchange. It's developed Bing and Live Messenger apps for iOS and also done a deal to bring mobile Office apps to Nokia's platforms. One could argue that in some of these cases Microsoft has given competitors access to what could have been key differentiators for its own mobile efforts. I'm not sure I disagree with that analysis, but now that it's happening, I think Microsoft should think even more broadly about porting some applications and services. Here's what I'd like to see made available for other platforms. Office Mobile: Sure, there are other solutions for viewing and editing Office documents on almost every platform, but none of them carry the Microsoft Office brand. A version of Office for mobile (including a touch-enabled version of OneNote) would be an instant best seller on every platform and a become the de facto standard for mobile office applications. A combination of free document viewers and a suite of applications at a reasonable cost would put Microsoft at the top of mobile productivity and at the same time help continue to drive Office sales for PCs and Macs.
New Hotmail, Microsoft Office 2010 available now
Just a quick note for those of you who have yet to adopt Open Office (or have yet to give up on being productive altogether). Microsoft Office 2010 is available right now for Windows 7 / Vista / XP users. Right this instant. As you read this. It has entered "the realm of the real," as it were. Depending on your needs and your budget, you can pick up one of various flavors: Home and Student (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for $150), Office Home and Business (all of the above, plus Outlook for $280), or Office Professional (adds Access and Publisher for a cool $500). If that weren't enough for you, it also looks like Hotmail (remember that?) got some massive improvements with Office Web App integration, new attachment limits up to 10 GB using SkyDrive, and more. What are you waiting for? Check out the source links to get started.
iPad misses out on Office romance, but gains a $900 app and more
Stephen Elop, el presidente of Microsoft's business division has stated that his company has "no current plans" to port its Office productivity suite over to the iPad. Contenting itself with a "wait and see" approach, the Redmond outfit isn't willing to completely close the door of possibility, but earlier hopes of seeing family favorites like Word and Excel on the iPad might have to be doused for the time being. Should that hamper the enjoyment of your new slate, you might want to console yourself with the extravagantly priced SiteClone Publisher, also available for the iPhone, which converts $900 of your hard-earned cashola into a tool that downloads data off particular sites while online, so that the user may access that content even without a connection. Doesn't sound worthy of a tenth of its price, but maybe the government and corporate entities it's aimed at will appreciate it more. Finally, Apple Insider is reporting whispers that Apple retail employees will be getting freebie iPads at some indeterminate point in the future, while NeoSmart has a particularly insightful breakdown of the differences between PowerPC, x86, and ARM CPU instruction sets. Hit up the links below for the full edifying experience.
Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac screenshots leaked
BoyGeniusReport has posted a series of screen shots from the next version of Microsoft Office for the Mac. The screen shots show the updated versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They also show the first look at the new Outlook for Mac, which replaces Entourage. The screen shots show how the ribbon display, first brought to the PC version of Office in 2007, will be implemented on the Mac. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit first previewed Office for Mac 2011 in February. Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac is being rewritten entirely in Cocoa and is expected to ship later this year. Click on over to BoyGenius for the full gallery.
Word, Excel and OneNote for Windows Phone 7 Series revealed
We actually haven't seen any official shots of the Office apps for Windows Phone 7 Series, but now that Microsoft's emulator has been hacked and unlocked, we've got a glimpse of what creating a Word doc in OneNote looks like -- and while there's a high probability that this a super-early version of the app, it's still revealing in how drastically minimal it is. Microsoft says most people just want to make minor edits and leave comments to Office docs while on the go, not make large edits with copy and paste, so we'd expect to see track changes in the final version, but something tells us the main interface isn't going to look tremendously different than this. One more shot and the video with Word after the break -- hit the source for the second vid with Excel.
Microsoft loses second Word patent appeal, on the hook for $240 million in damages
And the intellectual property rollercoaster continues. Microsoft's second appeal of that $240m judgment banning sales of Word with features infringing on i4i's XML-related patents has been rejected, leaving the Redmond giant with a huge fine to pay atop its undoubtedly sky-high lawyer bills. The appeals court held that Microsoft was explicitly aware of i4i's patents before implementing the relevant XML code into Word -- undoubtedly because i4i had been selling an extremely popular XML plugin for years and had approached Microsoft about licensing it. Yeah, oops. Don't worry, though, there shouldn't be any consumer impact here: old versions of Word aren't affected, and current versions of Word 2007 and Office 2010 don't have the offending features. Still, Microsoft might be able to appeal yet again, depending on a panel ruling on the matter -- at this rate, we'd expect it.
