All about Microsoft Office Outlook

PC SMS

Sun, 04 May 2008 08:00:00 EST

PC SMS allows you to send and receive SMS messages directly from your desktop and provides pop-up notification when a message is received. PC SMS includes a free Outlook plug-in, enabling you to send and receive SMS from Outlook. The Outlook plug-in provides direct access to your Outlook contacts and Global Address list so separate SMS contact lists are not required. Version 1.0.1 includes unspecified updates.

Schemax Calendar

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

Schemax Calendar helps organizations more effectively manage the schedules of multiple resources (people, rooms etc.), forecast resource activity, book resources and resolve scheduling conflicts. Produce bar charts of resource activity, calendar overlays and group and filter activities by category, resource and Outlook free/busy colors. Schemax Calendars unique design lets you view up to 12 months of activities in a single screen, then zoom in and pan for more detail.

Windows XP SP3: Hands-On Preview

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

Microsoft confirmed today that the final version of Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been released to PC manufacturers right on schedule. The update will be available to end users to download next Tuesday, April 29, and pushed to Windows Update in June. A post on Microsofts TechNet developer site confirmed the release.

Microsoft gave us an early look at the update as a 580MB disk image. What we saw is barely changed from our preview of an early beta of SP3, and seeing Windows XP SP3 for the first time is highly unremarkable.

Far from being a new operating system, Windows XP SP3 is really an accumulation of updates for compatibility, security, and performance. It doesnt contain new features found in Vista, aside from Network Access Protection (NAP), which lets XP systems work with Windows Server 2008s ability to enforce system health requirements before allowing access to network assets. In addition to that feature, the only actually new ones are "Black Hole" Router Detection, more description in the Security Options control panel, kernel-level support for FIPS 140-1 Level 1 compliant cryptography, and a new Product Activation system that allows installation without immediately requiring a product key.

On a 1.5GHz Athlon system with 1GB of RAM, the installation process took a little over an hour. The setup goes through listing third-party drivers, performs a system inventory, checks space for installation, backs up files, installs new OS files, and performs a cleanup. After that, a reboot is required. For a look at the process, see our XP SP3 slideshow.

Windows XP SP3 will be available via Windows Update as a 70MB download and at Microsoft Download Center as a full installation weighing in at 580MB. It will also be made available to volume license customers, TechNet subscribers, and MSDN subscribers. As a cumulative update, it can be installed on top of SP1 or SP2, and works with any edition of XP. The update, however, is not applicable to the 64-bit version of Windows XP. In an overview document, Microsoft specifically mentions that it works with Media Center Edtion, but our preview of the beta noted that Media Center updates were stopped after installing SP3. We havent yet tested whether this has been corrected, so stay tuned for our results.

Finally, Microsoft noted that the processes system administrators can use to deploy XP to multiple machines have not changed; further information for them is available at Deploy Windows XP Professional.

Microsoft plans Office subscription service

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

Microsoft confirmed that it is planning a subscription service that combines the consumer version of Office with its OneCare security suite.

Code-named Albany, the product has a single installer that puts Office Home and Student, OneCare, as well as a host of Windows Live services, onto a users PC. As long as users keep paying for the subscription, they are entitled to the latest versions of the products. Once they stop paying, they lose the right to use any version.

The product is aimed at consumers that want a simple way to have access to Microsofts productivity suite and keep their computer protected, Microsoft said.

"There is a customer segment that really enjoys this always-on, always up-to-date aspect of the service," Microsoft group product manager Bryson Gordon said.

Microsoft is planning to introduce a limited beta version of Albany in the coming days, with the aim of launching the product commercially sometime later this year, Gordon said. The company still hasnt decided on how much it will charge or how the product will be sold, he said.

In talking about the product, Microsoft did not refer to Google Docs by name, but I have said a subscription product might be Microsofts way of trying to find a more palatable way of charging for Office amid stepped-up competition from free and online rivals.

By tying the Office subscription to OneCare, Microsoft is linking the purchase to one of the few areas where consumers have shown a willingness to pay for software--security. In this way, Microsoft can make the pitch to those buying security software that, for some extra dollars, they can always have the latest version of Office as well.

Those who subscribe to Albany will also get several free Microsoft products pushed onto their desktop--including online document-sharing product Office Live Workspace, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery, and Windows Live Mail.

Gordon argued that having all the products installed at one time is seen as a plus by the segment targeted by Albany, but he agreed that some users may not be interested in having so many Microsoft products foisted upon them. Office and OneCare will continue to be offered in traditional ways, he added.

Other products may be added in over time, he said, and Microsoft could also try the Albany approach for other market segments, such as small businesses.

MoveIT Application Outlook Add-In

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

Are you obsessed with your inbox? This might seem like a strange question, but you may be surprised to know how many people waste hours of their precious time checking their email. In fact, the issue of hours wasted on cluttered inboxes has become so common that it now has a name: email overload. Microsoft Outlooks Rules and Alerts only work when emails are actually sent/received. As a result, unread emails are often filed directly into their folders, without your knowledge. It could take days before you notice a particular email and your response may be much too late. MoveIT, on the other hand, is a comprehensive email solution that works with all your emails irrespective of which folder they are in or when they were received. Your new emails appear and remain in your inbox until you have read and handled them.

Nobex Contacts - Address Book Software for Microsoft Outlook

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

Nobex Contacts for Microsoft Outlook is a plugin that automatically finds and analyzes contact information included in an email signature. The Nobex Contacts software makes it easy to save the contact information found in an email to your address book, and helps you manage your contacts. Nobex Contacts is extremely easy to use and will save you time.

Nobex Contacts for Microsoft Outlook does something very simple, and saves a lot of hassle. When you receive an email with the senders contact information in a signature block (phone, fax, web address, title, etc.), our patent-pending technology analyzes the email, finds the block, parses it, and pops up a notification to tell you it was found. You click it, and Nobex Contacts creates a new item for the sender in your Contacts address book. It shows you the contact information for verification, you click Save, and thats it. No more going back to find contact information in old emails, no more cutting and pasting contact information fields, no more typing info manually.

Licence nagging coming to Office

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

Microsoft is starting a trial scheme of nagging Office users who have non genuine copies of Office.

At present there are various Genuine Software technologies built into Office but theres little direct notice or penalty if the copy of Office you are running isnt legal.

Thats going to change with a pilot of the Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) notifications program in Chile, Italy, Spain and Turkey. While nothing has been said, its only a matter of time before this program expands around the globe.

If Microsoft believes your copy of Office isnt legal, the nagging will start with an icon on the ribbon or toolbar. A dialog box will appear when you open an Office app at the start of each day and two hours later. That continues for 30 days then, as yet undescribed but more obvious visual clues will appear.

Microsoft is at pains to say that these nagging dialog boxes etc do NOT stop you using Office. This doesnt seem to be the feared kill switch that was in the original Windows Vista but dropped after public complaints.

Currently Office 2003 and Office 2007 users with non genuine software can run their software but cant directly download some updates and templates from the Microsoft site. However the downloads are usually available elsewhere so this isnt a major hurdle.

According to Microsoft the notifications system occurs through a voluntary Microsoft update - exactly why anyone would willingly download this update isnt clear so presumably the label and description are something more innocent than the download will start nagging you if an illegitimate copy of Office is detected. The trial of the Office licence nagging is only in the countries listed above though its not clear how the country is determined.

What if you have a genuine copy of Office?

Microsoft continues their process of licence enforcement with no consideration (at least not publicly) of the possibility that their Genuine Advantage systems can falsely trigger on a legitimate, paying customers, computer. Such a possibility is continually dismissed by Microsoft staff as either impossible or so rare as to be unworthy of bother. After all, we all know how perfect and flawless Microsoft software is .

As always, we have no problem will efforts to encourage people to buy a legitimate version of any software they use. Our concern is with the very real possibility of error in any technology that can enforce licencing with no proper recourse, especially when that enforcement can be retrospective to original installation and licencing. In the case of this trial theres no indication of what customers should do if they beleive their copy of Office is legitimate (ie the nagging isnt warranted).

Microsofts Announcement

The trial program announcement was buried in the bottom of an interview released by Microsoft and titled Microsofts Genuine Software Initiative Makes Steady Progress on Protecting Customers which weve cloned to our Office news wire section on our web site so you can read it in full. Scroll down to the fifteenth paragraph, near the bottom, to see the mention - talk about burying the lead.

The interview starts with the curious assertion that "Computer users have had their share of challenges with software piracy." While it may be true that some people have had problems after unwittingly buying illegal software, the bigger challenges is to Microsoft to protect the company from the drain on their revenues. Microsoft would get a lot more credibility in this area if they stopped pretending that software piracy was some enormous concern for customers when they are really protecting themselves. Theres nothing wrong with corporate self-interest and Microsoft looks silly suggesting otherwise.

ClickYes Pro

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

ClickYes Pro is a tuning tool for Microsoft Outlook security settings. It allows to configure which applications can automatically send emails using Outlook and access email addresses stored in Outlook address book.

ClickYes Pro runs as a background task providing a convenient icon in the taskbar notification area to manage allowed applications. It uses the encrypted storage and is highly secure and safe.

If you use an application that triggers the Outlook security warnings, you will find this software very handy.

Easy One Click Envelope Printing Software For Outlook Contacts

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

Envelopes for Outlook is an add-in that places a button on each MS Outlook contact toolbar for simple one click envelope printing. All versions of Outlook Contacts from 2000 to 2007 is supported. Easy to understand printer settings and feed options make printing envelopes the simple task it should be. Selectable contact address fields so that you do not have manually edit the delivery address.

OutNote - Add notes to Outlook messages

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

OutNote is a unique Outlook add-in that enables you to attach notes to your Outlook emails and contacts. It fully integrates with Outlook, and to create a note, simply right-click any email or contact in Outlook, and select the `Create Note` item from the right-click menu. Whenever you select a message that has a note associated with it, the program will inform you from the system tray, or optionally pop up the note immediately. The program supports the Outlook colored flags and can automatically assign a flag of your choice to any message that contains a note. You can also attach files to a note, and manage them from a notes manager interface. A great productivity booster for heavy email users.