Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

After a series of delays, Microsoft plans to release Office 2008 for Mac to officially announce on January 15, this is the first upgrade in the last 4 years. Microsoft tested beta versions of new applications last month without any problems.

Office for Mac suite includes Word, Excel for tables, PowerPoint presentations and Entourage for email and time management. There is no Microsoft Access database application on Mac, in return FileMaker is being introduced to Mac users by Bento as a new option.

Unlike Microsoft Office 2007, the new version for this Mac is basically different from the 2004 version. This is good news for users who don't want to get used to the location of the function. main. The 2007 applications for Windows rearrange functions within tabs, while the Mac 2008 software still largely puts functions inside drop-down menus such as File, Edit and View.

Most changes focus on every effort to help users create more compelling documents. For example, Mac's Office features also have templates and Smart Art graphics like Windows components, including 3D and other designs.

There are also significant changes, now you can save PDF files, and Automator activities are also supported. The new My Day tool for Entourage to manage icons on Mac screens, widgets, calendar display items and to-do lists. It is very convenient if you trust Entourage but do not want to always activate it.

Office for Mac saves files in the same Open XML format used by Office 2007 on Windows. You don't have to worry about these default options, you can even save work with older file formats like DOC, XLS and PPT. However, free file conversion tools will not be valid after 10 weeks or 8 weeks after the applications have been archived. This means that from now on you should store the work in Open XML format, if you use the old version of the software, you will not be able to open the file. Although Microsoft has released many free conversion software, we can still see that Office 2007 has had more complicated procedures. But surely the documents edited on the new Office suite will be smaller and more secure than the previous editors.

Your Mac needs 1.5GB of free hard disk space, requiring at least OS 10.4.9 with 512BM of RAM memory and a 500MHz Intel or PowerPC processor.

The cheapest version is £ 99.99 for families and students, formerly for students and teachers, which does not support Exchange and Automator. The full Office for Mac version is cheap at just £ 349.99, even if it includes Exchange support. Special Edition Special media Edition costs £ 449.99 to manage Exchange and add Microsoft Expression media management software. Those who have used Office for Mac 2004 can upgrade to the new security, but only need to pay an additional £ 15.90. Microsoft also offers many other upgrade options.

Prices seem to be more expensive than Apple's £ 55 iWork'08. Indeed, the rival of Office for Mac version seems to be releasing fewer tools. Mac users can choose from iWork'08, free OpenOffice 2 or many tools with free online components like ThinkFree, Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Zoho Office. These tools are suitable for editing text documents, displaying tables and creating slide shows.

However, people who often have to rely on software to perform tasks such as mass mailing or frequently use scientific calculations in tables will prefer using Microsoft packages.

Word

Although it seems to have been refreshed, Word's new version doesn't seem to be different from the previous version. Its changes have largely satisfied users in creating documents in exactly the way they want to show.

Document Element's built-in blocks make it quick to add cover pages, tables of contents, and other things. OpenType's compound character support helps improve fonts on Word.

It is necessary to appreciate the new reference tools, which help make the transition between citation forms easier. And users will find that mail merge becomes more intuitive with step-by-step instructions.

Excel

Along with creating diagrams that are easier to observe with eyes, Excel on Mac 2008 is equipped with a number of tools that perform complex math operations. Formula Builder step by step helps you build calculations, keep the most recently used calculations on memory. When you enter the formula bar, Excel automatically fills in the appropriate values. Excel has been expanded and is now able to handle a total of 17 billion cells, similar to its Windows brother. Elements Gallery offers Ledger Sheets, templates for common use such as managing a family budget or managing a company payroll.

PowerPoint

Microsoft continues to offer Smart Art graphics that can return lists to any kind of diagram or chart with just a few clicks. However, with Office 2007 on Windows, you can see that Smart Art is a bit less intuitive as introduced. Toolbox's Object Palette keeps formatting options in one place. You can resize elements with an easy-to-reduce slider, as well as Dynamic Guides to align image text boxes.

When creating slideshows, a detailed digital clock helps you keep track of the process. Thumbnail View mode like on Office 2007 can help you not lose the placemark. You can flip the pages position using Apple Remote. And there is an option to send a slideshow to iPhoto, making it possible to use it as a PNG or JPEG file on the iPod.

Entourage

Although Mac users can rely on Mail, Entourage also provides more business-oriented features. The 2008 upgrade offers more practical functions than the 2004 version, for example, it functions as an Office assistant to help you cleverly notify vacation to recipients. Advertising and phishing mail filters are enhanced. There are also to-do lists, accessible to widgets along with color-coded indications and calendars. Can directly accept or reject a meeting with each event.

Messenger for Mac

Microsoft also added a free messaging transfer application that allows users using IM tools and Yahoo to contact each other. Mac messaging allows users to check spelling, select lots of smileys and keep track of who is listening to music on iTunes. Companies using Live Communications Server 2005 can encrypt their information, and users can chat with people using iChat, AOL, AIM, Yahoo and MSN software.