Office
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Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 due out soon
There's good news, and there's bad news, and we'll be hitting the latter first. Days ago, reports flooded the net claiming that an Office Mobile upgrade that would allow viewing / editing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files created in Office 2007 was available. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a mistimed leak, so we're back to testing our patience for now. On the bright side, we do have a good indication of what this free upgrade (for Office Mobile 6.0 users) will bring, which reportedly also enables users to "view and extract files from compressed .zip folders." So just hold tight, the update should be flowing out for real "within the next two weeks."[Via DownloadSquad]
Office 2008 for Mac versions and pricing announced
I'm becoming the Microsoft Office Maven here at TUAW it would seem (which isn't as cool as being TUAW's iPhone hacker, Erica, but I'll take what I can get). The latest news from our friends at Redmond concerns editions and price (Oh! Pricing!). There will be three different flavors of Office 2008 for the Mac, and they are as follows: Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac: This is the core version of the productivity suite which includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Entourage. This version includes some Automator workflows, as well as Exchange support in Entourage (you'll see why I mention this in a moment). You can pick this version up for $399.95 (US) for the full retail version and $239.95 for an upgrade. Microsoft Office for the Mac Home and Student Edition: This is aimed at the segment of the market that needs to edit documents and such, but isn't in an Exchange environment. As such the version of Entourage included in Home and Student Edition does not support Exchange, nor do you get Automator workflows with this edition. This edition only comes in the full retail flavor for $149.95 (which isn't a bad price at all, though this one is a no go for me). Microsoft Office for Mac Special Media Edition: This one is interesting. It includes everything in the core suite (including Exchange support) as well as a full version of Microsoft Expression Media for Mac for $499.95 or $299.95 for the upgrade. It is worth noting, for our international readers, that Office 2008 for Mac will be available in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, and, new in this version Danish, Finnish and Norwegian.
OpenOffice coming to the Mac natively
Our Weblogs, Inc. buddies at Download Squad bring us this news: OpenOffice is going to be able to run natively on the Mac in 2008.The OpenOffice suite is getting pretty impressive-- while Writer, Impress, and Calc might not be necessary when you have Pages, Keynote, and Numbers around, OpenOffice's Math, Draw, and Base will probably be welcome additions to a few Macs out there. And don't underestimate compatibility-- back when I had to use a PC at work, OpenOffice was a constant tool, and using the same program at work and home has its advantages for people who are forced to co-OS.If you can't wait another year, there is still an alpha version available of the native port, and you might be waiting even longer than 2008 anyway-- we were promised a native port a year ago that apparently never showed up in full form. And don't forget about NeoOffice, either-- it's a very nice branch of the OpenOffice code that already natively runs on the Mac. Why wait for OpenOffice to get in gear when those folks have been punching out a native app for a long time now?
Mac BU slowly releasing Office 2008 details
Microsoft Office: no matter what your feelings are about Microsoft as an entity there is no denying that their eponymous office suite is an important application for the Mac. Sadly, the newest version, Office 2008 for the Mac, has hit some bumps along the development path and has been delayed until January 2008 (one assumes Macworld 2008 will be its coming out party). There is a limited beta going on, but few have been invited to participate and the only glimpse into the next version of Office that most Mac users have had has been right here on TUAW with our gallery of screenshots from Macworld 2007 (which, I should point out, Microsoft was nice enough to provide to us).Now comes word that the Mac BU (that's the Microsoft Mac Business Unit, which is responsible for most Mac software that comes from Microsoft) has started to post some new tidbits about Office 2008 for the Mac on the Mac Mojo Blog. They'll be sharing more and more info as the ship date gets closer and closer.During Macworld I was able to sit down with some Microsoft folks and get a brief look at where Office 2008 for the Mac stood at the time. I was very interested in seeing the next version of Entourage, since that is the one Office app I use everyday. Sadly, at that time Entourage 2008 was so unstable they weren't comfortable showing it to me. Luckily, for me, the first new feature highlighted by the Mac BU is one that is new to Entourage 2008: Out of Office replies. That's right, in order to set Out of Office replies in an Exchange envirnonment Mac users are forced to turn to the Exchange web interface (which offers few options for Out of Office replies). Entourage 2008, paired with Exchange 2007, allows Macs users to set Out of Office messages, as well as configure different messages to be sent depending on who is emailing you, and have the message automatically turn itself off after a certain time (which is killer).
Study: One in four white collar workers game at work
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a job like ours that lets -- nay, encourages -- you to play games while on the job. That doesn't seem to stop many white collar workers, though, according to a recent study commissioned by casual game maker PopCap.The study, conducted by Information Solutions Group, found that 24 percent of white collar workers played games while on the job. More surprising (or perhaps less, depending on how cynical you are) a full 35 percent of the senior executives surveyed said they gamed at work. Of those who played at work, 53 percent said they did so at least once a day and 14 percent admitted they played during business meetings or conference calls. The overwhelming majority of work gamers said they did it to "feel more relaxed and less stressed out."Before you go decrying the death of the American work ethic, realize that the survey was conducted on 2,842 random visitors to Popcap.com, a group likely to be playing games anyway. The results might also be skewed because the overwhelming majority (72 percent) of respondents were female, and, as we all know, women make up a majority of casual gamers. Still, take comfort the next time you sneak in a quick game of coffee break Tetris. You're not alone.
MacBU introduces the "Art of Office"
I just recently got through questioning the future of Office for the Mac and the MacBU and now the guys have Microsoft has introduced an interesting new website called "Art of Office." It's a kind of portal designed to allow Office users to share documents demonstrating various cools ideas and and techniques for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They have a daily showcase of "most useful" and "most artistic" documents which users are invited to upload plus an Artists section. So if you're a real Office jockey, or just looking for some neat ideas, Art of Office is probably worth a look.[via MacNN]
Analysis: iWork and Office for Mac
David Weiss is an employee at Microsoft's MacBU, and while he has makes it clear that he doesn't speak for Microsoft or the MacBU, his recent post about iWork '08 is interesting from a couple of directions. He starts with a little self-congratulatory back-patting for Microsoft's embracing an "open" XML file format and talks a little bit about the challenges involved with "starting from scratch" in writing an office application. Most telling, however, is his conclusion. He writes that the "core value of Office on the Mac" is simple: compatibility. What's interesting about this is about what he doesn't say. He doesn't say that the "core value" of Office is getting your work done efficiently, or producing nice documents, spreadsheets or presentations. Basically what we need the MacBU for is to keep us compatible with Windows. And as I've started to play with iWork '08 I think he's more or less correct. Office for Mac is just about compatibility with Windows, not about giving Mac users the best user experience in document creation. And with Office for Mac dropping support for Windows-compatible macros, it increasingly looks like the MacBU isn't even doing that particularly well.At this point, and assuming they make their January ship date, we're not going to see an Intel native Office for Mac until two full years after the first Intel Macs were released (two and a half years since the transition was announced). With Numbers, Apple has taken a decisive step. While it's not going to replace Excel for big-time number crunchers, it's absolutely good enough for casual users like myself. Keynote was already well ahead of PowerPoint in terms of beautiful presentations and the new Pages is a significant improvement as well, particularly for straight word-processing. Considering all this, it's getting hard to see what purpose there is in having Office unless you have to deal with cross-platform issues on a constant basis (especially since iWork '08 is already more compatible with Windows Office 2007 formats than Office for Mac 2004 is). I don't think Microsoft Office is going to die anytime soon; it's too entrenched in business for that to happen. But with iWork moving ahead the way it is, I don't really see any reason for non-business Mac users to fork over hundreds of dollars to Microsoft for a sub-standard user experience. I had initially assumed I'd automatically upgrade to Office for Mac 2008 whenever it ships; now I'm quite doubtful. These look like dark days for the MacBU to me. What do you think?
Companies looking to make work more like games
Wish you could play games at work? You know, without having to sneak around? Soon you might be able to. Entrepreneur.com has a short report on the growing number of companies and government agencies that are making their work interfaces more like games.The article doesn't go into much detail, but organizations from IBM to Microsoft and even the military are looking to integrating games into their work processes. The move comes partly because an increasing part of the workforce are growing up with "neuropathways ... being formed around game logic," according to John Beck, co-author of The Kids Are Alright.It's fine in concept, but we're skeptical that any game can make the drudgery of cubicle life more enjoyable. Regardless, playing games at work will bring a new meaning to the term daily grind. *rim shot*
Sync your iPhone with Microsoft Entourage
I must admit I'm a bit surprised that this slipped past me, so I hope I'm not the only one that didn't realize Entourage can sync with the iPhone via its oft-forgotten ability to play well with Mac OS X's Sync Services. According to this Apple support doc, switching on the preference you see above in Entourage 11.3.5 or later will break down the barriers between Entourage, Address Book and iCal, allowing iTunes to unite your iPhone and Entourage in beautiful synching harmony (however, as far as I can tell, iTunes won't be able to sync your actual email accounts from Entourage).How well this bridge will work in practice I can't tell you; I'm not an Entourage man myself. But this might be great news for those still on the fence between an iPhone and something like a BlackBerry for whom Entourage synching is a deal maker or breaker. If anyone has been using their iPhone with Entourage, please sound off on how this setup's been treatin' you.
MacBU is alive, promises Universal RDC and file convertors
It appears the Microsoft Mac Business Unit is alive after all as they popped up with an announcement of coming attractions for "the week of July 30th." They'll finally be offering a Universal Binary of the Remote Desktop Client which allows you to control Windows computers from your Mac (thereby hopefully addressing some of Scott's concerns). In addition they're promising beta 2 of the much lamented Office 2007 file format converters with "a significant Word refresh and the addition of PowerPoint (.pptx)." In fact, the new General Manager of the MacBU Craig Eisler recently introduced himself and called for more "dialog" with customers. At least it's nice to know that things do seem to be progressing up there in the long wait for a Universal version of Office. Thanks, Space Taker.
The (American) Office comes to the DS
While we will always enjoy the British (see: O.G.) version of The Office more, the American version starring funny man Steve Carell has begun to grow on us. We're not quite sure if we're ready to play a video game based on the show, however. Universal seems to think many are, though, as they announced a partnership with developer MumboJumbo to bring a game based on the show to the DS.Nothing has been revealed about the game, but Bill Kispert, vice president and general manager of Universal's Interactive group, thinks the game will be something casual players and fans alike will appreciate. The game, he says, will feature "a proven, addictive game mechanic we think will be welcomed by fans and casual game players alike."So, who's ready to play a game based on The Office?
Coming to Xbox Live Arcade: The Office?
You might have read over at Joystiq that MumboJumbo is working on a video game based on NBC's The Office. The game is set to feature the characters from the show depicted as bobblehead dolls. Players will be challenged to complete jobs and pull pranks around the office. Currently, the game is slated to appear on the DS, PSP, and PC. According to Variety, the game won't be developed for new-gen consoles because of its relative simplicity. XBLArcade begs to differ, noting that MumboJumbo's deal includes the option to create the title for Xbox Live Arcade.MumboJumbo recently released Luxor 2 on XBLA, so they definitely have experience with the platform. Whether or not The Office will actually make an appearance on Live Arcade remains only a rumor at this point.Now, if we could just get The Office to make an appearance on Video Marketplace, we'd really be getting somewhere.
Leopard Watch: iCal with CalDAV
Apple's iCal Leopard page reveals that the upcoming Leopard version of iCal will support a subset of CalDAV, the distributed authoring and versioning calendar protocol. CalDAV allows collaborative creation and maintenance of shared calendars and events. With the new iCal, you won't have to send around a memo saying "give me your open dates in November". Instead, you can use iCal's "Auto Pick" capabilities to select a meeting time when everyone is free using their shared CalDAV calendars. (And, if your office uses an iCal room reservation system, you can even pick the room and block out the time you need it.) Of course, this new technology only works if everyone in the office--including that Jim-guy in the corner office who still refuses to switch from Windows--is in on the calendaring system.
Break room games help office morale, productivity
We at Joystiq understand that not everyone is lucky enough to have a job that allows, nay, requires them to play games on the job. The folks at Entrepreneur Magazine know this too, and are helping out by singing the praises of video games in the employee break room.It's not that surprising that places like Popcap Games encourage their employees to learn from the competition, but even non-game related business like law firms and automotive websites are finding that games improve office morale and productivity. Employers also note that game rooms help attract younger employees and makes a hell of an impression during an applicant interview.Still, aren't office game rooms an invitation for employees to goof off all day? Apparently not -- none of the businesses Entrepreneur found needed to impose any limits on play. As one employer paraphrased, "the only employees who might have trouble in this type of environment are the ones that can't regulate themselves." And those people are probably playing Minesweeper all day anyway.
Apple Mail plug-in roundup
Since I solved a number of the issues plaguing my Mail account setup - including a workaround to kinda use Gmail over IMAP (more on that soon) - I have sunk my teeth back into Apple's excellent email client. Now I'm pretty happy with using a few plug-ins like Scott Morrison's stellar MailTags 2 and Stefan Schüßler's Mail.appetizer (which we have previously mentioned at length here and here), though I am continually surprised by the number of plug-ins that endow Mail with everything from better support for Windows Office attachments, to creating events from messages and even more fine-toothed Smart Mailboxes for your Address Book contacts. One only needs to run a search for Mail at MacUpdate to see what I'm talking about, but I figured I could round up a few of these plug-ins just to give you an idea.
Bose patent app sees electroacoustical transducers in our chairs
While finding hidden speakers tucked neatly away in one's headrest, rocking chair, or gaming seat isn't exactly surprising, Bose is hoping to integrate the technology one step further by getting "surround sound" into practically every seat imaginable. According to a patent application filed by the company, it's hoping to develop an audio system that includes an "electroacoustical transducer mounted in the back of a seat" so that surround sound is radiated and focused around the ears of the listener. Obviously, said technology could be placed into cars, recliners, office chairs, and beach loungers with relative ease, and while musical entertainment is clearly the primary candidate for use in such a system, the filing also mentions possible telephone integration. Unsurprisingly, Bose didn't mention any details surrounding RMS ratings, frequency ranges, or driver sizes.[Via Wired]
Japanese hardware sales, May. 7 - May 13: Office Space edition
David: Hey, Jason, yeahhhh, I'm gonna need you to get on those JHS reports ... did you see the memo?Jason: Uh, yeah, I saw it. Thanks, Dave.David: Good, good. I'll let you get to it, then.(Jason sighs, and begins to type frantically.)Alisha: Heyyyyy, Jason, did you see the mem--Jason: For the love of God, yes. I'm on it.Alisha: No need to snap, Jason. Sounds like someone has a case of the Fridays.(Jason mumbles as Alisha walks away. JC and Eric approach.)JC: I can't believe it. I told those fudgepackers I liked JC's music. Me! I've never despised any form of sensory input as I do those songs.
Human Head survives fire, no data loss reported
Early Friday morning (late Thursday night for most), a devastating fire feasted on a historical building in Madison, Wisconsin. Local news coverage identified the multi-use building as home to Human Head Studios, developer of last year's long-incubated shooter Prey. Thankfully, the level designers had been released from their shackles for the night. No one was harmed in the fire.But what of the precious MEE data? Had Marc Ecko's rags-to-renders dream gone up in ... smoke? According to today's update from Human Head, no. "[Though] we suffered some equipment and furniture loss due to smoke and water, we suffered no significant data loss," reports the studio. A temporary relocation plan seems to indicate that Human Head is eager to get back to work on the Ecko-endorsed project, shedding any stigma earned from Prey's 5-year development cycle.
Get A Mac UK ad: Office Posse
Yet another Get A Mac ad has surfaced, though this time it is the British version that has a new addition. The ad, called 'Office Posse,' features PC, Mac, and Microsoft Office (those are the people in the colorful suits). Office runs just fine on the Mac, and it is implied that Office would rather run on the Mac (who wouldn't?). Another clever, if not compelling, Get A Mac ad.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Documents To Go 10 does Office 2007 on Palm OS
Ah, Docments To Go -- a constant, trusty pillar for countless PDA users for what seems like an eternity. Ironically, one could argue that DataViz's suite loaded on a high-res Palm OS device actually makes a better platform for loading up Office docs on the go than a Windows Mobile device does (certainly Smartphones, that's for darned sure). On cue, DataViz has dropped Documents To Go 10 for Palm OS, which rocks support for Office 2007 documents -- an important feature to be sure, considering that Microsoft totally threw 2007's file formats in the mixer. Even though Palm OS (Garnet OS, if you will) is getting embarrassingly long in the tooth at this point, we guess it's a comforting feeling to know that the third-party powerhouses are hanging in there with hot new apps -- or, as the case may be, worthy upgrades to old ones.
