Free Office Apps Just Got Easier To Use

If you have an Outlook.com or Hotmail address, you also have access to free web app versions of Microsoft Office that you can access from anywhere. Now Microsoft has added a new feature that makes the apps even easier to navigate. Let’s check it out.

If you aren’t familiar with the Office web apps, it’s not surprising. They are sort of tucked away in Outlook.com. Go your Outlook.com account and select that little drop-down arrow in the upper-left of your inbox.

You’ll see the option to choose Mail, People, Calendar or Skydrive. Choose Skydrive.

Once in Skydrive, you’ll see a + symbol. If you select, it you’ll have the option to create Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and plain text documents.

I chose to create a Word Document, you can see that it looks pretty familiar if you’re a Word User.

A new feature that Microsoft has recently added is called “Tell Me.” Say I want to take a certain action. I can start typing it in the search field and Word will offer suggestions as to the action I’d like to take. The wording doesn’t have to be exact and it’s easier than searching through help.

Selecting the action applies the action. If I selected “increase indent,” I would increase the indent of the paragraph I was working on.

If I type font, I’ll get a drop-down menu with several option. By choosing Font Color, the menu to change colors appears immediately.

With so many options available in Word, it can often be very confusing to find what you need. I hope Microsoft considers adding this function to future Office 365 updates.

~ Sai Kiran

Forget Windows 7 & 8, Replace XP With Linux Ubuntu

You may not be familiar with Linux. It’s an operating system for computers, like Windows. And while the argument could go on forever over which system is superior (both systems have their pros and cons), I think Linux could be a particularly good choice for users forced to switch from Windows XP because Microsoft is ending security support on April 8, 2014. It can be a particularly good choice for those with older computers.

In fact, it’s a superior system to XP. XP is user-friendly, but a lot has changed in the 12 years since XP was launched. And now that Microsoft is ending support, XP is highly vulnerable to external threats such as viruses and malware.

If you’re looking for a change from Windows, consider trying a brand new experience with the Linux platform. Now compared to Windows, Linux doesn’t have a large percentage of users, but in my experience it’s a much better system. It will give you much more than you get from Windows XP or even from Windows 7 or 8.

Let’s talk about why you should consider switching from Windows XP to Linux Ubuntu.

Security: Ubuntu claims to be a virus free OS, and has indeed has been so far. You won’t hear users complaining about malware or viruses slowing out their PC’s while using Ubuntu. On the other hand, as we discussed earlier, Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft. In others words if you are using Windows XP, then you are more likely to be to be affected by malicious software.

Speed: If you have an older computer Running Wndows XP, then you have probably experienceed lagging PC speed. The reason behind that is because XP utilizes a huge portion of your system resources and begins to slows down your PC after awhile. But a fresh install of Ubuntu runs for a long time without any lag. You can experience a smooth running system even years after install since it uses a lesser amount of resources and boosts performance in older machines.

Cost: A very important point is that Linux is free, while Windows OS cost hundreds of dollars. You do not need a product key to activate Linux after installing. It’s a great option if you’re not looking to spend any more money.

Space: Ubuntu occupies much less hard drive space than XP. Other versions of Ubuntu such as Xbuntu, take up even less space and provide almost the same functionality.

Drivers: There’s is no headache of installing drivers for audio, video and graphics from external sources in Ubuntu. The OS automatically detects your hardware and installs the latest drivers. Even if you have lost your drivers, you can still acquire sound and video drivers automatically while using Ubuntu.

Software: Ubuntu comes along with a cluster of useful software absolutely free with no catches or hidden charges. Software like Firefox, Chrome, Libre Office, Open Office and many more can be found at Ubuntu Software center. Another special software, Wine, helps you run most of your Windows based software without any trouble at all.

Customization: Ubuntu users have full customization options. You have the choice to change your desktop colors, task bar sizes and make custom side bars.

Please note, I’m not against Microsoft or Windows. But the Linux OS offers some great options and a free alternative for upgrading. Do not that you may not be able to run every Windows program with Linux, but if you’ve got basic needs like e-mail, browsing the Internet and simple word processing and spreadsheet work, this is a great free alternative.

~ Sai kiran