Microsoft Office software news and reviews | Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows

Apr. 28, 2013

Article

A Rare Peek into the Reimagining of Microsoft’s Products and Brands 59

You’ve heard the term “reimagining” applied to Windows 8, of course, but it’s also something that Microsoft has applied to other products and services, and even to its own brand. This week, in what I believe to be a fairly unprecedented though very quiet revelation, Microsoft trotted out two of the people, Albert Shum and Todd Simmons, who have spearheaded this amazing change. And what the reveal is fascinating indeed....More
Apr. 26, 2013

Article

Office 365 to Go: The Windows 8/RT Experience 3

This second look at configuring Office 365 for businesses on mobile devices focuses on the new mobile environment, previously called “Metro,” that’s available in Windows 8 and RT. But don’t worry, traditional PC users: I have a few tips for those using more traditional PCs and the desktop environment too....More
Apr. 25, 2013

Article

Office 365 to Go: The Windows Phone Experience 6

If you’re new to one of the business versions of Office 365, you may be curious about setting up your account to work on various mobile devices. In the first in a short series of articles about configuring the service on these devices, I take a look at Windows Phone 8....More
Apr. 22, 2013

Article

Office 365 Tip: Set Up SkyDrive Pro on Your PC 19

Examining the many changes found in the new version of Office 365, I figured I’d set up SkyDrive Pro syncing on my PCs, so that I could sync my SharePoint Online-based document store with my PCs, just as I do with the consumer-oriented SkyDrive. And sure enough, it works just fine once you get it set up correctly. The trick is getting it set up directly....More
Apr. 22, 2013

News

Surprisingly Strong Quarter Suggests Microsoft Transition is On Track

For the naysayers writing the obituaries for the PC industry and for Microsoft over the past several weeks, the firm’s surprisingly strong quarterly results—including record revenues of $20.49 billion—must have come as a shock. But this isn’t the first time Microsoft has confounded its critics, who routinely overlook the company’s successful transition to the cloud....More
Apr. 20, 2013

Article

The Office 365 Upgrade: Migration Complete 8

After months of email warnings, my own Office 365 migration happened over the last 24 hours. The change was immediate, and aside from a manual SharePoint site collection upgrade, completely seamless. And now everything is different. Different and better....More
Apr. 16, 2013

Article

The Office 365 Upgrade: SharePoint on the Web, PC and Mobile Devices 7

In addition to the completely revamped Outlook Web App, users who migrate to the new Office 365 will also experience a vastly improved SharePoint Online experience. But in this case, the changes happen both on the web and on PC and mobile clients, too. That’s because Microsoft is supporting this release with new client solutions for Windows 7/8, Windows Phone, Android and iOS....More
Apr. 10, 2013

Article

The Office 365 Upgrade: New Outlook Web App 6

From an end-user perspective, the upgrade to the new Office 365 should go pretty seamlessly, with no email disruptions. Those who access Office 365 services from client applications on their PCs and phones can simply go about their daily business. But those who access these services from the web are in for a treat. Among the changes: A vastly improved Outlook Web App....More
Apr. 10, 2013

Article

A Theory about the Office on iPad Schedule 41

Mary Jo Foley has published a fascinating peek at the timetable for Outlook RT, as well as coming versions of Office on iPad, Android, Mac OS X, and Windows RT. And while the dates are perhaps further out than some would like, I do have a theory about why this might be so....More
Apr. 9, 2013

Article

The Office 365 Upgrade: New Sign-in Experience 4

If you’re an existing Office 365 business customer as I am, I assume you’ve seen the many warnings that Microsoft has delivered via email: You are or will soon be upgraded to the new version of the service. Here’s the first in a series of articles describing the improvements in the new version of the service....More
Apr. 8, 2013

Article

Office 2013 Tip: Disable Send to OneNote Tool 4

Like many Office users, I like to customize the Office experience to my work style and I’m very specific about some settings. But in Office 2013, I’ve had a curiously difficult time figuring out how to fully disable the Send to OneNote Tool. Turns out it’s really easy....More
Apr. 4, 2013

Article

What’s Happening with Outlook RT? 23

When Microsoft release Windows RT with specially compiled versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, speculation about the absence of an Outlook desktop application began almost immediately. Rumors have suggested over time that Microsoft had in fact created a version of Outlook for Windows RT, with the reasons for it not being released differing from source to source....More
Apr. 1, 2013

Article

This Week: Garage Series Live! 2

This week, the Office Garage series at Microsoft is hosting a special live event that will feature hosts Jeremy Chapman and Yoni Kirsh as well as early adopter customers, expert Microsoft Office engineers, and … me! Tune in Wednesday to catch the special episode live....More
Mar. 29, 2013

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Short Takes: March 29, 2013

An often irreverent look at this week's other news, including non-news about smaller Windows tablets and real news about a smaller Surface, Microsoft’s plans to make Office a lot more agnostic in 2013, Microsoft’s Surface connector patents may stave off iPad ripoffs, Microsoft publishes a list of 41,000 patents, nerds attack each other and take down TV night on Netflix, and Amazon kills off—sorry, “buys”—a book reviewing service....More
Mar. 22, 2013

Article

Windows 8/RT App Pick: OneNote 21

Google made waves this week—for some reason—by releasing a web-based note-taking service called Keep. But while everyone is busy falling all over themselves comparing Keep to Evernote, the superior and most-used electronic note-taking solution, Microsoft OneNote, forges ahead. And this week, we get a new version of the OneNote mobile app for Windows 8 and RT....More
Mar. 20, 2013

Article

Office Garage: Ode to a User-Based Office 1

In the latest episode of Microsoft’s Office Garage video series, Jeremy Chapman and Yoni Kirsh discuss how the New Office changes from a device-based licensing to user-based licensing. Plus, Microsoft technical fellow Mark Russinovich gets taken for a ride....More
Mar. 20, 2013

News

Microsoft, Partners Investigated for Bribery in International Markets

The U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating claims that Microsoft’s business partners accepted bribes in China, Italy, and Romania in return for software contracts. The investigations are at a preliminary stage only and neither Microsoft nor any of its business partners have been accused of wrongdoing. Indeed, Microsoft says it is investigating the claims as well....More
Mar. 19, 2013

Article

Lync Expands with Video Interoperability, AT&T Support

A month after the first-ever Lync Conference, Microsoft is announcing new development for its business-oriented communications platform. Lync will expand to support new third-party video teleconferencing vendors over the next 18 months, and AT&T is adding Lync to its Unified Communications (UC) portfolio of collaboration solutions....More
Mar. 13, 2013

Article

Office Garage: Configuring a New Office Install 2

This week on the Office Garage, Jeremy Chapman and Yoni Kirsh discuss managing Office 2013 client configuration and whether the new Click-to-Run installs offer as much control as the traditional MSI-based installer. If you’ve been following along with this series of videos, you might recognize a theme developing here: Despite qualms about Click-to-Run, it’s a net win for users and administrators alike....More
Mar. 11, 2013

Article

Lync 2013 for Windows Phone 8 9

Microsoft has released a major update to its Lync app for Windows Phone. The new version, Lync 2013, only runs on Windows Phone 8 and provides voice and video conferencing capabilities for users with Lync Server or Lync Online accounts through Office 365....More
Mar. 11, 2013

Article

Microsoft Preps Customers for Office 365 Service Upgrade 6

If you were an existing user of Office 365 before the recent and massive upgrades, as I was, you may have questions about when your accounts will be updated to the new versions of the services and, when applicable, the Office desktop applications. To help customers understand and schedule this transition, Microsoft has created Office 365 Service Upgrade Center portals for both small businesses and enterprises....More
Mar. 11, 2013

Article

Microsoft Sweetens Office 365 Deal for Students 5

In tandem with its launch of Office 365 Home Premium for consumers, Microsoft also launched an Office 365 University subscription for students that provides four years of service at an incredible price. But this week, the firm sweetened the deal even further, offering students the chance to get up to six months for free....More
Mar. 8, 2013

Article

Of Click-to-Run and Custom Installs of Office 2013 7

While the benefits of the new Click-to-Run installer in Office 2013 are easy to identify, there is one downside if you prefer to customize your install of Office: You can’t. With the current Click-to-Run installer, Office 2013 is an all-or-nothing proposition. And for now at least, there’s no workaround....More
Mar. 7, 2013

Article

Office Garage: A Tale of Two Package Types 5

In the latest episode of Microsoft’s Office Garage video series, Yoni Kirsh and Jeremy Chapman explain the differences between Windows Installer Package (MSI) and Click-to-Run package types, how to download Click-to-Run builds for use with software distribution tools, and when its necessary to provision user accounts in Office 365. Oh, and there’s skydiving....More
Mar. 6, 2013

Article

What I Use: March 2013 35

Lots of changes since November, including a new PC-based home server running Windows 8, several new smart phones, new PCs and tablets, new cloud backup, Office 365 Home Premium and a nice doubling of my Internet speeds courtesy of Verizon FIOS....More