Don's Tech » Microsoft

Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Available Now

Don Bonaddio — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:23:56 +0000

Office 2010

Microsoft just announced the beta version of Office 2010 – now available free for download. Just make your way over to the download page and in a few minutes you’ll be downloading a 700 megabyte install file.

You have your choice of either the Developer or IT Professional version. I chose IT Professional – I haven’t yet explored the differences in the Developer version.

Getting the goods:

You’re then led to a page of important details about this beta. Not the least of which is that you must uninstall any previous versions of MS Office currently installed on your computer. The rest is self-explanatory – system requirements, 32-bit v 64-bit, etc.

Clicking the “Get Started” button brings you to a MSN, Hotmail, Live Sign in. Sign in or sign up and then sign in. The next page contains a form asking you to describe yourself as a beta tester. Easy enough.

The Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta Product Key presents itself next prompting you to “Print This Page” Do what is says or at least write down the MAK key somewhere safe. You’ll need it to activate Office later.

Then pick your download of choice (32-bit or 64-bit) from the bottom of the page. Since the download is on the large side, Microsoft provides you with a Download Manager tool allowing you to pause and restart the download as needed. Depending on your broadband speed the download could take anywhere from several minutes to more than an hour. Budget your time accordingly.

The Install

The Office 2010 Install is not unlike previous Office installs. Double click the downloaded file and wait a few moments for it to uncompress and start the install process. I’d suggest you chose the “Custom” install. If for no other reason you’ll be able to see what and where things are going to be installed. I’d recommend choosing “Run All from my Computer”. This guarantees that all the features are installed on your hard drive. After specifying these few options the install then proceeds quietly, taking several minutes. Near the end of the install the program will automatically check for updates and install them if available. The Thank You screen is displayed below.

A Quick look

This Professional Edition of Outlook 2010 contains virtually everything Office has to offer – Access, Excel, InfoPath Designer and Filler, Outlook, OneNote, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word, and SharePoint Workspace. Also included in the tools folder are the Digital Certificate for VBA Project, Clip Organizer, Language Support, Upload Center, Picture Manager and Send-a-Smile

Send-a-Smile is the Microsoft Office feedback tool. Parked in the task-bar are ”Smile” and “Frown” cons.

Click on either and it instantly takes a screenshot and embeds it in a dialog box allowing you to add comments clarifying the accolade or bug report.

The interface is easy to use which makes it more likely to be used by beta testers. I found the “Smile” side of what’s ostensibly a bug reporting mechanism. However, once you think about it, the positive feedback is also valuable.

Starting with Word

Starting up Microsoft Word allows you access to the “Backstage” as they put it by clicking on the “File” tab. Here you’re presented with several options along the left column. Many are familiar, like “Save”, “Save As”, “Recent” and even “New”. However “New” now presents a much more intuitive interface allowing one to click on a template in the middle area and have a sample presented in a small window on the right. The templates can be either local or available via Office.com.

Social. No program or suite of programs is complete without some sharing ability these days. Click on the Share option in the left column and you’re presented with several choices to Share using Email, Save to SkyDrive, Save to SharePoint, or Publish as Blog Post.

Try it for yourself

We’ve only scratched the surface on the comprehensive suite of office tools that is Microsoft Office 2010. From our initial testing, things seem very stable, especially in flagship apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Oh yeah, Outlook now has an option allowing you to configure Text Messaging. The release of this beta for Office reminds me of another beta from Microsoft – oh right Windows 7. Let’s hope this works out half as well. Looks good so far.

Let us know what you think.

Awesome Windows 7 Background Themes

Don Bonaddio — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:19:44 +0000

Windows 7 Themes are winners

As I mentioned in a previous post, there’s lots to like about the new Windows 7 user interface (UI). I find that I’ve changed my behavior due to this particular enhancement.(See below)

I’m speaking about the rich collection of desktop background themes – yep, themes. No longer is there just a bunch of boring and outdated images to cover the desktop. These improved backgrounds now come in packages of multiple themed images, and they are stunning. ( You still have the option to go with single standard backgrounds if you’d like – Basic and Classic are still available).

In addition to the out-of-the-box collection that comes with the Windows 7 install, many more are available online – there’s a direct link to additional themes within the Personalization window (right-click anywhere on the desktop to bring it up), which brings you to the Microsoft Personalization Gallery. Here, you’ll find a wide array of Featured and International collections. Just click on the download link, double click it and Windows 7 changes your theme and it’s now part of your collection.

Oh, and my behavior change – I now keep my desktop clean and free of all icons and shortcuts – programs are easy enough to find with the search feature and the availability to “pin” your favorite programs to the taskbar mitigate the need for desktop shortcuts. In this way not only do I stay better organized but I now have a clear view of the beautiful images that grace my desktop.

Here’s a short video on working with Windows 7 desktop background themes

Let me know what you think and if you know of some other good theme collections

(My)Ten Reasons to Update to Windows 7

Don Bonaddio — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:54:56 +0000

Windows 7 is one of the most talked about topics on the web right now. The reasons are many. Personally, I believe the reason for most of the buzz this time around (remember Windows Vista?) is that this time the operating system just works.

What I mean by that is that Windows 7 does a great job by just staying out of your way – allowing you to run your applications unencumbered with consistent system dialog boxes provide by UAC (User Access Control); a security addition to be sure that turned out to be incredibly annoying. Not readily apparent however, is that Win 7 is pretty much Windows Vista under the covers. This release however does not include lots of the cruft that required lots of systems resources that ultimately would slow your system to a crawl. Not so in Windows 7. Some say it’s “Windows Vista done right”.

A number of programs you can now chose to download from theWindows Live site - Mail, Windows Messenger and the very good video editor – Windows Live Movie Maker are notincluded in the upgrade media.

I’d have to concur with many that Win 7 is ultimately the best operating system Microsoft has ever released. Ostensibly this can be said about any new release. But what’s different this time is that one set of issues has not been readily replaced by another set of problems. There’s marked improvement with this version never seen before.

I’ve been part of the beta program for close to a year and the final release has not changed much from the early betas. In my opinion Windows 7 has been “cooked” (ready) for close to a year. It remains to be seen how things go now that Win 7 has been released to a much larger audience. Even if not many chose to upgrade, millions of new PCs will come preloaded with it, just in time for the holiday season. Time will tell if this is what I suspect to be a great success.

So with that said here’s my list of reasons to upgrade:

1) The Lazarus effect:

I’m finding this to be the biggest surprise of all. I’ve yet to hear anyone say that Windows 7 has NOT improved their PC’s performance – to such a degree that it brings back to life – what was considered useless hardware. Win 7 runs perfectly well on the latest hardware, netbooks, laptops, as well as “bringing back to live” older hardware (we’re talking 5 year old Pentium stuff here).

2) Better Pricing/Versions:

Could it be cheaper? Well yeah, but $120 for the Home Premium edition, which should satisfy most, seems pretty reasonable considering the price of software. Paul Thurrott, owner of the Supersite for Windows, offers some great detail on the various versions here. Most homes have more that one PC nowadays so for them the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack is a great deal at $149.99.

3) Easy Install:

We all dread upgrading our system. Why? Well, if we forget to backup something, we’re SOL. So what do we do? We put it off. I’d urge you to rethink it this time.

There are plenty of tools to help you migrate your settings, files etc – including the free fine tools from Microsoft themselves.Not counting prep-time, you should be able to complete your upgrade within an hour.

4) The User Interface (UI):

OK, eye-candy doesn’t make a system run better. It can, however, add comfort to your environment. If you’re anything like me, you have so many icons on your desktop, you can no longer see the wallpaper. Windows 7 facilitates better desktop management by allowing you to “pin” application icons to the taskbar. I do that with the top applications that I use daily and delete the desktop icons. We’ll see how long it lasts but it allows me to enjoy the beautiful rotating backgrounds included.

Also included in the Win 7 upgrade is very helpful tweaks including “Peek” – a handy way to find that window you’re looking for on a crowded desktop. Yet another, Aero Snap allows you to easily snap two windows side-by-side on the screen and Aero Shake allowing you to minimize all windows by “shaking the window you want to focus on.” Details to a lot more about the UI can be found here…

5) Microsoft Security Essentials:

I highly recommend everyone to download this FREE tool security provided by Microsoft. In my opinion, this is the only thing you’ll need, along with having your computer set for automatic updates, to protect your machine. As Microsoft states: “Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.”

6) Homegroup:

Sharing your folders, documents, and music on your home network has always been a challenge in previous versions of Windows. Windows 7 introduced something new called “Homegroup”. It’s a simple interface allowing you to specify what you’d like to share on your home network. After that you’re presented with a password (that can be changed anytime) that you share with the other Win 7 home computers. They can then join the Homegroup and then you’re done – printers, music, videos, and files can now be easily accessed from anywhere on your network.

7) Device stage:

Connecting your compatible device to your computer triggers the opening of what Microsoft calls your “Homepage for Devices”. Included on the page is a picture of the device along with its current status. Additionally available for each device is a device specific list of tasks from which to choose. For example, downloading of pictures from a digital camera or ordering more ink or paper for your printer. More detail on Device stage can be found here.

8) Most drivers are built-in:

You’ll most likely find that you won’t have to go find the latest drivers for your monitor, sound card or video card. Windows 7 comes fully loaded for virtually all needed hardware drivers. There are exceptions but this time the exceptions are for either very dated or odd hardware as would be expected.

9) Windows search:

This is a carry-over but Vista but it still deserves mention. No need to traverse multiple program menus in search of that program you’re looking for anymore. Just click start and begin typing – windows immediately starts matching things on your computer, including photos, music, email or games.

10) Windows Media Center:

This tool has matured and more useful than ever. It’s now dead easy to configure and use. WMC now supports Netflix, allowing you to watch movies you’ve added to your Netfilx instant queue. “It also plays more popular audio and video formats—including 3GP, AAC, AVCHD, MPEG-4, WMV, and WMA. It also supports most AVI, DivX, MOV, and Xvid files”.

Support: I guess I could call this one number 11 but … anyway, 10 sounds better. Microsoft has gone above and beyond to provide gobs of support on their site in the form of images, text and video. They’ve not only rolled out a great OS, they’ve provided an unrivaled support structure to guarantee user satisfaction.

Good job Microsoft! So when does the Win 8 beta begin? Kidding!