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  • Google Drive Gains OpenOffice File Format Support

    Sometimes announcements are made, and you can’t help but think to yourself, “How wasn’t this already a thing?” Google made such an announcement this week in a Google+ post (as it so often does these days).

    Google Drive now supports importing of OpenOffice file formats. Office users are also getting improved functionality. Google wrote (via 9to5Google):

    We’ve been listening to your feedback, and we’re happy to say that we now offer support for importing all three major ODF (Open) file formats: .odt files for documents, .ods for spreadsheets, and .odp for presentations.

    Not only that, but we’re wrapping up the year with a few more Office-friendly improvements: we support more complex SmartArt from older Powerpoint presentations, and last week’s updates are also now import/export friendly, with support for merged cells in Word and slide numbers in Powerpoint.

    Google has been making quite a few helpful tweaks to Google Drive of late. Both the Android and iOS apps have gotten some new features in addition to more Gmail support. Google also added My Maps to Drive.

    Image via Google+

  • Microsoft Office Adds Sway Presentation Tool

    Microsoft announced a new app called Sway, which is part of its Office portfolio. It’s basically a new presentation tool, which lets you add content from your OneDrive account, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sources to keep track of your ideas and arrange them in a visually enticing way for presentations if you like.

    While Microsoft doesn’t say it, I could see this replacing PowerPoint in the future if it catches on. It’s more interesting to look at, and seems to have a great deal more options and flexibility when it comes to creating a presentation. It also works on the web, and on any device, and they presentations (or “Sways” as they’re called) are easily shareable and embeddable.

    Here’s what a “Sway” looks like embedded:

    “The magic of Sway really shows as you’re creating a Sway,” Microsoft says in a blog post. “Sway’s built-in design engine takes the hassle out of formatting your content by putting all of it into a cohesive layout as you create. This means that from the first word, image, Tweet, or graphic you add, your Sway is already being formed for you. This is thanks to a lot of Microsoft Research technology we’ve brought together in the background. As you add more of your content, Sway continues to analyze and arrange it based on the algorithms and design styles we’ve incorporated.”

    “You can adjust and customize the format Sway has created in easy and intuitive ways,” it continues. “Want a picture to stand out? Don’t worry about exact pixel heights and widths or whether you have the design chops to keep things looking good. Just tap or click the image in your Sway and tap or click the star icons to emphasize it. Sway takes your natural feedback and works its magic almost instantly. Want to rearrange your ideas? Just drag and drop any set of your content where you want, and watch your Sway react. This type of simple guidance from you helps Sway understand how your different ideas relate to each other. Sway uses your input to update the look of your creation accordingly and adapt it to display appropriately across devices. This means your Sway always looks great—even when you’re building it on a mobile device and others are viewing it on a desktop.”

    Here’s a more in-depth look at Sway:

    The product is in preview for the time being. You can request an invite here.

    Image via Microsoft

  • Google Improves Docs, Sheets & Slides On iOS

    Google Improves Docs, Sheets & Slides On iOS

    Google announced the launch of new apps for Docs, Sheets & Slides for iPhone and iPad. The Slides app for iOS is brand new, and the Docs and Sheets apps are getting significant updates.

    The apps enable users to work with any file from these devices. Any changes made from any device is saved automatically, and offline editing is built in. Changes made offline are synced when a connection is regained. You can also edit Office files directly from the new apps.

    “Our phones and tablets help us get things done at work, but sometimes, you’re on the subway with no reception and need to update your spreadsheet before you get to the client’s office,” says software engineer Li-Wei Lee on the Google Enterprise blog. “Or you desperately need to make edits to your marketing strategy PowerPoint before you present, but you only brought your iPad to the meeting. We’ve all been there, but now there’s a way out.”

    “According to SoftWatch about 80 percent of Office licenses are only lightly used, with many employees only working with Office for a handful of minutes a day or not at all,” says Lee. “If you still have the occasional need, Google has you covered. Use Docs, Sheets and Slides to open up a contract that’s been saved in Word without converting the file, and copy over the crucial figures to an Excel spreadsheet from the client to do some number-crunching on your iPad. Then quickly pop those calculations over to the PowerPoint deck before you walk into a sales meeting, all from whichever device is most convenient. And if you want to collaborate in real-time with your colleagues, you can simply convert these old Office files into Docs, Sheets or Slides and start working together immediately. You’ll even be able to make edits when you’re offline, whether you’re using the app on your phone or tablet, or Chrome on your laptop.”

    The new functionality was previously available for Android.

    Image via Google

  • Microsoft And Salesforce Launch Strategic Cloud Partnership

    Microsoft And Salesforce Launch Strategic Cloud Partnership

    Microsoft and Salesforce just announced a strategic partnership, which will see the two creating new solutions that connect Salesforce’s CRM apps and platform to Microsoft Office and Windows.

    The company announced two specific products: Salesforce1 for Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 and Salesforce for Office 365. The former will let customers access Salesforce “and run their business” from their Windows device. A preview will be available this fall followed by general availability in 2015.

    With the latter, businesses will be able to access and collaborate on Office content from within Salesforce and on Salesforce1 using Office Mobile, Office for iPad and Office 365. They’ll be able to use OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online as storage options for Salesforce, and use Salesforce and Outlook together with a new Salesforce App for Outlook. Finally, businesses will be able to connect Salesforce data to Excel and Power BI for Office 365.

    “We are excited to partner with salesforce.com and help customers thrive in a mobile and cloud-first world,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “Working together we’ll deliver new solutions that connect the customer insights of Salesforce to the cloud productivity of Office 365, the cloud platform of Azure and the mobility of Windows, so our customers can do more.”

    “Today is about putting the customer first,” said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. “Together with Microsoft, we are building bridges that allow customers to be more productive.”

    Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Image via Microsoft

  • Office For iPad Gets Printing, Other New Features

    Roughly a month ago, Microsoft launched the much-anticipated Office for iPad to much fanfare.

    Today, the company announced that it now has printing support, a key feature for office documents. This comes in the first update, and the company says it was the number one request. Also included in the update are SmartGuides in PowerPoint and a few other things.

    In Word, you can print with or without markup. In Excel, you can print a selected range, one worksheet or an entire spreadsheet.

    “SmartGuides in PowerPoint help you align pictures, shapes, and textboxes as you move them around on a slide,” explains the Office team. “With very little effort, your presentations will look beautifully designed.”

    “AutoFit in Excel now lets you adjust the width of multiple rows or the height of multiple columns at the same time,” they add. “With just a few taps, you’ll be sure that your spreadsheet looks better and that no content is hidden.”

    Microsoft says millions of people downloaded the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for iPad.

    Image via Microsoft

  • Microsoft Announces Office For iPad, New Enterprise Tools

    Microsoft made some major announcements on Thursday including Microsoft Office for iPad, free Office Mobile apps for iPhone and Android, and the Enterprise Mobility Suite of cloud services to help businesses manage corporate data and services on various devices.

    The company also announced the upcoming availability of Microsoft Azure Active Directory Premium and enhancements to Windows Intune.

    CEO Satya Nadella said, “Microsoft is focused on delivering the cloud for everyone, on every device. It’s a unique approach that centers on people — enabling the devices you love, work with the services you love, and in a way that works for IT and developers.”

    “We reimagined Office on the iPad, while retaining what people love about Office,” said Microsoft’s John Case. “We hope you’ll be as pleased with the results as we are. In the future, we will bring Office apps to the Windows Store and other popular platforms. In addition to Office for iPad, we’ve gone a step further in our mobile first and cloud first approach, and like Windows Phone, we’ve now made Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones available for free.”

    Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iPad are available in the App Store.

    Office 365 subscribers can add an iPad as one of their chosen devices, and use the apps.

    The Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS) provides device, identity and access management with data protection from the cloud. It includes Windows Intune, Azure Active Directory Premium and Azure Rights Management Services. Windows Intune now supports the Samsung KNOX platform, Remote to My PC for Android and iOS devices, and the next update to Windows Phone.

    Office for iPad is available today in 29 languages for iOS 7.0 or later. The new Windows Intune features and Azure Active Directory Premium will be available in April, and the Enterprise Mobility Suite will be available on May 1st.

    Image via Microsoft

  • Microsoft Office May Be Coming To An iPad Near You

    Microsoft Office is a staple of many people’s lives, ranging from elementary school students to CEOs and everyone in between. Accessing Office has become easier than ever as of late, with personal computers, smart phones, and tablets becoming so prominent and easily available. The software may well be even more accessible in just a short while, as Microsoft has heavily hinted that it will be announcing a version of Office that will be available for the iPad.

    Microsoft’s CEO, the newly-appointed Satya Nadella, will be holding a press conference on March 27, 2014 in San Francisco. Microsoft has officially stated that the event will largely focus on cloud and mobile applications, but rumors have been flying all around that Microsoft for iPad may be announced, as well.

    If these rumors prove true, the action will set Nadella far apart from former Microsot CEO Steve Ballmer, who reportedly refused to make Office available for the iPad. This decision was most likely made out of fear that the availability of Office on an Apple device might make sales for Microsoft’s own Surface tablets plummet. If the rumors prove true, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

    The excitement generated from these rumors has garnered action from investors. According to Reuters, Microsoft’s shares “scaled levels last seen in the dotcom boom” once rumors began to fly about the possible iPad-compatible Office. The shares “rose as much as 5 percent to $39.90 on Tuesday, adding $15 billion to the company’s market value.” Microsoft hasn’t seen shares worth that much since June of 2000.

    The hype over this possibility is intense, but Nigam Arora over at Forbes adds a somewhat somber voice, pointing out that the rise in stock is not terribly significant in the long run, and that Office, as it is, does not adequately utilize the iPad interface. He also points out that, as Ballmer feared, there is a high possibility that the iPad will “siphon off sales of Surface.”

    Ultimately, it will be interesting to see if these rumors prove to be true at all, and if they do, how they will effect both Microsoft and Nadella. Here’s to hoping the results are positive!

    Image via Apple.

  • Steven Seagal Talks About Running For Governor

    One of Hollywood’s toughest action fighters is thinking about running for governor.

    Steven Seagal, 61, mentioned the idea in an interview while talking about his reality show “Steven Seagal – Lawman: Maricopa County.”

    The Arizona-based TV series, which airs on the Reelz Channel, is a team effort between he and the “toughest sheriff in America”, Joe Arpaio.

    Recently, he has confided in Arpaio, a Maricopa County Sheriff, about taking a shot at entering the race for Arizona’s highest elected office.

    Seagal’s background in working as a deputy in New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana has given him a head start to some of the agendas he would push forward.

    Seagal is very passionate about illegal immigration and he makes it clear that increasing border patrol would be one of his main focuses while in office.

    His interests in running for governor seem very much similar to one of Hollywood’s former action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who previously was the governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

    Yet, the “I’ll be back” actor isn’t the only movie star turned politician or one who has attempted to be in the political arena for that matter.

    Others include:

    • Ronald Regan- He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild but then went on to serve as President of The U.S. in 1981 to 1989.
    • Shirley Temple- The famous child star from the 1930’s ended her career as the ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
    • Jerry Springer- He was the former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio before becoming a TV presenter.
    • Howard Stern- The big-time radio presenter ran for governor of New York in 1994.

    Maybe the U.S. will see yet another actor take on the role of governor someday.

    So, what do you think about Seagal’s proposition?

    Image via Youtube, KTNV Channel 13

  • Study: Almost Everyone Is ‘Homing From Work,’ But More Are Working Longer Hours

    According to a new study, more workers are reporting a better work/life balance than they were two years ago. Captivate’s Office Pulse surveyed over 4,000 “white-collar” workers across North America, and found an 11% increase in the number of people reporting a health balance since 2011.

    “Though workers report working longer hours, they’re happier due to ‘homing from work,’ or taking care of personal and family needs during the work day,” a spokesperson for Captivate tells WebProNews. “It’s making workers happier.”

    The survey also found a 30% increase in respondents reporting working more than nine hours a day, making the findings even more interesting. They’re working more, but also claiming to have a better work/life balance.

    As many as 93% of respondents reported “homing from work”.

    “People seem to be getting more comfortable with putting in longer hours,” said Scott Marden, research director at Captivate Network. “Part of that appears to come from the growing ability to take care of personal business during the workday… It’s a definite shift and it’s impacting not only the way people work but also the types of issues and activities that are on their minds during the workday.”

    “What ‘Homing from Work’ says to me is that the channels that reach people during the workday should be used for more than B2B brands,” said Dan Levi, Captivate’s chief marketing officer. “This research points to new opportunities for reaching consumers when they are researching and purchasing products and services for themselves and their families.”

    The fastest growing “homing from work” activities, according to the firm, are entertainment (up 80% from 2011), surfing and shopping online (up 63%), running errands (up 31%), and shopping in retail stores (up 34%). Here’s a look at the types of products and services people are engaging with during the work day:

    Homing from Work

    “The workplace presents an under-utilized advertising opportunity,” said Levi. “People are researching and purchasing products, they are stepping out to take care of personal business and highly-targeted media channels like Captivate Network can effectively educate them on their options and alternatives. This study reinforces that there is an opportunity for marketers to make the phenomenon of ‘Homing from Work’, work for them.”

    You can find the full report here.

  • Ever Wonder How Many Calories You Burn with a Mouse Click?

    Ever Wonder How Many Calories You Burn with a Mouse Click?

    If you’ve ever wondered just how much of a workout you’re getting at the office everyday by simply clicking your mouse, wonder no more. Someone has calculated it and put it in a publication.

    The findings appeared in the recently published Convert Anything to Calories, which calculated the calorie counts in both food and common activities.

    The calculation was based on an average human finger volume and weight of 10.8 cubic centimeters and 11.7 grams, respectively.

    On average, 16.7 micromoles of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) are consumed in moving one gram of muscle for one second. So, the total amount of ATP burned to move 11.7 grams of muscle in the index finger is approximately 195 micromoles (11.7g×16.7μ mol/g). There are 7.3 calories in one mole of ATP energy, so the number of calories burned in clicking the mouse equals about 1.42 (7.3/1000) X 195).

    So, 1.42 calories every time you click that YouTube video link or send out that tweet. Well, kind of.

    “The calculation assumes the muscle contracted completely, so the actual amount of calories used is a little less,” the authors specify. So, unless you’re really clicking your mouse with gusto, you’re probably not burning the full 1.42 calories per click.

    So, long story short, you should probably get up and take a stroll around the office. Browsing reddit isn’t going to burn off that Quarter Pounder w/ cheese.

    [Yahoo Japan via RocketNews24 via TechCrunch]

  • Microsoft Updates All Of Its Office Web Apps

    The Web is quickly becoming the new platform of choice for many tech companies. Google and Microsoft have been the two largest proponents of the Web over the last few years with both companies investing heavily in cloud computing and big data. Now Microsoft has finally updated one of its first forays into the Web-based collaboration software.

    Microsoft announced today that all of its Office Web apps have been updated to take advantage of new platforms like SkyDrive. The first Office Web apps were made available in 2010 and let users collaborate on documents in real time via any Web browser. It was similar to Google Docs, but now Microsoft is moving to be the Web platform of choice for those working in Word and other office documents.

    First up, the Word Web app was updated to improve its visuals on high definition monitors. There’s also new support for viewing and adding comments to a Word document. Many of the same features present in the desktop version of Word are available in the Word Web app.

    The Excel Web app features all of the essential features that you’ve come to expect. Users can now visualize data with high fidelity charts, even in 3D. The app now supports the ability to print from the browser as well.

    The PowerPoint Web app has received more updates than most due to its highly visual nature. Slides are now presented in high definition, just like on the desktop version. Audio and video playback is now supported on mobile devices as well. Students or office workers who are still working on a presentation at the last minute can also add new slides via a Web browser.

    On a final note, the OneNote Web app also received a few updates including the ability to search on a page or within a section. Like before, users can type anywhere on a page to add notes, pictures or tags. Those notes, however, can now be shared as URL that can be viewed on across PCs, phones and tablets.

    All the new updated Office Web apps have been optimized for IE10, Windows 8 and iOS 6. You can access them via SkyDrive and Outlook.

  • College Students Can Now Get Office 365 At A Cheap Price

    College Students Can Now Get Office 365 At A Cheap Price

    College students are constantly broke. I was there once. The worst part was living off of ramen noodles while waiting for my meal plans to renew. Companies are finally starting to understand this and have started offering discounted, or even free, services to students.

    Microsoft is the latest company to adopt this student-friendly approach by making its Office 365 service dirt cheap. Office 365 is Microsoft’s new cloud-platform where users can edit Word, Excel and other Office software via Web browsers. The service normally costs $3 per month for students, but Microsoft is offering it at $1.67 per month ($80 over four years) to college students.

    Beyond the cheap price, the service has some specific perks for students. Subscribers will get access to all the applications in the Office software suite including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access. A subscription lasts four years, but students can sign up for four more if their college journey takes that long.

    The other perks include automatic saving to SkyDrive for all documents and an extra 20GB storage on said SkyDrive. Students will now be able to save up to 27GB worth of content across all of their projects. Skype is even getting in on the fun by offering 60 Skype world minutes a month to subscribers.

    So, who’s eligible to take part in this deal? Unlike most student offers, full and part-time students can take advantage of the special pricing as long as they attend an “accredited institution.” Even better, faculty and staff at said institutions can also sign up for the service. It’s not known if faculty and staff are also held to the four year limit.

    UPDATE: Microsoft just got back with us. A spokesperson said that all “eligible students, faculty or staff members can renew their 4-year subscription to Office 365 University once.” Guess that means professors can only get 8 years just like their students. Tenure doesn’t mean as much as it used to.

  • Download Microsoft Office 2013 Customer Preview Today

    Microsoft just unveiled the next installment of their ubiquitous Office products, and you can download the customer preview here.

    Microsoft says that Office 2013 (or Office 15) is going to work perfectly across multiple devices – “touch, stylus, mouse, or keyboard.”

    “We are taking bold steps at Microsoft,” said Steve Ballmer at the press announcement. “The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8.”

    Microsoft is putting the new Office firmly in the cloud:

    • SkyDrive. Office saves documents to SkyDrive by default, so your content is always available across your tablet, PC and phone. Your documents are also available offline and sync when you reconnect.
    • Roaming. Once signed in to Office, your personalized settings, including your most recently used files, templates and even your custom dictionary, roam with you across virtually all of your devices. Office even remembers where you last left off and brings you right back to that spot in a single click.
    • Office on Demand. With a subscription, you can access Office even when you are away from your PC by streaming full-featured applications to an Internet-connected Windows-based PC.
    • New subscription services. The new Office is available as a cloud-based subscription service. As subscribers, consumers automatically get future upgrades in addition to exciting cloud services including Skype world minutes and extra SkyDrive storage. Subscribers receive multiple installs for everyone in the family and across their devices.

    Pricing has yet to be announced, but Microsoft says that subscriptions will come in three new formats – Home Premium, Small Business Premium, and ProPlus.

  • Office For iPad To Be Announced At SharePoint?

    There have been several rumors lately that Microsoft would be bringing Office to Apple’s iPad (and possibly to Android tablets as well). Two stories a week apart have each cited internal Microsoft sources claiming that Office for iOS would be releasing in November. The most recent one claimed that the app is nearly ready to be sent off to Apple for approval.

    Those rumors – including the release date – have gotten a bit more support today. Citing “a source familiar with Microsoft’s Office sales team,” Business Insider is reporting that Microsoft is planning to announce Office for iPad at the SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas. The conference is scheduled to start on November 12th, which matches the rough timeline of the most recent reports.

    Of course, as I’ve said before, the surprise isn’t that Microsoft is launching Office for iPad. The surprise is that it’s taken them so long. The iPad has been gaining tremendous traction in the business world for quite some time, and Office alternatives – including Apple’s own iWork suite – have been on the iPad for ages while Microsoft calmly pretends the iPad doesn’t exist. The iPad release will likely follow the release of the first Windows 8 tablets, which should be coming this fall as well. There are also rumors of an Android version.

    Of course, the world of mobile productivity just got a lot more interesting in another way, as well. In fact, had Microsoft not been planning to bring Office to the iPad, you can bet that Google’s acquisition of QuickOffice would have set them on the path to doing so. By buying QuickOffice, arguably the most popular Office alternative for the iPad, Google is making a big jump into the mobile productivity market and firing a shot directly across Microsoft’s bow. That’s not the sort of thing that Microsoft can allow to go unanswered, which means that we may be in for an interesting little arms race in the world of iPad productivity software over the next few months.

  • Microsoft Office Coming To iPad, Android In November?

    Microsoft Office may finally be making its way to the tablet world in November, according to recent reports. It seems that Microsoft has working versions of the apps and is preparing them to launch for the iPad and for Android tablets not long after the first Windows 8 tablets will (probably) be hitting the market.

    BGR, citing “a reliable source at Microsoft,” says that the company is planning to release the “full Office suite” for both iOS and Android. What’s more, the iOS version may not be iPad only. The source said that the app’s startup screen reads “Office for iOS,” instead of “Office for iPad.” That suggests that an iPhone/iPod Touch version could be coming as well.

    An iPad version of Microsoft Office is one of those rumors that’s been around for ages and never actually come to pass. People have been expecting Microsoft to bring their ridiculously ubiquitous productivity suite to the iPad for almost as long as there has been an iPad. Every once in awhile, a fresh rumor pops up, keeping hope alive. The Daily has reported twice in recent memory that Office would be coming soon to the iPad – once in November, and again in February. The report in February included claims that The Daily’s source had actually gotten some hands-on experience with the app, though Microsoft denied everything. According to BGR’s source, though, the version that Microsoft is preparing to launch in November bears a strong resemblance to The Daily’s February version.

    Given the consistent cycle of rumors that don’t amount to anything, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Microsoft never releases a version of Office for iPad. On the other hand, you have to wonder why in the world they wouldn’t. Office is easily the most widely-used productivity suite in the world, and the fact that Microsoft has failed to bring it to the increasingly large tablet market is mind-boggling. You can bet that Windows 8 tablets will have their own version of Office. But unless Microsoft honestly expects Windows 8 tablets to knock the iPad off its lofty perch in short order (which isn’t likely, to put it mildly), they’d be crazy not to publish an iOS version at least.

  • Office 15 Getting Major Cloud Integration, Leaked Video Shows

    Last week we brought you news of a leaked product roadmap from Microsoft that gave hints about the release of several products, including the next versions of Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office (though not, unfortunately, Windows 8). According to that document, the beta version of Office 15 will be releasing sometime this summer, with a full release not coming until sometime early in 2013.

    Details about the next update to Microsoft’s venerable productivity platform are a little scarce, though screenshots obtained last month by The Verge show some interesting details. One thing that the each of the Office apps apparently includes is the option to sign in and save files to cloud services like SkyDrive.

    Now it looks like a leaked video from Microsoft confirms Office 15’s cloud integration. According to the short video, which looks like the kind of video that Microsoft sometimes builds into their software, users will be able to sign into Office on their computers and “keep your documents safely online,” so that “they travel with you to all your devices.” Check out the video below:

    Based on the video, it sounds like the sign-in process will allow users to edit Office files on their Windows 8 tablets. What will be interesting to see is whether “all your devices” means something more than “all your Windows devices.” That is, will we finally be seeing Microsoft Office for iPad? An Office app (or suite of apps, a la iWork) has been rumored for ages. In November there were rumors that an Office app would be coming sometime in 2012. A similar rumor popped up in February of this year, but was quickly shot down by Microsoft.

  • Businesses Should Bet On Low Productivity Around March Madness

    I’m betting that if business owners check their numbers at the beginning of April, they’ll probably find their productivity levels may have slipped a bit in March. Before managers start worrying about the market or anything else business-related, the answer may be quite simply that your office has suffered from a case of March Madness.

    Twenty percent of employees know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re a guy, twenty-seven percent of you and if you’re a girl, thirteen percent of you may need to consider taking down those brackets you copied with your company’s copier and taped or pinned to your walls and replace them with the workflow charts, schedules and time sheets that normally make up the decor of your office space.

    Now, if productivity numbers are really down, businesses may need to consider that a recent survey from CareerBuilder of 7,000 workers found that one-in-ten employees actually watched March Madness games while at work and 17% spent at least an hour a day checking scores while on the clock.

    While there is something to said for the camaraderie, spirit and team building aspects of the office’s participation in the exciting NCAA college basketball tournament each year, it should relieve a number of CEO’s and CFO’s especially that when March wagering and office pools are over, April will probably be a banner month for companies (if March took a dip), at least until Spring break and vacation season come around.

  • The Microsoft Office For iPad Squabble Spills Over To Twitter

    Yesterday, we reported on an upcoming version of Microsoft Office for iPad. The famous productivity suite has always been noticeably absent from iOS, and the news that an app might be making its way to the most popular tablet in the world set the interwebs ablaze.

    The new came courtesy of The Daily, who claimed that an image was in fact the new program running on an iPad. That image came with the news that Office for iPad was set to be submitted for approval to the app store within weeks. It reportedly looks a lot like OneNote and will start off with the three basic Microsoft applications Words, Excel, and PowerPoint.

    Shortly after the initial report, Microsoft hit back – they denied that the image was a real Microsoft software product and said that The Daily’s story was “based on inaccurate rumors and speculation.”

    Well, the fight spilled over to Twitter. An official Microsoft account @MSFTnews tweeted this late Tuesday evening:

    @MSFTnews
    Microsoft News    Great respect for The Daily but regrettably someone is giving them bad info, and that’ll be clear in the “coming weeks.” 20 hours ago via CoTweet ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    The Daily’s Peter Ha retweeted that Microsoft tweet, and later this:

    @ThePeterHa
    Peter Ha    This was a joke: http://t.co/HJ7U7sGx. This is not a joke: http://t.co/3Kjiq7gn. 3 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    That link led to a writeup where they stick by their story:

    Let’s get one thing straight: We did not fabricate this story, nor did we fake the images in any way. A Microsoft employee, not a contractor, demoed a prototype of the app for us. We were repeatedly told that it wasn’t the final build and we did not report it as such, which is probably why Microsoft has said that it isn’t their software. Truth is, there are probably several versions of the launch screen being reviewed internally.

    However, another Microsoft employee who is much closer to the project has confirmed to us several times over the last few months that Office for iOS is real and that it would be launching soon. We originally reported on this very thing back in November and a few weeks later, Microsoft released OneNote for iOS. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

    Microsoft commented further to ZDNet, or rather declined to comment about whether or not there is a version of Office for iPad in development – just that the image in The Daily article wasn’t their software. It’s entirely possible that it’s just a case of Microsoft distancing themselves from a build of the software that’s not going to look anything like the finished project.

    I guess we’ll know in a few weeks if The Daily’s Microsoft source was right about the Office Suite launching soon. Until then, you’ll have to stick to iWork and third-party apps for your productivity needs.

  • Microsoft Office 15 Begins Technical Preview

    Microsoft announced the beginning of the technical preview program for Microsoft Office 15, the next generation of Microsoft Office.

    The preview is the first time the company shares its work with a select group of customers, under non-disclosure agreements.

    “These customers play a key role in our development process by testing early builds and providing feedback, which we incorporate into the final release,” says PJ Hough, CVP of Development on Microsoft’s Office Division.

    “At this early point in our development cycle, I’m not able to share too much about Office 15, but I can tell you Office 15 is the most ambitious undertaking yet for the Office Division,” says Hough. “With Office 15, for the first time ever, we will simultaneously update our cloud services, servers, and mobile and PC clients for Office, Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, Project, and Visio. Quite simply, Office 15 will help people work, collaborate, and communicate smarter and faster than ever before.”

    The public beta will come this summer, the company says. At that point, more details about the release will be made public, obviously.

    The current preview program is full, and closed to any additional participants.

  • Office for iPad in 2012?

    Office for iPad in 2012?

    The rumor mill has been thrown into high gear today on reports from The Daily that Microsoft is at long last preparing a version of its flagship Office software for Apple’s iPad. The Daily, citing internal sources, reports that Microsoft has several major projects in the works, including a new version of Office for Mac (the current version is not supported in OS 10.7 Lion) and the next iteration of the Windows operating system, Windows 8.

    There have been no shortage of rumors in the past about Office coming to the iPad, and it is possible that the current crop of rumors will ultimately go nowhere. That being said, the timing makes sense. With new versions of Office and Windows in the works, an iOS version of Office would fit in nicely. Moreover, Apple’s own iWork productivity suite has been on the iPad for a long time, and sold well, while Office users have had to make do with third-party apps like Quickoffice [iTunes link], which are generally popular with users, but generate no revenue for Microsoft. Finally, Windows-based tablets have gained little ground in a tablet market so thoroughly dominated by the iPad that it can hardly be said to be a tablet market at all, but rather an iPad market.

    That being the case, Office for iPad makes sense. However, there is no data at present on when we might expect to see Office come to the iPad, nor on pricing (though a price comparable to Apple’s iWork suite – $10 per application – seems likely). Reactions to the rumor on Twitter seem to be a mix of excitement and skepticism, with one user taking a humorously pessimistic view:

    @Timbotown
    Tim Dreyer    Trust Microsoft to bring the end of fun to the iPad: Office for the iPad reportedly coming soon http://t.co/iYJOdhpv 23 minutes ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    @gustavoriffo
    Gustavo Riffo    Microsoft Office for the iPad: Should they? Could they? Will they? 24 minutes ago via dlvr.it · powered by @socialditto

    What do you think? Will Microsoft bring Office to the iPad? Will you be using it if they do? Let us know in the comments.

  • Microsoft’s Vision for Future Computer Use

    Microsoft’s Vision for Future Computer Use

    As Microsoft prepares for the upcoming Windows 8 launch, they are also provided us a glimpse of what the future of computer use — this includes software and hardware — with a nifty video that not only gives us a forward thinking look at what lies ahead in the world of computer use, it also gives you an idea concerning Microsoft’s strategy going forward.

    After watching the video, one thing’s for sure, if Microsoft’s vision comes to pass, there’s going to be an awful lot of touch technology coming down the pipe. In fact, if you fast forward to the three minute mark, you’ll see the user’s entire desk has been designed around touchscreen technology, only in this vision, it’s so much more robust. Even the keyboard the actor is using has a touchscreen function that allows him to move the incoming communication to his primary monitor.

    The fact is, Microsoft’s vision for future computer use looks a lot like what Steven Spielberg showed us in Minority Report. Via touch, users would be able to control which content is displayed and how user’s interact with it. Take a look at Microsoft’s creation because regardless of your feelings on touch technology, the future envisioned by the company looks rather impressive:


    According to a post at Official Microsoft blog, authored by Kurt DelBene, Microsoft feels most of the technology on display in the video already exists:

    All of the ideas in the video are based on real technology. Some of the capabilities, such as speech recognition, real time collaboration and data visualization already exist today. Others are not yet available in specific products, but represent active research and development happening at Microsoft and other companies.

    As indicated, whether or not you are a fan of touch technology, you should check out Microsoft’s vision of the future. As a person who isn’t the biggest adopter of touch technology, I must say I’m happy the keyboard exists in Microsoft’s future, and the way it’s integrated with touch is pretty damn cool.

    H/t to the WinRumors blog for pointing this out.