The Immersive Reader features of modern Word 365 are also available in Microsoft Teams and Word Online (browser based Word) to view documents and messages. Look for the Immersive Reader option on the menu for post threads. It’s also available on the View menu for any Word documents opened in
Microsoft has added two genuinely new and interesting video meeting options to Teams. Together mode and Dynamic View plus some useful video filters. Both are innovative ways to display a large number of people in a virtual meeting. Having been caught napping by a combination of Coronavirus and Zoom, Microsoft
Microsoft now lets you add your own virtual background image for Teams video calls. Before this change, there was a simple hack to add your own image as a virtual background. Microsoft rushed to add virtual backgrounds to Teams video in response to the popularity of Zoom. A major problem
Microsoft has expanded Teams to allow personal groups like families, clubs and groups to use the service. Within Teams it’s possible to text chat, save and edit documents, share calendars and lists. A family could have a grocery list to which anyone can add items before the next supermarket run.
Anyone who has tried to buy a webcam knows they are now expensive or there’s a long wait for delivery. There’s a very cheap alternative to a webcam that you can use today for very little money and the camera could be better than separate camera. We weren’t surprised to
Meet is Google’s answer to Skype and Zoom. Once known as either Hangouts or Chat, Google Meet is normally for paid customers only but is now available to anyone with a free Google Account. Here’s how to get started with Google Meet. We suggest trying out Google Meet so you’re
It’s sometimes helpful to change your displayed name for an online call, here’s how to do it in Zoom and the limitations of Skype, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. The displayed name can be helpful in both casual and business calls. For a business call, you might prefer to add
There’s a really simple way to look better and more professional in a video call. No apps or extras to buy .. it’s easy and incredibly low-tech. Compare how professionals appear in a video call With how too many people really appear in calls. That ‘looking up a nose’ view
You can have a blurred or virtual background for any online video call, not just ones that have those in-built features. Zoom has blur and virtual background options. Teams is getting them with some limitations. Other online calling software either don’t have them or they are configured in different ways.
It’s possible to add a virtual background of your choice to a Microsoft Teams video call or just blur the background for a little privacy. Microsoft hastily added some virtual background options to Teams but the whole calling part of Teams is still woefully inadequate. For example, many of the
Snap Camera is a way to ‘fancy up’ your webcam with fancy effects including the now infamous potato. There are other subtle effects that will work with Zoom, Skype, Teams or any other online calling service. Also a color slider inside some lens effects. Get Snap Camera from https://snapcamera.snapchat.com/ it’s
Some lighting, positioning and other tips for looking your best and more professional during an online call or meeting. Where to put the camera The camera should be about the same level at the top of your head then tilted down a little to your eyes. In other words, have
You don’t need a tripod or camera stand, just a few books and other bits can do the job. Don’t believe us? See the example set by His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, CC, PC, ADC, Earl of Chester,
There’s a simple and cheap way to expand the view of computer and smartphone cameras. Simple clip-on wide angle lenses can change the narrow view of a iPhone, iPad, smartphone or laptop camera into a wide view. They give you a wider view of a room which is great for
Need a webcam for online calls and meeting? No need to buy one because your iPhone, iPad or Android phone can double as a webcam. All you need is the right app. At the moment, it’s hard to even get a webcam. All the good models are sold out or
A lot of misleading talk about the Microsoft 365 change makes it seem a lot bigger and more of an upheaval than it really is. Time for a reality break … breath regular everyone. Headlines like these are all ‘bollocks’ as the British say, nonsense: Office 365 major shakeup Replacing
Here’s a readable and searchable version of the Microsoft 365 summary table that came with Microsoft’s announcement of the rebranding from Office 365 to Microsoft 365. It shows the differences between ‘free’ Office (with a Microsoft account), Microsoft 365 Personal (formerly Office 365 Personal) and Microsoft 365 Family (formerly Office
Microsoft has dumped a lot of news in a single day. As a result there’s a lot of misunderstanding and, sorry to say, misreporting. Journos not accustomed to Microsoft’s PR tricks have fallen for them. We’ll try to ‘unpack’ what’s been announced into what’s happening now, in the known future
Microsoft is developing a family or home version of their Teams service to allow small groups and families to share information and communicate online. It’s adapted from the existing business version of Teams but will include some useful features for families like shared calendar, assign tasks, chat, voice & video
Choose the best online call and conference service to keep in touch with the people in your life. We’ve looked at all the major online voice and video calling/conferencing options and ranked according to ease of use, access to all-comers and reliability across slow Internet connections. Leaving aside privacy considerations,
Microsoft has announced some more temporary changes and slow-down in their Office 365 hosted services for Teams, SharePoint and Streams. As usual, Microsoft makes these announcements quietly and without much detail. Will Microsoft figure out that with customers scrambling to adjust, it’s time for Redmond to be fully open and
You may have read about ‘new’ Teams features like ‘Raise Hand’ and noise suppression but not that they won’t go public until sometime ‘later this year’. Microsoft is doing its usual trick of promoting future features in their products as if they are available now. Only a close reading reveals
Microsoft’s Team collaboration service has hit some snags this week in stark contrast to the company’s shameless promotion of Teams over other useful services. We’ll explain what happened and what you can do if the Teams troubles happen again. On both Monday and Tuesday this week, many people had trouble
Working on an Office document can easily be done between many people no matter how far away they are. Most organizations will have some way to share documents remotely If not, there are clever options available. Instead of exchanging documents (we’ll get to that in a moment), save the document
