office

Web-based Office extension goes to testing

Microsoft's answer to Google and other competitors in the online application market entered widespread beta testing on Tuesday.

Office Live Workspace, a Web-based extension to Office that introduces online document sharing and storage, has been in a limited, private beta test since last October.

The free service, set to debut later this year, is aimed at Google's Documents and Spreadsheets, among other services, that have emerged as popular alternatives to Office.

While Office still holds a commanding lead in the productivity application market, that has not stopped Google, IBM, Adobe and others from launching new services. For many … Read more

HP printers can't stop, won't stop

HP is poised and ready to send a barrage of printers to our office, and to that we say, "Bring it on!" This won't be the first time we've been deluged with printers from HP, and we're eager to get back in the ring. Need proof? Just last August, we became a storage shed for HP's massive photo printer rollout. This time around, it's the small and medium business side that gets a product boost with 11 new inkjet and laserjet printers that HP claims will increase flexibility and grab attention at a … Read more

Who are these models and what have they done with Steve Ballmer?

This post was updated at 4:50 AM PT on March 4 with comment from a Microsoft representative.

NEW YORK--So, on Monday night, Microsoft threw a party for its brand new Office Live Workspace, also known as Redmond's answer to Google Apps. Held at the Twelve21 nightclub in Manhattan's Flatiron District, the guests of honor at the event were Doug Ellin, creator and executive producer of the HBO series Entourage, as well as executive producer Rob Weiss and star Jeremy Piven (you know, "Ari").

I'm always down for a good time with software geeks, so … Read more

Vista prices fall even further

I expected to see some lower Vista prices in this weekend's ads, but was surprised to see just how low the prices had fallen.

Officially the price cuts announced by Microsoft on Thursday don't take effect until later this year when Service Pack 1 hits retail shelves. However, the company had said that many retailers were offering promotions that bring the software to its lower price.

But the ad at OfficeMax took things a step further. In this week's circular, the office products chain is selling Windows Vista Home Premium for $99. That's $30 less than … Read more

Exposed to military chemical and biological warfare tests, they walk among us

Thousands of people who may have been exposed to chemical or biological agents during military tests remain unaccounted for, and the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs have given up on tracking them down, according to a new report.

Some of the tests were conducted as part of a weapons testing program known as "Project 112." In others (click here for PDF), individuals were intentionally exposed to hazardous substances such as blister, nerve, and biological agents as well as LSD and PCP, according to a Government Accounting Office report (PDF).

Any veterans who believe they have sustained … Read more

New services, frameworks and tools on tap for Mix

Coming up this week, Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie will make one of his rare public appearances to give developers the latest word on the future of the Web and Microsoft software at the Mix '08 conference in Las Vegas.

Ozzie is heading up Microsoft's effort to embrace the Web as a platform, which started in October 2005, when Bill Gates fired off a memo to his executive staff and distinguished engineers with the following call to action:

"The next sea change is upon us. We must recognize this change as an opportunity to take our offerings to … Read more

Where we didn't start the fire

EPISODE 46

After a contentious morning with an almost late Wilson Tang and a false office fire, the 404 hosts kick off the show with a look at billboard defacing, MyVu already showing up on Woot, prizes given away, and not so fantastic movies coming out this weekend!

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Defensively installing Microsoft Office Service Pack 3

On February 28, Microsoft started to distribute Service Pack 3 for Office 2003 via Microsoft Update. As I noted earlier, it's safer to avoid new software, including new bug fixes and new service packs (a big collection of bug fixes).

In the current issue* of the Windows Secrets newsletter, Susan Bradley points out a problem with service packs for Microsoft Office: there is no undo. If, for example, Service Pack 3 causes a problem, you can't roll back to Service Pack 2; instead, you have to uninstall Office 2003 and reinstall it.

In light of all this, I … Read more

Google Sites is not the big story

The hullaballoo that attends every Google product debut triggers the predictable bloviation fest one normally associates with market-moving news. But much of the commentary about the debut of the revamped JotSpot technology misses the more interesting story.

Sure, the announcement is intriguing. But it's not because we're talking about Jotspot (or Google Sites, as the service was rechristened). I don't want to suck up too much to my cubicle mate Dan Farber (well, maybe just a little), but he's right about this being a show.

Outside of a fanatic few, how many computer users really will … Read more

Agency explores feasibility of virtual worlds as terrorist havens

Over at Wired today, the eagle-eyed Ryan Singel has a story about a new U.S. government initiative intended to root out terrorists working and playing in virtual worlds.

As Singel writes, the so-called Data Mining Report (click here for PDF) from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence includes information about "Reynard," a "seedling effort to study the emerging phenomenon of social (particularly terrorist) dynamics in virtual worlds and large-scale online games and their implications for the Intelligence Community."

The Data Mining Report continues, suggesting, "The cultural and behavioral norms of virtual worlds … Read more