Word: microsoft
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...rarely in the mood to discover fabulous new features in my business software. Like many folks, I've learned the bare minimum about my e-mail program, my word processor and my spreadsheet software--just enough to get the job done. And that's a problem for Microsoft. You see, no matter how many whiz-bang features the boys from Redmond pack into their best-selling Office suite, most users barely scratch the surface. Who needs the latest upgrade when the old version works just fine? What's worse, many people who use Office never bothered...
...Microsoft is cracking the whip with Office XP Standard, which users of earlier versions can buy for $239 ($479 for new users and reformed thieves). As usual, it's packed with tempting treats. In Word, you can dictate text and let the software do the typing (with only the occasional dumb error). When your computer crashes, you can retrieve the file you were working on without losing your most recent changes. You can make PowerPoint presentations on prettier templates and flow text from one slide to the next. If you're really daring, you can copy financial data from...
...first install the software, you are prompted to register online or by phone. Ignore it, and your copy will abruptly stop working and refuse to budge until you do the right thing. Same goes for multiple installations. You can load Office once or twice, but that's it. Microsoft says this is to prevent piracy and that if you call tech support with a good excuse, they may bend the rules, but it's a nuisance...
...weeks ago, San Jose-based TiVo Inc. won the patent for Personal Video Recording. Wall Street approved and the stock shot up 72% in a day. That might have been because TiVo could now theoretically ask Microsoft, owners of Ultimate TV, and Philips, owners of Replay TV, to take out licenses. Or it may just be because the system was formally described in the patent as "multimedia timewarping." C'mon, how cool is that...
...What the TiVoistas are secretly hoping is that Microsoft's recent entry into their turf will indirectly aid them. Redmond has the deep pockets to spend on ads that explain how a PVR works - ones much more direct and widely broadcast than TiVo's too-clever-by-half "male itch" ads. But Ultimate TV is still in its buggy and relatively featureless infancy; as with all Microsoft products, it's best to wait for version 2.0. So if the ads feed a need but discerning consumers try out both systems when they actually get to the store, TiVo wins. Right...