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So the cat's out of the bag - The Almighty Office 2010 is now downloadable in all its beta glory.

You can download it at the following links or just visit http://officebeta.microsoft.com/ if you have a MSDN or TechNet account.

I'll update the x86 link as soon as it comes through! 

Download Office 2010 Beta x86

Download Office 2010 Beta x64

Download Office Web Applications Server 2010 Beta x64 

Thanks www.redmondpie.com!

Disclosure: Microsoft is an Edelman client.

Filed under: microsoft office

geektech says...

Microsoft OneNote is easily the best note taking tool available. In this article, I'll show you how to effectively use OneNote to organize your life's information. Ideas, daily notes, business projects, clients & contacts and anything else worthy of typed notes on your screen.

Above: screenshot from Microsoft OneNote

At this point I assume you have evolved from an old school pen & notepad style of note taking. In fact, if you were like me the next step was to begin organizing your notes in Word documents. Using Word documents to organize notes certainly does work... you'll soon notice however, that this method is just not practical for managing a large amount of notes on a variety of subjects.

Which is why OneNote is far superior. In a nutshell, OneNote is a word processor that allows you quick access to all of your separate documents (pages) from one simple interface. You can then organize pages in Notebooks, Sections, or Sub sections. Enabling you to have all your notes at the tip of your fingers. Working faster & taking notes more effectively.

Filed under: Microsoft Office

travistubbs says...

As we all know, the economy is in the tanker, which means a lot of us are doing what we can to make ends meet. Needless to say, I'm one of them. So, like so many people, when in need, it's time to start offloading stuff that isn't exactly 100% needed. So, without further ado, a little sampling of what I either plan on or am thinking about selling (trust me, there's more than this).

Couple quick notes: First, the images shown here aren't the actual images I'll use when posting these items during their actual sale. I just wanted to get a quick pic of each thing just so people could get a little glimpse of what it looks like. Second, I'm not sure how I plan on selling these (eBay, CraigsList, Twitter/Facebook, word of mouth, etc.).

Dell Inspiron 530

One of the first things I'm dropping has actually served me well during the time I've had it (no matter how many times I've cussed it out). It's a Dell Inspiron 530 Mini-Tower computer.

It comes with an Intel Celeron 420 processor (1.6 GHz, Single Core), 1.5 GB of RAM (upgraded from 512 MB), a 120 GB SATA Hard Drive, a 8-in-1 media card reader, a DVD+/-RW drive, and integrated surround sound.

On the Operating System side of things, this Dell is preinstalled with Windows Vista Basic (sorry). Now, it IS capable of running Windows 7 without any problems. If it runs it great, that's open to debate. Of course, if you have a license for Windows XP, you may want to downgrade. You could even install Ubuntu Linux instead as well.

I have added a Gigabit Ethernet card as the built-in Ethernet adapter is only 10/100. I also added a 4-port USB card just in case the 6 built-in ports (4 in the back, 2 in front) aren't enough.

I must note, this computer is refurbished, but you really wouldn't be able to tell.

Apple Mac mini (Early 2006)

One of my very first Mac purchases! After selling my iMac to my bro, I picked up a Mac mini so that I could do video editing for a business idea that went nowhere. For now, it's acting as a Home Media Center and Media Server. (I have a MacBook as my main machine ... for now.)

This Early 2006 model has a 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo (NOT a Core 2 Duo), 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW Drive, 2 GB of RAM (upgraded from 512 MB), integrated graphics, four USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire port, DVI monitor port, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11g Wireless, and a Apple Remote.

I think this computer does have a few months of AppleCare left (expires February or March 2010). It also comes with a DVI-to-VGA adapter for those with a VGA monitor. The system comes preinstalled with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. And, like the Dell, this is refurbished.

Gateway FPD1975W 19" Widescreen LCD Display with Speaker Bar

The next item up for bid could be a considered a companion to one of the computers listed above. This is a 19" Widescreen LCD display from Gateway with additional Speaker Bar.

The display offers a maximum resolution of 1440 x 900. You can also use either VGA or a DVI connection (or both!). That's the basics of the monitor as I know. If you want the really nitty gritty details, check it out on Gateway's web site.

In additional to the monitor, I'm also including the Speaker Bar accessory. The Speaker Bar has headphone ports on either side of the bar and an analog microphone port on the right side of the bar. A volume knob is on front. The Speaker Bar is powered by USB so a separate power supply is not needed.

Newer Technology miniStack v2 external hard drive enclosure

If you're looking at the Mac mini, you may want to consider a few extras. On the hardware side of things, you may want to consider this miniStack v2 external hard drive enclosure.

I like this enclosure mainly for the fact that it fits under the Mac mini perfectly. It also acts as a USB and Firewire hub. There are two available USB ports and 1 Firewire port on the back, as well as one USB port and one Firewire port on its side. I say "freely available" as one of the two Firewire ports on the back is used as the uplink to the Mac mini.

Speaking of the Firewire port, one of the nice things about this drive is that you can use the hard drive as either an USB Drive or a Firewire Drive. Supposedly, Firewire is faster for data transfer, so I've been using that.

Sadly, I cannot provide a Hard Drive with this (it's got my data on it), so you're on your own when it comes to providing an IDE Hard Drive for this. I belive it only supports up to 500 GB.

I have two of these available, but one is having issues with the temperature sensor, so the fan is running ALL the time at the highest speed.

Apple Final Cut Studio (Academic Edition)

As I mentioned previously, I had purchased a Mac mini with the intent of doing some serious video editing for a business idea that barely saw the light of day. When it comes to serious video editing on the Mac, you look no further than Final Cut Studio.

This is the very first release of Final Cut Studio, which comes with Final Cut Pro 5.1, Motion 2, DVD Studio Pro, and Soundtrack Pro.  This was also the first version of Final Cut to support Intel processors, so you know it's good to go on all modern Macs.

This item I probably won't sell on eBay for the lone fact that this thing is HUGE and weights a ton, thanks to the paper manuals (more like books) included in this set.

As stated in the title, this is the Academic Edition. I'm not sure what the resell rules are on this, but I'm assuming it means I can only resale it to people that are currently enrolled in a school or work for an educational institute.

Microsoft Office:mac 2004

With the freely available OpenOffice.org software, I don't see much need in owning Microsoft Office anymore, especially for someone who is having to do everything as cheaply as possible.

Microsoft Office:mac 2004 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage (the Mac equivalent of Outlook).

The version being sold here is the Student and Teacher Edition. This means that you are legally allowed to install this on three computers in your household, as long as you're a student or work for an educational institute. At least, I assume so. For sure, you're allowed to install it on three computers.

The only downside to Microsoft Office:mac is that it's not optimized for running on Intel-based Macs. Thankfully, you CAN run it on Intel Macs, thanks to Rosetta, but it just won't run as fast as you may want it to.

Apple MacBook (Late 2006, Core 2 Duo)

Finally, my (current) pride and joy. This MacBook is my main computer, but I may possibly part with it, if the price is right. I'm still trying to decide if I really want to sell this or not. My plan would be to sell the MacBook and use some of the money to purchase an inexpensive PC laptop (maybe one that can be run as a Hackintosh?). Looking around at how much the MacBook would sell for, it would be a terrible idea. Just one reason why this is a tough call.

Either way, this is a Late 2006 model White MacBook with a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB of RAM (upgraded from 512MB), 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW Drive, integrated graphics, and 802.11n Wireless. The 13 inch screen can display resolutions up to 1280x800. The system comes preinstalled with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.

Like the Mac mini, I believe this too has a few months of AppleCare left (expiring maybe Feburary or March 2010).

To sweeten the deal, I could also include some accessories, such as an extra power adapter, a mini-DVI to DVI display adapter, and... I think that's it. I'll have to see what other accessories I have lying around.

If I do sell this, I do need to take it to the Apple Store for some repairs. There is a known issue with early model MacBooks having issues with the casing cracking. Take a guess what issue I'm having. Either way, it needs to be done so to make it look right again.

Once again, like the two other computers, this system is refurbished.


As I mentioned previously, this is just the start of what I'm selling. I also have some networking equipment, camcorders and accessories, and possibly a cell phone as well. I'll be sure to post the additional items in the coming days.

Filed under: Microsoft Office

oneconstant says...

There’s an article on Yahoo! Tech discussing the pricing of Microsoft Office in China being $29. The article is here. I’ve always found the pricing argument for Office to be an odd one. A license of Office at Fry’s Electronics is $370. If you take that price over the course of 3 years it comes out to $10/month.  Many people spend over $50/month for coffee at Starbucks. Many people spend over $10/month at Netflix and I know some that spend more than that downloading apps at the Apple App Store.

So my argument is this. If you don’t think Microsoft Office is worth the $370, why do you use it? Here are a few options for you:

·         Google Apps – feel free to use it to your hearts content. It’s free.

·         Microsoft apps – I invite you to use Notepad, Wordpad, Works, etc.

·         Zoho Apps – free for personal use.

·         Paper and pencil – please take this option. When you’re done with your document, scan it to your computer and then you can e-mail it to whoever you want.

Microsoft will also be releasing Office Online which will include a free version that will be ad-supported. I’m willing to bet all of those Google Apps and Zoho Apps users will come running back once they realize they don’t have to suffer through the differences between them and Office.

As for me, I’m happy using Office and $10/month is not a big deal for me.

Filed under: Microsoft Office

tuyenvo says...

Maybe something good came out of that Office movie ad. It was directed by Dennis Liu who has done a lot of commercial work and is really talented. If nothing else, that ostentatious move on Microsoft's part got a little more pub for a rising Asian American director. He can also do funny...
 

Filed under: microsoft office

tuyenvo says...


 
Again, how about we focus on the software and not the marketing?

Filed under: microsoft office

bruce says...

from 2007:

I hate Microsoft and their intellectual property protections. What angers me is that they are doing everything they can to convince me that the most cost effective way to use their products is to pirate them. If I pirated their software at least I wouldn't have to pay to be treated like crap. During the course of several recent tech support calls I was treated like a software pirate. Why? Because I had the nerve to use Microsoft Windows on my Mac. I had a rather interesting discussion with Microsoft regarding this, here's the email thread (I made it go from the top down to make it easier to follow):

Dear Mr. Kaplan,

oh wait... please hold...

dear friends (all 272 of you) 

you have been blind cc'd in this message for 4 reasons

1.) so you understand how upset I am with Microsoft

2.) so you can see how not to treat your customers

3.) so you now have the email address of the VP of Customer Service at Microsoft.

4.) finally, so that Microsoft can get a taste of what it's like being placed on hold after reaching their tech support...

Back to Microsoft...

Dear Mr. Kaplan,

Sorry for the interruption above... it's kind of like your tech support, only insert an additional 20-30 minutes for the interruptions.

I own several Windows computers and several Macs. I also have about 6 versions of Office active and a couple shelf copies of XP Pro and home along with numerous OEM copies of your products. I am one of your better customers. I've spent well over $10,000 directly on your products in the past 10 years and well over $50k on windows hardware and software from various manufacturers over that same period... or ... about what I would bill for my wasted time dealing with your tech support.

But with customers like me, who needs enemies...

Here is my problem. On my intel based Macs I have partitioned a sector for Windows ... every time I launch Office 2007 on my windows sector it wants me reactivate my copy of Office and about every other time it also wants me to re-activate Windows XP. When I do not have web access I have to call... when I call I have been treated like I am some sort of software pirate. I have been told that you wanted me to prove that I have the CD (a question that you've never asked on PC registrations). I have been told that you do not support Macs... but apparently your tech support cannot understand that my hardware is not relevant, my computer is booting in Windows... it is a windows computer that meets or exceeds every specification you have on your product packaging. Your product packaging nowhere states that you do not support computers built by Apple. As any attorney will tell you, I enter into a contract when I install your products, you enter into a contract stating the specifications computers that you support using your product. Hey, guess what! you violated your contract!

And after all that, when I open Office I still get asked if I want to activate my product. For the record... I don't want to activate it any more.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, much of my experience with your product failing to activate properly, and your tech support implying that I might have an unauthorized copy of your product, has happened directly in front of my clients during some mission critical times. Of those clients, the experience we had, in part, caused many of them to buy Macs and start doing their presentations in Apple Keynote. 

Which brings me to the Office 2007 usability issue (the other reason my clients are buying Macs) ... Office 2007 is crap. I have been a strong supporter of your product for years, in fact my business was based around PowerPoint. That said, I am so disappointed in your latest offering that I am recommending to all my clients that they do not purchase Office 2007. Yes, you’ve changed the interface... but you’ve done it in such a way that it feels that your GUI designers weren’t talking to each other. You’ve changed the names of tools that have been around for years. And worst of all... the media handling capabilities of PowerPoint continue to be awful. The lipstick on a pig approach isn’t working, this pig is too ugly.

Microsoft’s fears that their product may be illegally copied and your draconian protection are intruding in my fair use of your products. Who was the rocket scientist that thought that we would be ok with that? Are you so large and so relevant that you believe that customers have no choice but to assimilate to your business instead of the opposite direction? I hope that I'm not the first to point out that this approach will make you irrelevant.

I am done, I am done, I am done. Out of my frustration that your company will never ‘get it’ I have changed my business, I am now telling my clients that they don’t need PPT to tell an effective message and that when they need presentation tools they need to look beyond PPT and choose the best tool for the message. It is now clear that PowerPoint is no longer that tool.

Originally I was going to contact your for a refund for my purchases of Windows and Office. But I’ve decided that I’m better off keeping this crap on my computer, so when my clients ask “what about PowerPoint?” I can show them why that isn’t a good idea, it's now my mission.

Did I mention that I am done with Microsoft? 

Dear Mr. Couch

 

I am following up with you on behalf of Richard Kaplan’s office regarding your concerns with repeated activation Office 2007 activation requests.  I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and want to thank you for taking the time to share your comments.  I would like to reassure you that Microsoft is committed to delivering the best customer service possible by addressing your concerns as diligently and expediently as possible.  

 

I wanted to touch base with you to see if you would still care to pursue a resolution to this issue.  Please ‘reply all’ to this email and I will arrange for a support manager to contact you to discuss the issue further.

 

Microsoft thanks you for your valuable feedback because we are constantly evaluating our products and programs to try to make them more beneficial and effective.  I will ensure that the appropriate leadership team is aware of your concerns and will make your email available to them.

 

Respectfully,
Scott
Escalation Specialist
NACS Response Management Team
Microsoft Corporation

 

Scott,

Why should I treat this response to my ongoing problem any different from all the other "we're committed to serving you" responses? You've created a system where there may actually be a solution to my problem... but to get there I have to go through all this BS? I've talked to your "support managers"... is this the new support manager for really pissed off customers? Do your managers get bonuses on how pissed they make your customers? Your managers must be raking in the dough. 

You lost me with the lie that you're "committed to delivering the best customer service possible by addressing your concerns as diligently and expediently as possible." You don't want my business ... I've been told that at every step of this painful and ridiculous process and I've been told that through your products. Not only do you want me to deal with you, your customer service, your absurd copy protection, and your 1990 solutions to 2007 problems on your level... you want me to pay for that privilege?

Microsoft has done everything within it's power to tell me I don't matter... I bought the wrong computer, and I'm not playing by your rules. It's not my fault, as you would have me believe, that the game has changed and you don't recognize it, it's yours. If you'd like to gain an understanding of how you treat your good customers... look no further than me. I have seen NO substantive changes in your company for years... other than you obsessive focus on protecting your product from duplication. I am not a software pirate... I actually paid to be treated like one. 

Your developers and management should be forced to walk around with signs hanging around their necks that proclaim that they built Microsoft so they can hear what your customers really think... instead, you hide behind 'Frank' in New Delhi. Doesn't that tell you something?

So the answer is, no... I don't need your "help" anymore. I'm done.

fyi - these are typical of the responses I received from my email...

"Oh my gosh, you said politely what the vast majority of ms users would like to say... If they thought they'd be heard. I would have been much less civil. Good job! Make sure to send it to some paper or newsletter. "

"Now you'll be getting 272 cheers from your friends! I've been having the same re-activate issue with Office. I have found no use for PPT 2007 except to make stuff and copy it over to Keynote or 2003. You definitely spoke for me!"

"Can I post this on my blog? I feel your pain.. Bravo.

 

Filed under: microsoft office

tuyenvo says...


 
I recently saw the above ad for ZunePass, Microsoft's unlimited music service. Basically, you're renting music as opposed to buying it. I'm not against the concept of a music subscription service, I just think they could have done a better job in the ad of promoting the pros versus always comparing/contrasting with Apple. At some point, Microsoft just needs to go in another direction with its advertising strategy. Always comparing yourself to Apple is a sure fire way of constantly reminding people that a highly competent (not necessarily better in all cases) competitor exists. Same thing with the latest Laptop Hunter commercials.
 
So here's my free advice to Microsoft. Pitch your strengths versus the strengths of your competitor. Stick to the fact that there is more choice in hardware for PCs, they almost always cost less than Macs, Microsoft Office works much better on a PC than on a Mac, Exchange is better than whatever is available for Macs (is there anything available?), and the fact that most IT folks hate supporting Macs.
 
The good folks over at Penny Arcade made a very insightful and hilarious comic mocking the latest ad.

Filed under: microsoft office