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Microsoft's redesigned Office icons reflect its move to the cloud
Microsoft's Office icons on Windows and the web have been conservative, to put it mildly. They've been functional things you click while you scramble to finish a business spreadsheet or school report. The company would like you to sit up and take notice this time around, though. It just unveiled redesigned Office icons that will reach apps and the web in the "coming months," and they're decidedly more interesting. To Microsoft, they're a reflection of how much Office has changed in the five years since the icons last received a makeover.
Microsoft OneDrive will use AI to make searchable video transcripts
You've probably had that moment where you wanted to track down an important piece of information from a video, but weren't sure when it was said. If so, Microsoft wants to come to your aid -- it's introducing media searching in OneDrive (and SharePoint, for that matter) that uses AI to transcribe audio and video. The feature will show you timestamped quotes alongside the media viewer itself, with a handy search box helping you track down that elusive phrase.
Microsoft adds support for iOS Files app, drag and drop to OneDrive
Apple's latest operating system for its mobile devices, iOS 11, added a ton of productivity tweaks. One of the biggest is Files, a new, well, file system for iOS that lets users interact more directly with documents and images without having to go through an associate app. Now Microsoft has just added several new features for its Office and OneDrive iOS apps, including access to OneDrive through the Files app. Other additions feature drag and drop capabilities, co-authoring on iOS (and Mac), and a better list view in OneDrive to help find your files more easily. Microsoft has also added new features to its Slack competitor Teams, like the ability to add interactive cards from apps into chats.
Office 365's revamped web launchers put you to work sooner
Sometimes, it's not your productivity apps that need a tune-up... it's how you get to those apps that needs work. And Microsoft knows it. The tech firm has redesigned the Office.com front end and Office 365's web app launcher. There's now a recommended section that surfaces the activity that's relevant to you, so you can quickly jump to where you're needed -- say, a Word file that needs edits or your recent PowerPoint presentation. You can also search for people, apps, documents and sites right from the get-go.
Microsoft puts your company intranet on your iPhone
Look, we know: accessing your company's intranet is about as exciting as watching paint dry. However, wouldn't you rather have the option of using it from your phone, instead of having to sit at a computer? Microsoft thinks so. It just launched SharePoint for iOS, its first mobile SharePoint app. The tool gives you access to the files, portals, sites and teams that you're used to on the desktop. It's also smart enough to hop between apps depending on what you're accessing. It'll jump to OneDrive if you're peeking at the company's document library, for instance, or switch to one of the Office apps if you're opening a recent file.
Microsoft letting users choose Yammer as default social network in Office 365
Since enterprise-level social networking isn't really our bag, we haven't been paying that much attention to Yammer after Microsoft's paid $1.2 billion to buy it. Still, as part of Redmond's project to merge Twitter-for-business with Office 365, organizations can now make Yammer the primary sharing tool for their users. Unfortunately, we suspect some heavy-handed sysadmin will prevent you from sending those amusing LOLCat pictures your nephew emailed you to the folks in sector G.
Microsoft's going to make it pricier to bring your iOS device to work
When you can't beat 'em in the tablet and smartphone market, license 'em. That seems to be the tactic that Microsoft will begin using on December 1, 2012 when it starts charging more for user client-access licenses. Many companies are now embracing the BYOD (bring your own device) model, allowing employees to bring their own tablets, smartphones or laptops to work. According to a post on Business Insider, businesses that use Microsoft enterprise software like SharePoint pay for the part that runs on the server and also for the number of clients that are using the software. Companies with more employees pay more than those with fewer people on staff. There are two kinds of client access licenses (CALs) that enterprises can buy: a "Device CAL" that covers each device, and a "User CAL" that covers all devices that a particular employee uses. For companies using the BYOD model, User CALs were a pretty good deal. Well, that's what Microsoft is going to start charging more for on December 1, raising the price of a User CAL by 15 percent. It should be noted that the higher price also pertains to Windows phones and laptops and Surface tablets, although Business Insider does point out that better deals are probably available from Microsoft for an all-Windows environment. The enterprise software affected includes Microsoft Exchange, Project Server, SharePoint Server, Visual Studio Team Foundation Server and multiple CALs for Windows Server.
Microsoft buys PhoneFactor, adds smartphone authentication to its cloud services
With a hand-in-glove relationship with the world of business, it's key that Microsoft ensures it can keep companies data safe. That's what prompted Steve Ballmer to whip out his checkbook to snap up PhoneFactor, a multi-factor authentication company that uses smartphones instead of code-generating security tokens. With its new toy, Redmond plans to integrate the feature into its services like SharePoint, Azure and Office 365, letting users sign on with their own device as a key element of the signing in process.
Verizon adds Office 365 to Small Business Essentials, gives small businesses more mobile productivity tools
Fresh off unveiling Office 365's cloud app model last month, Microsoft has teamed up with Verizon to add the productivity suite to Big Red's Small Business Essentials service. Similar to the Governmental version of Office 365, small businesses can gain access to Office web apps, SharePoint website design tools, Exchange email and calendar service, plus Lync messaging. Best part is, it's just six bucks a month per user, and most all enterprise customers are taken care of: the tools are available on Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone. Want to know more? PR awaits after the break.
Microsoft's Office Store now open for business, productivity-boosting apps just a click away
You've known it was coming, and today the doors to Microsoft's Office Store were flung wide open. In short, it's a newfangled portal that enables avid Office and SharePoint users to search for, discover and install apps. Users will need a Microsoft account and the preview version of Office, SharePoint or Exchange in order to start diving in. Naturally, Microsoft has built a pretty stout control system for administrators, and it has also crafted an internal distribution mechanism in SharePoint called the App Catalog -- a tool that "allows enterprises to build in-house apps or source them from partners and distribute them to employees within the organization." Looking to see what it's all around? Head over to the Store and click entirely too many of those "Try It" buttons.
Harmon.ie brings SharePoint to iPad and iPhone
It's no secret that Apple's iPad is making great strides in the business market, with Apple CEO Tim Cook reporting during the Q2 2012 earnings call that about 94 percent of the Fortune 500 are either testing or deploying the iPad in business. Now harmon.ie is releasing social software to make Microsoft's SharePoint collaboration software usable on the iPad and iPhone. harmon.ie's solution is HTML5-based, and makes it possible for business users to access SharePoint from the iPad or a desktop machine, with an identical user experience. It's a potentially huge market, with about 78 percent of corporate America using SharePoint. As an example of how harmon.ie works, a user could create a PowerPoint presentation, copy it to SharePoint, and then send a link to co-workers via harmon.ie in Microsoft Outlook or IBM's Lotus Notes. Users in the worker's circle can then access the document on their iPads or iPhones. The app is available in both a free "Lite" read-only version, as well as a US$19.99 full version that gives users the power to edit and collaborate on SharePoint-based content. harmon.ie plans to make an MDM version with higher security available later in this quarter.
Office 365 ditches the beta tag, ready to take on Google Apps
We know what you're thinking -- you like the idea of Google Apps, but the Mountain View crew kind of creeps you out. Well, don't worry, Microsoft has your back. After making its beta debut last year, Office 365 is officially ready to spread its wings and offer its productivity web app wares to the business-minded masses. For $6 per-user, per-month small businesses get access to Microsoft Office Web Apps, Exchange, SharePoint and Lync video conferencing and can take advantage of the suite's integration with WP7 once Mango lands. Larger, enterprise plans start at $10 per user while adding support for desktop Office products and Lync VoIP solutions as you climb the pricing ladder. Really there's not much more to say except, check out the full PR after the break.
Microsoft and Nokia announce Office coming to Symbian
We didn't expect too many fireworks from Microsoft and Nokia's joint teleconference this morning, and, well, we didn't get any. As expected, Office Mobile is coming to Symbian, along with Office Communicator Mobile, SharePoint, and Microsoft System Center, and the two companies also said they'll be working on "future user experiences" for Nokia customers. Don't get too worked up about that, though -- Nokia said it was "deeply committed to Symbian," and that "there are no such plans" to work on a Windows Mobile device. So much for that. We did ask whether this partnership would affect Nokia's rumored Maemo plans, and we were told that development is Symbian-focused for now, but that there might be "other business opportunities" in the future, so at least that door remains open a hair -- but for the most part this is all about Microsoft and Nokia trying to stake out a stronger enterprise position, not anything else. Video after the break, if you're having a hard time taking that nap.
