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Productivity
Office 2011 for Mac Sneak Preview
Works Just Like Office, but on a Mac
Overview: Microsoft Office for Mac suite is being updated for 2011. This is an overview / preview of the notable new features.
Product: Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac
Price: Not announced yet
Availability: Some time in 2011
Finally, a Good Reason to Install Office on a Mac
If you have ever tried to work with Office files on a Mac, you know it can often be a frustrating experience. Microsoft has made a version of their Office suite (Microsoft Office for Mac
I have been very vocal about how much I hated Office 2008 for Mac and have used many terrible workarounds to overcome its lousy user experience. So when I heard that there was a beta preview for Office 2011 for Mac floating around I had to take a look. First off, as of today (May 10, 2010) you can’t officially get a copy from Microsoft’s website. It is supposed to be more widely available some time this summer. As for how I got a copy to test…. Don’t ask, don’t tell. Seriously, if you hunt around on your favorite torrent sites, you will find a perfectly functional demo copy to try out.
So how good is it? Let’s take a look.
Look and Feel
The most prominent thing about this version of Office for the Mac is the addition of the “Ribbon” which was introduced in Office 2007 for Windows. It was not added to Office 2008 for Mac. This is a wonderful addition to the software. Not only do you get the benefits of the Ribbon, you still get the standard Mac menu across the top of the screen. I wish that the Windows version had a better blend of the Ribbon and Menu system.
As you can see, it is very similar to Office 2007. Plus, if you double-click on any of the tabs, they will collapse to give you more screen real estate. Just double-click again to restore the menu.
This is a very nice overhaul.
If you take a look at the Excel interface, you can see that it looks like regular old Excel, not that unusable abomination in Office 2008.
Welcome to my home computer old friend.
Cool New Features
Other than the interface overhaul, the best update to the suite is that piece of crap Entourage has been thrown into the dungheap where it belongs and replaced with….. Wait for it….. Outlook!!! Thank god. As a Windows user who converted to a Mac a while back, I can’t stand any of the iCal, Address Book, or Mail applications on my Mac.
This version of Outlook works just like you would expect. Major improvement!
There are also several nice little additions to all of the apps. They expanded upon the SmartArt, Templates, and Themes available to allow you to make any documents look beautiful.
Overview
Pros:
- The “Ribbon” interface works great
- Real Excel that really works
- Microsoft Outlook instead of Entourage
- Works just like Office for Windows, but with cool Mac stuff in there
Cons:
- Still a quarter of a step behind the Windows version
- It won’t be cheap
What I Would Change
The Windows 2010 preview had a really nice screenshot feature on the Insert tab of each application that would have been great here too. I would have liked it if the Ribbon tabs were more “identical” between the Windows and Mac version as I switch back and forth between machines daily. All-in-all, these are some minute nit picks though.
Overall Rating
I would rate the Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac suite about a 9.75 out of 10. This is about as good as it gets. Everything you need from Office with everything you love about your Mac.
Bravo!!!
Is it Upgrade Worthy?
If you need to do any work in Excel, PowerPoint, or Word; you MUST purchase this update as soon as it goes on sale. This is such a significant upgrade over any previous version of Office for Mac, or iWork, or Open Office that it is worth every penny.
See Office 2011 for Mac in Action
This video overview shows the beta of Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac and covers some of the major changes.
Don’t Take My Word for It
Here are a few other reviews of this beta preview:
Download Microsoft Office 2011 For Mac Beta 2 14.0.0.100326 Leaked
Microsoft stepping closer to Mac Office 2011 with Messenger Beta
Microsoft announces Office for Mac 2011 | Software | Working Mac
First Screenshots of Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Surface – Mac
Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac Gets Undressed – Mac office 2010
Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac screenshots leaked
Microsoft debuts Office for Mac 2011 | MacNN
Take a Look at My Review of the New Office 2010 for Windows
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85 Free Apps that will Save you Thousands of Dollars
Save Tons of Cash with the Best Free Software OVERVIEW: You can replace the most expensive applications on a typical computer with excellent, free software and internet services and never miss a beat. Why Pay More? Equipping your computer with the software that you need to get everything done can be insanely expensive. However, you [...]
Create a Portable Document Scanner for your iPhone
Getting All of those Scraps into your Computer
Overview: You will learn how to turn your iphone into a portable document scanner for free in under 15 minutes. This will all be done using one piece of cardboard, a ruler, a utility knife and a pencil.
Getting Things Done With Creativity and Elbow Grease
Occasionally I need to get digital copies of papers into my home and/or work computers. I don’t feel like having two full-blown scanners wasting space on my desks, nor do I feel like buying them.
What’s my quick, free, space saving solution? Build a stand that allows me to use my iPhone to make quick images of documents.
I have a few simple requirements for this document scanner:
- Must be able to be assembled quickly and easily
- Muse capture 8.5″ x 11″ documents perfectly (no cropping)
- Must be able to be disassembled, and stored quickly and easily
- Must be cheap (better yet, FREE!)
I searched for a few alternatives and found this really cool option by Kyle Koch.
He sells them for $15 here. This is an awesome idea and $15 is very fair price. But what fun would that be? I decided to try to build my own for free.
This is my finished prototype:
I place the document on the tray and the phone on the top supports with the camera application running. Then, I just press the “shoot” button and have a decent scan of the document. The key is to have the USB cable plugged in so that you can just grab them using the computer’s file manager. Also, the better the lighting, the happier you’ll be.
With a little bit of practice, I was able to get acceptable results on each documents first try.
Here are some of the document scans that I produced: (scaled down for this article)
Not bad for $0 and 20 minutes time.
Instructions for Building your iPhone Document Scanner
I know, you want to build yourself one of these handy gadgets, right? Well believe me, it’s very simple.
What you Will Need
Supplies: Utility Knife
Instructions:
Print out and assemble the Templates diagram
Trace two Stand pieces on the cardboard
Cut out the Stand pieces using the Yardstick and Utility Knife (be very careful)
Trace and cut out the two Bottom Brackets
Trace and cut out the two Top Brackets
Cut the notches into the Stands and Braces as shown on the diagram
Insert the notches on top and bottom to assemble the Stand
Place the rectangular base into the stand
Place a document on the rectangular base
Turn the phone’s camera application on and place it on the top braces so that the document is in the picture
Take the picture.
Portable Document Scanner Video Tutorial
The following video tutorial shows you how to perform all of the steps necessary to make your scanner.
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Bookmarklets – Add Magical Powers to Your Browser
Enhance your Browsing Experience Using Bookmarklets
OVERVIEW: Learn how to use bookmarklets to get every drop of power out of your favorite browser.
What are Bookmarklets?
Bookmarklets are special bookmarks that add one-click functionality to a browser or web page. They look like normal links, but are written in Javascript and can perform different tasks depending on what page you’re visiting, what text you have highlighted, etc. When clicked, a bookmarklet can apply filters to the page you’re viewing, open prompts for searches, or a host of other helpful features. Bookmarklets are added to your browser as a bookmark and usually work in all browser.
What Can Bookmarklets Do for You?
There is no limit to the type of things that you can do with some clever bookmarklets, but here are just a few of the things that I use them for on a regular basis:
- Open your email app (Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) with the title of the current page and a link to it; poised for you to enter a recipient. (In one click.)
- Subscribe to a new blog in Google Reader without all of the annoying clicking.
- Strip out all of a pages junk (ads, header, footer, sidebar, etc.) and send just what you want to your printer.
- Look up Definitions, Translations, Currency Conversions and other useful information with one click.
How to Use Bookmarklets
Acquiring and using bookmarklets is both incredibly powerful and simple. Follow the steps below.
- First you need to make sure that the Bookmarks toolbar is visible in your browser. View> Toolbars> Bookmarks Toolbar (Links in Internet Explorer)
- Find a web page that has bookmarklets that you can "grab" (See list below under the Additional Resources heading.)
- Click and drag a bookmarklet to the Bookmarks/Links toolbar on your browser.
- Click on the bookmarklet when you want to use its functionality.
- The Javascript will run and perform the specified action.
The following video shows you how add bookmarklets to your browser and use them to improve your web surfing.
Take your Bookmarklets on the Road
Bookmarklets are not just useful in your desktop browser, they also provide extra functionality and convenience to your mobile browser. In fact, they’re even move helpful on a mobile browser, because they make up for the lack of flexibility that a full size screen and keyboard provide. I use Xmarks to sync my favorites across all of my browsers and iTunes to sync them to Safari on my iPhone. If you use another smartphone (Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Symbian), you can sync your bookmarklets too.
Here is a list of great bookmarks for your mobile browser.
Additional Resources
Now that you know how awesome bookmarklets are, you probably want to know where to get them. Here’s a list of places where you can find bookmarklets to do just about anything you need.
Digital Inspiration’s Guide to Most Useful Bookmarklets for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.
Your HTML Source’s Bookmarklets Explainedx
Marklet.com’s Bookmarklets Directory
LifeHack.com’s 20 Useful Bookmarklets
LifeHacker.com’s 10 Must Have Bookmarklets
ToThePC.com’s 30 Useful Bookmarklets for KickAss Web Browsing
Complete Productivity Series
Be the Most Productive You Possible
Over the last few weeks I have written several articles focused on productivity and organization tips. I thought it might be helpful to create a page that groups, explains, and links to them in an organized manner.
I separated the articles into three general categories:
- Collecting Information
- Scheduling Activities
- Productivity on the Go
Collecting Information
Processing, recording, recalling information is a critical part of being productive and organized. These articles cover effective ways to get a grip on all of the information in your life.
How You can Take the Greatest Notes in the World
Taking good great notes is probably the best step to being more organized and productive. This article covers my personal technique for taking notes and using them to take action.
Boost Your Creativity and Productivity by Using a Simple Notebook
Trying to find ways to capture your creative bursts and brainstorms and use them effectively? One of the greatest tools ever invented is a humble notebook. Most of the creative, successful people that I see use notes as part of their creative process.
Boost Google Reader’s Productivity
There are a million different sources of information on the web that you need to check every day. Using Google Reader is the best way that I know to take in and process mountains of information in a short amount of time. Check out my favorite tips on squeezing every last drop out of it.
Never Forget Another Idea – Capture Everything with Evernote
If you want to take notes that you can use everywhere on any computer or phone, you need Evernote. This tutorial shows how to use Evernote on Windows, Mac, Linux, phones, and the web. This is one of my favorite productivity applications.
Scheduling Activities
After you capture everything you need, now it’s time to start putting it to work. You need a way to keep track of everything that needs to get done. Here are a few tips to help you get it together.
Get Things Done with RememberTheMilk
RememberTheMilk is my favorite web based task management tool. You can schedule, track, and manage all of your to do’s from the web or your phone. This is a life saver for the absent minded procrastinator. (I’m talking to you! and me.)
Getting the Most Out of Mozilla Thunderbird
If you need a tool to handle Email, Contacts, and your Calendar, then give Mozilla’s Thunderbird a shot. I’ll show you how to stretch it beyond even Mozilla’s imagination with some of these extensions.
Productivity on the Go
None of us gets to sit down in an ideal office and handle everything that needs to be done. We’re all on the go these days. Well here are some great ways to take your show on the road without missing a beat.
Create a RoboSecretary for Yourself with Dial2Do
This might be my favorite productivity tip in this series. Dial2Do allows you to take all of these productivity systems that I have covered and manage them from your phone. Dial the phone, say what you want done, and it just gets done. If you’re only going to read one article on this page, make it this one!
Create the Web Operating System Today
When you’re on the go, you never know what computer that you will be using. This article shows you how to put a full computing experience on the web and access it from any computer in the world.
Sync Files on Multiple Computers Using DropBox
If you do use multiple computers (work, home, school) you need DrobBox. This will let you sync your most important files between multiple computers with ease. Take a look at this tutorial.
Carry A Computer in your Pocket
If you insist on using desktop applications, then you should check out this article. You can load a bunch of your favorite applications on a USB drive and use them your way on any other computer.
What do you think?
If you have any other ideas or questions, please put them in the Comments below.