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This week the folks at Microsoft responsible for keeping Office at the head of every office’s mind have made clear their intent to move forward with signatures. In this case, … Continue reading

Microsoft’s next generation of Office software looks like it’s going to be a rebel and not follow Microsoft’s new “Blue” codename. The software will instead go by the codename “Gemini”, and it will be composed of two waves that will be released over the next two years. The first wave will be released alongside Windows Blue, and will bring updates to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

The wave-one updates will transform the existing Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote apps by converting the apps to Window’s Metro UI. Gemini’s second wave is said to be the jump start to Microsoft’s planned, frequent updates for Office 365 users. It will bring updates to both the Microsoft Office apps, as well as Microsoft Office services, such as Exchange, or SharePoint.

According to ZDNet, there is a group inside the Microsoft Office team called the Modern Office Experience (MOX). Their prime goal is making Office more Metro for Windows 8 and future Windows Blue users. They accomplished their first goal when they created a Metro version of OneNote. The group originally wanted to create hybrid-Metro office apps, where they would act just like the Office 2013 apps now, but would also be able to work with Windows’s Metro environment. Unfortunately, it didn’t comply with the Windows RT/8 regulations, so the idea was killed.

Along with the Gemini release, Microsoft plans on developing a touch version of Office in the near future. The touch-based Office will be targeted more towards Windows RT devices, that will have consumers see Office as more than just a desktop-based application. To fully take advantage of the Gemini updates, as well as Microsoft’s other Office updates, the company is trying very hard to push consumers to subscribe to its Office 365 service. It is even temping college students to subscribe by offering them a free trial of the service.

[via ZDNet]

Next-gen Microsoft Office is codenamed “Gemini” is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft Office 365 is slated to receive updates every 3 months, according to Kurt Delbene, the president of Microsoft’s Office division. He states that, “We already have the mechanisms in place to update the service on a quarterly basis.” The quick updates should make subscribing to Office 365 more appealing to consumers. Delbene was a bit more evasive about whether or not Office 2013 would be updated quarterly as well, but he did say that it’s possible.

DelBene stated that the updates will get into a routine of a “major-minor cadence”. Some updates will just bring new features, while others will include more “aggressive” changes. Delbene stated that the updates will “get into the short cycle where we can add more features, but then we’ll have a longer cycle where we really have to intensively change underpinnings of the services.”

An analyst from Gartner, Michael Silver, speculated what the updates could turn out to be like. The updates could skip the major-minor pattern and just update applications within Microsoft Office one at a time. One quarter, Microsoft Word could be updated, and the next could be Excel. The cycle would continue throughout Microsoft’s entire list of Office products.

The faster updates will appeal to consumers, especially since most consumers want quick, and rapid updates to their products, whether its their smartphones, tablets, software, and more. Consumers are always anxious to see the next big thing, which is why the smartphone manufacturers shell out a new, flagship product year-after-year, and why recording artists try to dish out a new album at least once per year. But with Microsoft Office, how much can they really add? Silver stated, “But with a 20-year-old product that’s so mature, I can’t think of really aggressive changes that they might make every year.”

[via Computer World]

Microsoft Office 365 to be updated every 3 months is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft has recently launched its Officer 2013 software last month and has announced that the licenses for the software are non-transferable. What does that imply for the end user? Basically you can only install the software on one machine now, as opposed to previous versions of Office. With previous versions, if something happened to your computer and you had to buy a new one, you didn’t have to buy new copies of Office as well. Not anymore. The newest Office 2013 is tied to a single computer.

What happens if end users want to use Microsoft Office on multiple devices? Well Microsoft is advising its customers to get Office 365, its cloud based offering that allows users to use the software on 5 different computers or mobile devices. However Office 365 is a subscription based service charged at $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually. This could be a move from Microsoft to enhance its customer base for its cloud based offering.

Microsoft has had issues with pirated software and this seems to be the reason why such policies are being enforced.  We are not too sure if customers loyal to the Microsoft brand will be too pleased with this change in policy.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mozilla Firefox 19 Available For Download Now, LEGO X-Wing Sports A Whopping 1,500 Pieces,

Like all-in-one PCs, TV and Twitter? NEC’s new desktop PCs might just hit the spot — if you live in Japan, that is. The company just launched its spring 2013 lineup of Valuestar systems which will be available in two display sizes on February 7th. Valuestar W computers pack a 23-inch screen and Core i7 processor with the 3D-capable VW970/LS costing ¥235,000 ($2,550) and the 2D-only VW770/LS listing for ¥215,000 ($2,330). The Valuestar N series boast a 21.5-inch display and come in three versions: VN770/LS with Core i7 for ¥195,000 ($2,110), VN570/LS with Core i3 for ¥160,000 ($1.740) and the ¥125,000 ($1,360) Celeron 1000M-equipped VN370/LS. While there are no details on RAM or storage options, all PCs run Windows 8 with Office 2013, and feature TV tuners, Blu-Ray drives (DVD on the VN370/LS), DLNA support, Yamaha sound systems, built-in video tutorials and access to music.jp’s service. The 23-inch models provide instant-on TV functionality with three TV tuners (two for recording, one for viewing) while 21.5-inch units include dual TV tuners. NEC offers several ways to control the computer’s TV functionality: via standard remote control, using gestures (except VN370/LS), with a custom smartphone / tablet app and even from Twitter. Yes, you can now DM your Valuestar system (even when it’s turned off) and tell it to record TV — you can also have it monitor Twitter for certain keywords / TV shows and overlay a popularity meter. What could possibly go wrong?

Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment, HD

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Via: AV Watch (translated)

Source: NEC