Jun 14
After plenty of rumor and speculation, Microsoft has quietly launched its version of Office for iOS—but as of yet there’s no iPad version. Oh, and you need a subscription.
     |
Jun 14
Office 365 has finally landed on iPhone, with Microsoft releasing a version of its Office Mobile package for Apple’s iOS smartphone. Currently available for iPhone though not iPad, “Office Mobile for Office 365 subscribers” is a free download from the App Store from today, though requires an active subscription to Office 365, and gives access
Jun 11
The company that became known for its humble robots for cleaning homes will soon be selling a fancy robot for offices. Coming in 2014, iRobot’s Ava 500 will let you work both remotely and on site. It has a 21.5″ HD screen, a webcam, a microphone and its predecessor’s ability to find its way around on its own. Depending on your office dynamics, the Ava 500 will either be a hilarious or a creepy sight.
According to iRobot, the Ava 500 can explore and map its assigned area on its own. The idea is for its user to direct it remotely using an iPad app. You just have to pick the robot’s destination and it will figure out how to get there on its own. So no, you won’t be able to “drive’ it and yes, it’s still pretty impressive.
Aside from the iPad app, iRobot says it will provide users with Cisco TelePresence EX60 monitors. The Ava 500 can also adjust its body’s height so that its monitor will be at the appropriate level at all times. When you’re done using the Ava 500, it will return to its charging station on its own. It’ll probably chat with the other ‘bots about that cute copier and how annoying that security cam dude is.
I wonder how many takes that meeting scene took. If I was there I wouldn’t be able to stop laughing when the robot rolls in the room. He looks constipated. And can you imagine a future where the only “employees” in the office are all Ava 500s? The Ava 500s will be so busy they’ll have to use other Ava 500s to do their job.
[iRobot via The Boston Globe]
Jun 05
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote to ship free with x86 Windows 8 tablets (update: only with those smaller than 10 inches)
Posted in: Today's Chili
During today’s Computex keynote, Microsoft Windows chief Tami Reller just announced that new x86 Windows 8 tablets will ship with Office in the box. The executive didn’t detail the software offering, beyond mentioning that Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will all be included. Windows RT devices, for their part, will now also include pre-installed Outlook, beginning with the Windows 8.1 update, which is due to arrive as a preview version later this month.
Update: Microsoft just put up a blog post saying that these free Office applications will come with “small screen tablets” — in other words, not necessarily all Windows 8 tablets. Tami Reller didn’t specify screen sizes during her presentation, and we don’t know if small necessarily means the Iconia W3 degree of small (i.e. eight inches), but we’re seeking clarification.
Update #2: We tracked down a rep at Computex who said that the bundled software will only come with Windows 8 tablets under 10 inches, which will evidently rule out a lot of devices.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft Windows blog
Jun 02
Today at Computex Acer has revealed several products in the Windows 8 arena, coming in with a tablet that’s made for a single hand, as they say, with the Acer Iconic W3. This machine is the first 8-inch tablet to have been introduced with full Windows 8 aboard, also working with an Intel Atom Z2760 processor to assure proper processing power for the full Windows 8 experience. This machine was also introduced with the 2013 Microsoft Office Home & Student suite installed out of the box, this bringing on apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
The Acer Iconia W3 works with an 8.1-inch display to be precise, this working with LED-backlighting technology and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, able to deliver 720p videos on the go. Though the tablet is presented as a stand-alone unit, there’s also a unique full-size Bluetooth keyboard that holds the tablet upright and “docks to the tablet” for screen-protected travel. There’s also, of course, an on-screen keyboard as comes standard with any Windows 8 device.
Acer suggests that this machine works with up to 8 hours of battery life, at the moment says they’ll offer a wi-fi-only iteration of the unit with 802.11b/g/n, and of course assures us there’s Bluetooth technology onboard as well. This device will be offered in two storage size options, either 32GB or 64GB (internal), with a microSD card slot included with both that’ll allow 32GB more with your own microSD card.
This 8-inch tablet works with a micro-HDMI port, microUSB port, and two cameras – one on the front, the other on the back, both of them coming in at 2 megapixels. This device will be available for MSRP $379 USD, but as pre-sales begin, final pricing may be different (possibly even lower).
It’ll be interesting to see this machine work with the Office family now that the whole bunch is updated for touch – especially since this will likely be the smallest display they’ve been used on thus far. Acer is also bringing on a collection of other devices like the Liquid S1 phablet, Aspire S7 and S3 Ultrabooks, and more – all of them working with touch, all of them appearing at Computex this week.
Acer Iconia W3 is industry’s first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 29
May 07
A few months ago, Microsoft threw in their fair share of new features to their free suite of online Office Web Apps, where among them include the ability to add images that were discovered on the Internet quickly within a document. Well, fast forward to today, and we have Microsoft outlining a fair number of its future plans for upcoming Office Web Apps updates.
A post discovered on the Office blog pointed to Microsoft mentioning that one of their biggest new features that is in the pipeline at this point in time would be real time co-authoring of documents. Right now, you can have at least two people collaborating on documents in Office Web Apps simultaneously, although changes to those documents can only been viewed when the apps have been refreshed. Microsoft stated, “We’ll introduce real time co-authoring in the Office Web Apps so that all file authors will automatically see presence and edits from others as they happen without needing to refresh. This is a subtle change, but a great enhancement to enable even richer collaboration.”
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Syria And The Internet Divorces, Google Maps To Get New Interface, 
| |
May 07
Microsoft Office Web Apps to receive real-time collaboration, Android support
Posted in: Today's Chili
Ballmer and Co. have just laid out what changes Office Web Apps will see over the next year and beyond, and it’s honing in on social features and more. Sure, the productivity suite already has collaborative document editing, but Microsoft is vowing to include real-time collaboration á la Google Drive, where users can see who’s currently working on a document while changes appear on the fly. The PowerPoint Web App is already packing the revamped experience, and the Office team promises that the real-time co-authoring will become faster as time goes on.
The OS titan also says it’ll incorporate a range of other improvements, including simplified file management, shortening launch times and even a find and replace feature for the Word Web App. In addition to the tweaks, Microsoft revealed that Android tablets will finally be able to access its online suite of tools, as it’ll begin supporting the mobile Chrome browser. The firm’s given itself the loose timetable of “over the next year and beyond” for the feature rollout, so avid users should sit tight for now.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Office 365 Blog (Microsoft)
Apr 30
Who doesn’t enjoy drawing with their fingers? And such an ability becomes essential in the absence of a stylus, whether because you need to dash out something very quickly and don’t have one on you or misplace it when you need it most. Such an ability was requested by many users for OneNote on their touch-enabled Windows 8 and RT devices, which is now possible thanks to an update Microsoft pushed out.
With this update, OneNote users will see an addition to the radial menu called “Draw,” which opens up a new round of options, including multiple pens of different colors (black, blue, green, and red), as well as an eraser and an Undo tool. The pens can be customized with, for example, different thicknesses. And a welcomed feature is that you can save a customized pen as a favorite.
In addition, those using it on a device that does not have a touch screen can still use the feature via a mouse or USB drawing tablet, although Microsoft advises that users will best experience the feature when using a pen. Those who want to update can do so by heading into the Windows Store and then tapping “Updates” located on the right.
For those unfamiliar, OneNote allows users to take notes and have them synced with the cloud for extra security. Microsoft says that it has “reimagined” OneNote for Windows 8 and RT devices, making it easier to use in conjunction with touch controls, such as swiping. Users can toggle between different paper types for various notes, snap them to the side of the screen for use alongside a browser for research or other activities, and more.
[via OneNote]
OneNote updated with finger painting in Windows Store is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 26
Google rolls out Chrome Office Viewer Beta, enables in-browser file viewing
Posted in: Today's ChiliThere are some universally annoying things the average Web surfer will encounter from time-to-time, and while the list is mostly made up of pop-up advertisements that bypass your ad-blocker, one of them is direct-file links to things like PowerPoint and Word files. Clicking one of these files results in it being downloaded and opened by the application, a potentially slow and usually unwanted action. Google aims to solve this problem with the launch of Chrome Office Viewer (Beta).
Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) is an extension for Chrome Beta users on Windows and Mac that solves the aforementioned problem, allowing users to view Microsoft Office files within the browser rather than downloading the files and opening them with the relevant application. This feature has already been available to Chromebook users, and will hopefully be available to all Chrome users soon.
There’s another benefit to using this in-beta extension in addition to speeding up the process of viewing Microsoft Office files – malware protection. When you click a direct link and the file is downloaded to your computer, you’re potentially downloading a compromised file that could leave your data or system at risk. The extension helps guard against this via a sandbox.
If you find yourself opening your fair share of Microsoft Office links and are tired of the clutter and slowdown that results from how they are handled, you can give the new extension a try by downloading Chrome Beta. Once you have Chrome Beta, you can then download the Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) extension and use it to view the files. Google advises users to keep in mind that it is a beta extension that could have bugs, and is welcoming feedback.
[via Chrome Blogspot]
Google rolls out Chrome Office Viewer Beta, enables in-browser file viewing is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.