Sensepost has revealed an interesting way to hack your computer via Outlook. Microsoft’s public response has been to deny there’s a problem and put the responsibility on customers. The method hasn’t been used ‘in the wild’ and it’s not easy to infect Outlook. But we’ve heard that before (especially from Microsoft) and history tells us […]
Office-Watch.com has joined Instagram — the photo sharing site. The Instagram posts act as another way to get the latest Office news to you immediately. We’re @officewatch or https://www.instagram.com/officewatch/ A few readers have asked us to do this and we’re happy to oblige. We’re not entirely sure that Microsoft Office news is suitable to Instagram. Let’s face […]
Hyped as the first city to get its own font, Dubai and Microsoft have released the Dubai font. Office-Watch.com looks beyond the press releases for the details on the new font and Dubai font alternatives. Dubai is a sans-serif OpenType font available for Windows and Mac. It’s not a full-range Unicode font but enough for […]
Microsoft Publisher is the ‘desktop publishing’ part of MS Office. It has many formatting options not available in Word and is useful for making marketing documents like brochures, catalogs etc. Publisher was somewhat forgotten because it was only in the high priced Microsoft Office bundles. That changed with arrival of Office 365 ‘subscriptions’. Office 365 […]
Microsoft puts corporate pride and weasel words ahead of their customers safety and security. Hackers take advantage of Microsoft’s patch release scheduled to release a virus as widely as they can in the days before fix was available. The Dridex security bug was known to Microsoft but they stubbornly stuck to their ‘Patch Tuesday’ schedule […]
Microsoft has announced reductions in service for customers who bought the ‘perpetual licence’ or one-off version of Office 2016 for Windows. Veiled? Some commentators are calling it a ‘veiled’ attempt by Microsoft to switch customers from the single-payment purchase to the annual ‘subscription’ system. The move is certainly aimed to do that but it’s hardly […]
We’ve all played Solitaire, it’s been part of Windows since v3.1 but how did it begin? Surely there was a team of Redmond developers dedicated to the task, beavering away day and night, powered by diet cola and chocolate bars? Nope. Solitaire was made by a bored intern at Microsoft who needed something to do! […]
Proton Mail is a secure email service run from Switzerland. How does it compare with standard email using Microsoft Outlook for Windows? Proton Mail is an option to consider if you’re looking for secure email messaging but it’s not as easy to use as some instant messaging services available. Proton Mail is OK but nothing […]
This latest hack into Microsoft Office is called the ‘Dridex Banking Trojan’ in most reports. It takes advantage of a newly discovered security bug in Microsoft Office. Here’s the hard details that are often overlooked in many reports. Microsoft has released patches to close the security breach but not before the hackers were able to […]
The Creators update to Windows 10 is coming this week. Windows 10 for Microsoft Office users, Creators edition is ready now before Microsoft publicly releases the new Windows 10. Past purchasers of Windows 10 for Microsoft Office users get a free update to the new edition. Be ready for the major changes to Windows before […]
OK, we admit this story is a stretch but there’s a point behind the link between this interesting story, Microsoft Word and it’s PDF support. Thomas Royen is a retired statistician who has solved a long standing mathematical question. The Gaussian correlation conjecture (GCC) had beaten experts for years before Herr Royen comes along and […]
It seems that every day there are more suggestions on how to reduce ’email overload’, here’s some that caught our eye. Bain & Company analyzed their staffs use of Microsoft Outlook and similar applications: Senior executives receive more than 200 emails each day A typical frontline supervisor spends about eight hours a week managing emails Of those […]
As a publicity stunt, Microsoft published a list of common grammar mistakes made in Word. It’s strange that one of the listed mistakes is NOT detected even by the latest version of Microsoft Word. Office-Watch.com noticed this curiosity because we tested all Microsoft’s claims against their own Word software. We didn’t just copy the press […]
If you’ve ever used http://docs.com it’s a good idea to check what’s saved there and what public access is set. Login with your Microsoft account (or other login) and check the list of saved documents (click on your name at top right. Depending on your wishes you can: Leave as ‘Public on the web’ Change […]
Avecto’s analysis of Microsoft’s security lapses and patches shows a worrying increase in the number of security vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office when you’d hope to see fewer. Most of the coverage has been on the issue of Administrator access but we’re more worried about the security holes in Office. It’s very concerning to see the […]
It should be no surprise that Amazon is rumored to be working on an Office suite to rival Microsoft Office and Google Docs. The Information is reporting that Amazon wants Office programs to complement their very popular and flexible cloud service – Amazon Web Services AWS. At the moment, this is little more than a […]
Office Picture Manager, the much loved and simple image editor was dropped by Microsoft, but it’s still available. Here’s how to get it for free. There are two ways to get Office Picture Manager (OPM). Both involve doing a custom installation of a larger package, but paring down the setup to just Office Picture Manager […]
Occasionally we’re asked. Should we trust Office patches from Microsoft or not? Why do buggy patches keep happening? There’s no simple answer. It depends on your level of trust in Microsoft and the amount of time you’re prepared to spend manually checking and installing patches. Office-watch.com has been writing about problems with updating and patching […]
Office 2016 for Windows is being updated by Microsoft so our Office 2016: the real startup guide has a 2nd edition to include the latest new features. The work was done by Peter Deegan in Nepal. Some people go to Nepal for trekking in the Himalayas, others to enjoy the lovely valleys and villages. Peter […]
WhatsApp, the popular messaging system, has added a new security feature that’s being called ‘Two Factor Authentication’ but it’s NOT. Really the new option is more annoying than helpful. We’re not the only ones critical of WhatsApp and it’s lip-service attitude to security. The company adds security features but too often they don’t meet the […]
LibreOffice, a free alternative to Microsoft Office, now has an optional ribbon interface. Version 5.3 is now available with many added features which will be familiar to Microsoft Office users. Write (equivalent of Word) now has Table Styles and a Go To box which have been in Word for some time. The Page Deck – […]
Microsoft has applied for a patent for paper … a new type of paper. It’s an interesting idea, part way between current ebook readers and paper. We won’t be seeing it anytime soon but, one day, Word might print to this type of electronic paper. Ebook readers use very little power because they turn on […]
Microsoft continues to expand the uses for their cloud storage of calendar information with the introduction of StaffHub. It’s an extension of the existing calendar and resource scheduling to include shift workers and especially those who mostly use mobile devices. Staff can download a StaffHub Apple or Android app (no Windows app) and login to […]
Ever wondered about scam phone calls? Either cold calls or calls prompted by an email? Maybe a fake virus warning or false Microsoft Office activation scam? For a look at the other side of those phone calls, check out India’s Call-Center Talents Put to a Criminal Use from The New York Times. Not all scammers come from […]
There’s a new type of infected Office document that can bypass some protections and trick people into installing a keylogger on their computer. A keylogger is software that records each keypress and send it to a hacker. They can use that info to get your login details for many sites or software. What’s new is […]
The latest ‘Slow’ insiders release for Office 2016 has a new feature for shared documents – the Activity view. This pane shows who has saved a shared document on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business or SharePoint. There are ‘Open version’ links offered but these only give errors in our tests. Perhaps because the document is on […]
Office-Watch.com ebooks give great value to our readers. The low price is just the start. There’s also free updates to the book available to past and new customers. Real-Time Excel has just been updated to include more chapters and example documents. The update is available now to past purchasers who login to their ebook account […]
If you’re looking for a new PowerPoint background, desktop or screen-saver image, NASA always has something to impress. The latest from NASA and JPL is an image of Earth and the Moon, from Mars. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) needed calibration and pointing it ‘home’ allows that. The brown blob, centre right, on our planet […]
There’s plenty of uncritical hype about the Outlook apps for Apple and Android devices that don’t mention the two big downsides of the Microsoft Outlook app. Single app = Single view In Outlook for Windows or Mac you can open up many different views. One each for the Inbox, Calendar and Contacts plus other windows […]
Almost a year ago we sarcastically complained about the lack of words from ‘Game of Thrones’ in the Office dictionary. We didn’t expect Microsoft to do anything out it and, if they did, thought they’d tell customers. Slate magazine has noticed that many Westeros names now don’t get a red squiggly line. Back in January, […]
Microsoft has now released a preview version of Microsoft Office for Android devices running Intel x86 processors. Until now, Office for Android has been restricted to ARM chip devices, which is the vast majority. But Intel x86 power some of the more powerful tablets which better suit Office. Android Lollipop Part of the same preview […]
Microsoft has made yet another Office announcement … not a big announcement but an opportunity to explain the idea of Universal apps for Office and how they compare with traditional desktop apps. The Microsoft announcement was that a preview version of Office for Windows 10 for phones will be available by the end of April. […]
The days of carrying a separate presentation ‘clicker’ may be over as Microsoft brings it’s Office remote app to Android. Office Remote turns a smartphone into a controller for a PowerPoint presentation, Excel worksheets (including Slicers and PivotTables) plus Word documents. Image supplied by Microsoft. The smartphone connects to your PC via Bluetooth. You need […]
In Outlook 2013 you may have noticed the ‘Link Contacts …’ item on each contact card. We’ll explain why it’s there and what it can do for you. Link Contacts is different from ‘Contact Linking’ that’s been available in many versions of Outlook. Contact Linking lets you connect a contact with a specific appointment, task […]
Getting Outlook windows into the positions you want, and keeping them there, is one of those mysteries that Microsoft offers to us mere customers. We’ll try to explain what’s going on but, alas, can’t guarantee any solid answers. Most Outlook users have more than one window open at any time. They use the right-click on […]
LiveLoop was an interesting product. You could share a PowerPoint presentation via the web to any computer or phone. But not anymore. We use the past tense because new customers aren’t being accepted and existing customers have until 24 April 2015 to retrieve any data from the system. There’s nothing on the https://www.liveloop.com/ site to […]
ZDnet is reporting that an ebay merchant is offering an Office 365 Personal subscription for $29.99. The ebay item is here and we’re wary about it. Many have been sold (1,154 as we type this) and there’s good feedback both for the merchant and the Office 365 purchases. An Office 365 Personal annual fee is […]
Finally, in this series about the ‘not so permanently’ deleted Outlook items, how do you recover a supposedly ‘permanently’ deleted item? Or maybe check to see if something you want wiped from your computer has truly been removed. All this is embarrassingly easy (embarrassing to Microsoft). There are various tools on the Internet that will open […]
The fact that Outlook doesn’t ‘permanently’ delete items (like it says it does) has advantages or disadvantages depending on your need. Both needs are, thankfully, rare but worth keeping in mind. Cons These days we’re all more concerned about data privacy and where information can be stored without us realizing it. Microsoft is misleading customers […]
So now we know that an Outlook item is not ‘permanently deleted’ even if Microsoft says so. How can you truly delete an Outlook message, appointment etc. You might want to truly delete when you’ve received something in error (as in the Aussie case) or simply want to prevent sensitive information being grabbed from your […]
