microsoft

Which Version of Office 2013 is For You?

Microsoft Office is available in a few options, but the biggest options are purchase the software or the subscription. As is typical of Microsoft marketing the options are not easy to find clear descriptions of, and the naming (ie. Office 365) is used in several ways.

To help, here is a description of each of the offerings (all information pulled from Microsoft).

Office Home and Student 2013
Gives you a variety of new and familiar features to simplify work and achieve incredible results with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and One Note. New Office Web Apps offer dynamic new ways to create access and share your files via computer, web browser or Windows Mobile based smart phone. Customizable templates, color schemes, dynamic text effects, photo and video editing capabilities allow for unprecedented creativity and put you in total control of your project.

Office Home and Business 2013
Powerful tools and smart, simple features help you tackle your busy schedule efficiently, work with others at home or on the road, and create reports and presentations that command attention. When you need to get it done right, Office Home and Business 2013 gives you the tools you need. Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook.

Office Professional 2013
A complete suite of productivity and database software that includes the 2013 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, One Note and Access. Includes the ability to access, edit and share documents any time from any place with an internet connection, sync your files and information with Microsoft Office Web Apps, broadcast presentations almost anywhere and also comes with easy analytical tools to process data and trends. Plus, it is easier than ever to organize work and projects, collaborate with others, build databases, manage finances and much more!

Office 365 Home Premium
The latest versions of best in class applications plus cloud services including Skype and SkyDrive on up to 5 PCs, Windows 8 tablets, and Macs. Includes: Office for the entire household on up to 5 PCs, Windows 8 tablets, and Macs. The latest versions of: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. An extra 20 GB of online storage in SkyDrive (27 GB total) for anywhere access to your documents. 60 minutes of Skype calls each month to phones in over 40 countries. One convenient annual subscription for the whole household with convenient automatic upgrades.

By |2016-08-16T08:47:05-07:00February 6th, 2013|PowerPoint|

Microsoft Office as Disc or Subscription

Microsoft released Office 365 roughly a year ago. TLC Creative Services has been using it since it released, primarily for the web-based Outlook Exchange and SharePoint.

Office 365 has different plan levels. All plans include Email (Exchange Online – with 25GB mail boxes), SharePoint and Lync. “Higher” level plans include a subscription to Microsoft Office. And interestingly, not all plans include Microsoft’s free Web Apps, which are online versions of PowerPoint, Word and Excel (it is a collection of free apps, so I cannot see a reason they are not offered with all plans…). Microsoft has recently integrated Skype calling minutes into Office365 subscriptions, and promise more web services in the future.

The advantage of using the subscription service over the disc/serial number is that you will always be using the latest version. Offers the Office 2010 programs. It also includes online storage, sharing and syncing to web-based “cloud” access. The cloud services make it easy to save and access all of your documents from any device. And Office is available on multiple devices and platforms: PCs and Macs, phones-tablets-computers.

So, which Microsoft Office install option is better for you – subscription or disc? If you have a lot of users to manage, the subscription plans make it much easier from an IT perspective to assure everyone has a working version of Office. If you have an MSDN account, keep the same install for multiple years, or very few computers to manage, purchasing a serial number/disc may be the better option.

But with either option, I definitely recommend Office 365 for its Outlook, SharePoint and Lync options.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T08:49:44-07:00January 14th, 2013|Resource/Misc|

Microsoft Security Update Causes Fonts Not to Display in PowerPoint

I was contacted by another presentation designer yesterday about a really bad presentation issue he experienced after installing Microsoft updates (thanks Don!). Then, a number of other users started posting their issues on MS Answers.com. This is a big deal for many presentation designers!

ISSUE: After installing Microsoft Security Update KB2753842, PowerPoint is unable to display certain fonts.

FONTS AFFECTED: OTF, Open Type Fonts. Microsoft ships TT (True Type) fonts, so all standard Microsoft fonts are unaffected.

WHAT HAPPENS: PowerPoint behaves normal and in edit view, all fonts display fine. When run as a slide show, all Open Type Fonts (OTF) do not display.

FIX:
– Remove Microsoft Security Update KB2753842
– To Remove: Start >> Control Panel >> Unistall a Program >> View Installed Updates(link on left) >> scroll to Microsoft Windows section >> search for “Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB2753842)” >> right click >> select Uninstall >> say “Yes” to confirmation >> restart computer

Update 12/20/12: MS has confirmed “An updated security patch has been released at 10:00am today, fully tested this week by Office teams.” So PPT is once again safe to use.

Update 12/17/12: Earlier note that the update has been pulled is not completely accurate. The update has been ‘pulled’ from the auto install status, but still shows up in the optional installs. If you see it in the optional installs, see note below on how to hide update.

Update 12/16/12: This issue is much larger than only affecting OTF fonts. In PowerPoint and Word (2010), several TTF fonts (you can test with Myriad Pro) will also disappear is any formatting (shadow, outline, bevel, etc.) is applied. This text will actually disappear in the edit view, as well as in slide show. Plus the KB update creates similiar issues in several other applications (Flash, Corel Draw, etc.).

Update 12/15/12: Microsoft has a KB information article on the issues caused by installing KB2753842 here.

Update 12/14/12: Microsoft has confirmed that it has pulled the update and working on a fix. So if you have not installed, it should not show up. If you uninstall, it will not be an option to install again. And if you are in an enterprise environment with automatic group policy updates, it will not reinstall again the next day.

Update 12/14/12:  If the update KB2753842 has not installed, but is pending (ie. downloaded automatically, but not automatically installed), it will not show up in the above Uninstall a Program instructions. Launch WINDOWS UPDATE >> view available updates >> if KB2753842 is listed >> Right-click >> select HIDE UPDATE.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T08:54:26-07:00December 13th, 2012|Tutorial|

MS Office 2013 Is Official (Release to RTM)

The irony is I spent this week at the largest gathering of PowerPoint professionals in the country at The Presentation Summit. The day after the Summit ends, Microsoft announces Office 2013 has reached RTM (Release To Manufacturing) – which means it is locked in and ready for distribution (no more development). Below is the official announcement, but look for Office 2013 at the beginning of the year.

(Presenting PPT 2013 Features at The 2012 Presentation Summit)

– Troy @ TLC

————————————————————
Office Reaches RTM!
By Kirk Koenigsbauer on October 11

Today we reached an important milestone in the development of the new Office.

Moments ago, the Office engineering team signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build. This milestone means the coding and testing phase of the project is complete and we are now focused on releasing the new Office via multiple distribution channels to our consumer and business customers.

This is the most ambitious release of Office we’ve ever done. It spans the full family of Office applications, servers and cloud services. The new Office has a fresh, touch friendly design that works beautifully on Windows 8 and unlocks modern scenarios in social, reading, note-taking, meetings and communications. We are proud to achieve this milestone and are eager to deliver this exciting release to our customers.

General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013. Starting October 19, customers purchasing Office 2010 from local retailers or resellers will receive the new Office for free upon availability. Customers will also see a preview version of the new Office on Windows RT devices, beginning with the Windows 8 launch on October 26.

Additionally, we have a number of programs that provide business customers with early access so they can begin testing, piloting and adopting Office within their organizations:

We will begin rolling out new capabilities to Office 365 Enterprise customers in our next service update, starting in November through general availability. Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance will be able to download the Office 2013 applications as well as other Office products including SharePoint 2013, Lync 2013 and Exchange 2013 through the Volume Licensing Service Center by mid-November. These products will be available on the Volume Licensing price list on December 1. IT professionals and developers will be able to download the final version via their TechNet or MSDN subscriptions by mid-November. Please stay tuned for more specifics on general availability dates and other Office launch news. In the meantime, if you’d like to give the pre-release version a try, you can visit office.com/preview.

Thank you to the millions of people who have been testing early releases of the new Office. We are grateful for your support. Your invaluable feedback has helped us make the new Office the best Office ever.

Kirk Koenigsbauer
Corporate Vice President
Microsoft Office Division

By |2016-08-16T09:03:21-07:00October 13th, 2012|Personal, Resource/Misc|

Microsoft Has a New Logo

On August 23, Microsoft revealed their new corporate logo, which was originally released 25 years ago.

The logo, like virtually every design element coming out of Microsoft right now, is pulled from the Metro style guide. The new design is a modification of the current logo, with boxes (ie. Tiles) that are equilateral and in a symmetrical layout with the four colored boxes forming a single larger box. The type is equally streamlined into the Metro styling with font selection and grey color.

Here is Microsoft’s logo unveiling with its tie ins to the other major Microsoft brands:
[youtube src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/OzkZWvAJUr0?rel=0″]

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T09:09:14-07:00September 5th, 2012|Resource/Misc|

PowerPoint 2013 All This Month!

After many months of testing the new version of Office, a few weeks ago Microsoft released the Public Beta, which clears the NDA commitment and lets me do this series on the upcoming PowerPoint release. So the entire month of August will be posts about the new and exciting things in our presentation future!

Side note: I have been invited to present at this years Presentation Summit specifically about PowerPoint 2013. I am excited about the conference in general – it really is one of the best gatherings of presentation professionals in the country – and this talk will allow me to go into greater detail using PPT13 for live demos of real world presentation design and delivery scenarios. So, if you can be in Phoenix, AZ this October and want to talk about what the future holds for us in PowerPoint design and delivery, I look forward to seeing you at The Presentation Summit.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T09:17:55-07:00August 1st, 2012|Personal, Resource/Misc|

Microsoft’s Office.com has Free PowerPoint Video Templates (Designed by Me!)

Microsoft’s Office.com has launched a really great new download option for PowerPoint video templates and slides. For TLC Creative Services, it is especially exciting as I was able to work with the Office.com team to create the first set of video templates! The 34 templates available were all created right here and available to everyone for free – visit the Microsoft Office Video Templates page here.

The goal of these templates (note – most are single slide examples, not true presentation templates) is to “showcase the great video features of PowerPoint 2010. …these video templates provide customers with detailed instructions for how to reproduce the creative effects on the slide. Customers may then use the templates to customize with their own videos.” I definitely expect to see this resource continue to grow, so keep it bookmarked.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T09:55:22-07:00September 16th, 2011|Personal, Portfolio, Templates/Assets|

How Do I know if Service Pack 1 For Office 2010 is Installed?

There is a lot of confusion over the recent (and much anticipated) SP1 (Service Pack 1) for Office 2010. The install process was easy, but verifying it was installed has been a source of confusion.

Back with Office 2003, it was very easy and clear to know if a Service Pack was installed. Open PowerPoint, go to HELP and ABOUT and just read the first line of information:

But in Office 2010, that simple information is missing… Go to FILE >> HELP >> and in the right section is the install information – but where is the “SP1?”
(Before SP1 install)

(After SP1 install)

The answer is in the numbers. Thanks to PPT MVP Steve Rindsberg for figuring this out.
– Base build = 14.0.4760.1000
– Service Pack 1 = 14.0.6023.1000

The “6023” is the important number as it equals SP1. Now you know.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T10:06:10-07:00July 13th, 2011|PowerPoint, Resource/Misc|

Office 2010 SP1 Released

This week Microsoft released Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Office 2010.

Service Packs are major updates, same as when software companies adjust a version number (eg. version 10, becomes 10.1). This Microsoft webpage has all the details. Here is the list of PowerPoint related fixes (paraphrased by me):

– Presenter View now defaults to showing the slide show on the secondary monitor.
– Animation preview fixes.– Mouse pointer does not disappear with extended desktop (multiple monitors) and slide show being viewed on second monitor
– “PowerPoint Viewer is now included with the Package for CD option.” Note: This is only a text edit in the Package for CD dialog, no new feature/fix/or improvement (thanks Echo and Steve for letting me know about this one).
– If an Excel object has VBA) code, fixes error messages when you try to edit it (which is mainly seen with the error message “Microsoft PowerPoint can’t start the application required to open this object. An error occurred and this feature is no longer functioning properly. Would you like to repair this feature now?”).
– Coding issue fixed which gives wrong Runs.Count value is returned when a PowerPoint 2003 format presentation runs a PowerPoint 2010 object model command.
– Fixes issue with audio or video media not playing in presentation that was created on Mac and played on Windows.
– Fixes issue where .emf image displays incorrectly when you save a slide as an Enhanced Windows Medafile (EMF) file which is then printed.
– Fixes issue in which a pen cannot persist through the Slide Show mode when you use the pen as a pointer.
– Fixes issue where default language change is not used on new slides or new presentations.
– Fixes issue where a linked image is not saved when you insert the linked image in a presentation, and then save the presentation an Open Document Format (ODF) file.
– Note: updates in Excel and office wide fixes are not listed here, but also work with PowerPoint.

SP1 is part of Microsoft Updates (if turned on), or a direct download link is on this Microsoft webpage.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T10:11:46-07:00July 1st, 2011|PowerPoint, Resource/Misc|

TLC PPT w/ Video Slide Used By Microsoft

Seeing your work displayed to the world is always pretty great. In this case, it has also brought in hundreds of comments on a recent Facebook post by Microsoft.

From a recent project for Microsoft, here is one of the video “templates” I created to demonstrate the video capabilities of PPT 2010.

The Facebook post is here.

In reading the comments, I was surprised at the number of people requesting content-over-video be added as a feature. Maybe some additional advertising and market awareness campaigns are needed. Content-over-video is available in PPT 2010, works great, and the video being commented on was developed in PPT 2010.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-16T10:16:31-07:00May 9th, 2011|Personal, Portfolio|
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