Office 2010 Beta Released To Developer Community
November 18, 2009 by The Editor
Filed under Office
Microsoft on Monday released the beta version of Office 2010to its MSDN and TechNet subscribers.
As for the general public, they just have to wait.
“Office 2010 has not yet officially released for the public and we have no further information to share at this time,” a Microsoft spokesperson stated via e-mail. Presumably, SharePoint 2010 is also unavailable to the public.
Microsoft has typically said that its Office 2010 products will be available to the general public in the first half of next year.
Office 2010 will include Office Web Apps — browser-based versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Organizations will be able to host those applications on their own servers or pay for access through Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) offerings. The consumer versions will be ad-supported, at no additional cost.
IT organizations considering whether to upgrade to Office 2010 should poll users, according to a study released last week by Forrester Research, “Best Practices: Microsoft Office Enterprise Strategy.” About 80 percent of companies surveyed earlier this year by Forrester use Office, but there are alternatives, including Google Apps, Zoho’s hosted apps and OpenOffice.org, among others.
Microsoft Launches Windows Mobile Marketplace
November 13, 2009 by The Editor
Filed under Windows Mobile / Phone
It may not be even close to the Apple App store, but Windows Mobile fanboys rejoice – our own marketplace is up and running and available on the web.
I visited it for the first time today from both my WinMo HTC Fuze and the web. Rather than go for volume (which makes me not like the Apple Store – too much control over too many apps), Microsoft played it safe and went for a smaller number of programs both paid and free.
Check it out at HERE
Dell, HP Customers Upset With Windows 7 Delays
November 10, 2009 by The Editor
Filed under Windows
Computerworld reports that Dell & HP customers are angry due to delays in the shipping of Windows 7 media as promised under the Windows 7 Upgrade Option program. The program is supposed to ship replacement media to customers on or about October 22nd, the date of the Windows 7 launch. Customers are being notified that their orders are on backorder and could take many more weeks.
The Upgrade Option Program is designed to help PC manufacturers address possible slowdowns in sales due to the introduction of a new Microsoft Operating system. Introduced with the launch of Windows XP and replicated for Vista and Windows 7, consumers are able to purchase a PC within some number of months of the Operating System launch and receive the free (or discounted) upgrade to Windows 7.
Will Netbook Customers Be Disappointed By Windows 7 Starter?
November 10, 2009 by The Editor
Filed under Windows
Microsoft, in order to encourage notebook purchases, has made a point of removing certain features crippling from Windows 7 to create the ‘Starter Edition’. This version which is only available on Netbooks and Nettops (MSFT has specific requirements and limitations which vary over time) is missing many features of Windows 7. Even if you purchase a DVD player, the OS does not include DVD playback software. Other features are probably less important including Windows Media Center, The “Aero” (processor hogging) interface, and Windows XP mode.
Originally, Starter Edition was only going to allow 3 concurrently running applications, in the guise of protecting users from systems slowing down (netbooks usually have lower processor and memory capabilities). That option was removed at the request of PC manufacturers.
Question is, will this impact the experience for netbook customers and lead to dissatisfaction? We here at Observer Publishing aren’t so sure. Netbook customers hopefully understand that these systems have inherent limitations. The missing features shouldn’t impact usability and might even help ensure that they have adequate processing power.
600K Modded Xbox Systems Banned from Xbox Live
November 10, 2009 by The Editor
Filed under Xbox
One of Microsoft’s most popular features of its Xbox 360 system is the ability to participate in the Xbox Live service. However, some of its most engaged customers are also eager owners of ‘modified’ gaming systems. These “mods” provide new features and even the ability to play pirated games.
Microsoft, under the justification of providing a ‘level playing field’, banned 600,000 Xbox Live accounts in the US and Canada who are playing with Modified Xbox 360 systems.
Microsoft subsidizing Free Wi-Fi for Bing Searches
November 10, 2009 by The Editor
Filed under Sales & Savings
Microsoft announced today that its Bing “decision engine” (read: search engine) is providing users with Free Wi-Fi access at select locations when they complete at least one search. The service is being supplied by mobile advertising company JiWire. Despite all the great press that Bing is getting from this promotion – there’s one slight catch: Microsoft is not providing a directory of the wi-fi locations in either the press release or in news reports.
We did some digging – JiWire does provide a directory of its Wi-Fi hotspots HERE. Good hunting and save yourself some $ while going mobile!
