• mac os x,  microsoft,  office,  office365,  windows,  windows phone

    Microsoft’s Office 365 Subscription Service Coming Soon

    January 29, 2013 /

    I just found this on the Staples website while searching for “mac office”.  Looks like we can expect the new Office 365 subscription service to go live in the very near future.

    Below are the product details taken from the Staples website.

    Product Details

    You’ll get more done when you can work from anywhere with Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium for Windows/Mac.

    What’s Office 365?

    Office 365 has the latest version of all the Office applications you know and love, plus cloud services so you can have Office when and where you need it. Just sign in and you can get to your Office files, applications, and settings from virtually anywhere.

    Office 365 is an annual subscription. Microsoft and your Office retailer will let you know when it’s time to renew.
    • One convenient annual subscription for the whole household with automatic upgrades included so you’re always up to date with the latest features and services.
    • Install on up to 5 PCs, Macs, and Windows 8 tablets.*
    • 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 40+ countries.****

    You’ll get more done when you can work from anywhere with Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium for Windows/Mac. All of your favorite Office programs are available for immediate access whenever and wherever you need them, and all of your settings stay stored in the cloud so that you don’t have to alter your preferences every time you log on. Whether you’re sharing a grocery list with family members or working on a project that needs input from coworkers across the country, convenient sharing tools will help keep everyone on the same page.

    Create Documents and Presentations
    Use streaming full versions of Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Publisher to create the presentation or document you envision on up to five PCs or Macs. New templates, including wide-screen documents and new PowerPoint themes, give you more options than ever before. You can also edit PDFs, embed videos, analyze data, and add photos and links to your projects.

    Get Access Anywhere
    Because all your work is stored in the cloud, you can sign into your account from anywhere and get instant access to your documents and files. You can also share your files with others and easily view any changes that are made, so collaboration is simple. Use OneNote to store clips, links, and anything else you come across so you can incorporate these items into future projects.

    Now your Office is there whenever you need it.

    -Be more productive with a full version of Office, no matter where you are.
    -Sign in to get Office on your PC and Windows 8 tablet, Mac.*
    -Each user can sign in to their Microsoft account to get to their documents, applications, and settings.
    -You’ll always have the latest features and services, thanks to automatic version upgrades.

    Sharing and communicating is easier.

    -Get all the latest email, scheduling, and task tools for the entire household.
    -Use OneNote to capture and share notes, pictures, web pages, voice memos, and more.2
    -Allow others to read and scroll through your Word docs in real time through a browser, even if they don’t have Word.

    Your favorite applications are smarter, too.

    -Incorporate content from PDFs into Word documents quickly and easily.
    -Add pictures, videos, or online media to your Word documents with a simple drag and drop.
    -Create more visually compelling presentations with widescreen themes in PowerPoint.
    -Find meaning in numbers faster with the Quick Analysis and Chart Animations in Excel.

    What it includes:

    -Office for the entire household on up to 5 PCs and Windows 8 tablets, 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 40+ countries.****
    -One convenient annual subscription for the whole household with automatic upgrades included so you’re always up to date with the latest features and services.

    System Requirements:
    Computer and Processor
    1 GHz or faster x86 or 64-bit processor with SSE2 instruction set

    Memory
    1 GB RAM (32 Bit) /2 GB RAM (64 Bit)

    Hard Disk
    3.0 GB of available disk space

    Operating System
    Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 2008 R2 with .NET 3.5 or greater

    Graphics
    Graphics hardware acceleration requires DirectX10 graphics card

    Additional Requirements
    Microsoft Internet Explorer 8, 9, or 10; Mozilla Firefox 10.x or a later version; Apple Safari 5; or Google Chrome 17.x.

    Other

    Internet connection. Fees may apply.
    Microsoft and Skype Accounts.
    A touch-enabled device is required to use any multi-touch functionality. However, all features and functionality are always available by using a keyboard, mouse, or other standard or accessible input device. New touch features are optimized for use with Windows 8.
    Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require additional or advanced hardware or server connectivity.

    *Windows 7, Windows 8 OS, Windows Phone 7.5, Mac OS X version 10.5.8 required. Additional devices will be added in the future. Internet connection required. Internet and mobile telephone usage charges may apply.
    **Access and Publisher available on PC only. OneNote not available on Mac OS.
    ***PC running Windows 7 or 8 and Internet connection required.
    ****See office.com/information for details. Skype account required. Excludes special, premium, and non-geographic numbers. Calls to mobile phones are for select countries only. Skype available only in select countries.
    *****Internet and/or carrier network connectivity required; charges may apply.


    [Via Staples.com…]

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  ipad mini,  iphone,  ipod touch,  upgrade

    Apple Updates iOS to 6.1

    January 29, 2013 /

    While I am waiting to recover my iPhone 4S from a failed iOS 6.1 upgrade, we might as well read Apple’s iOS 6.1 press release.

    CUPERTINO, California—January 28, 2013—Apple® today updated iOS to version 6.1, adding LTE capabilities to 36 additional iPhone® carriers and 23 additional iPad® carriers around the world, so even more iPhone 5, iPad mini and iPad* with Retina® display users can experience ultrafast wireless performance** to browse, download and stream content at blazing fast speeds. To date, iOS users have uploaded over nine billion photos to Photo Stream, sent over 450 billion iMessages and received over four trillion notifications.

    “iOS 6 is the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and with nearly 300 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices on iOS 6 in just five months, it may be the most popular new version of an OS in history,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iOS 6.1 brings LTE support to more markets around the world, so even more users can enjoy ultrafast Safari browsing, FaceTime video calls, iCloud services, and iTunes and App Store downloads.”

    iOS 6 features include Siri®, which supports more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings; Maps with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and Flyover view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center, Siri and Facebook-enabled apps; Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®; and Passbook®, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place. Additional updates in iOS 6.1 include the ability to use Siri to purchase movie tickets in the US through Fandango, and iTunes Match℠ subscribers can download individual songs to their iOS devices from iCloud.

    iOS 6.1 is available as a free software update today. iOS 6.1 is compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad (third and fourth generation), iPad mini, iPad 2 and iPod touch (fourth and fifth generation). Some features may not be available on all products.

    You can read the complete iOS 6.1 press release on the Apple PR website.

    [Via Apple.com…]

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  • apple,  ios,  iphone,  sprint,  troubleshooting,  upgrade

    iOS 6.1 Upgrade on my iPhone 4S Has Just Gone BOOM! [Updated]

    January 28, 2013 /

    Earlier today, Apple released iOS 6.1 as an 85MB OTA update for my Sprint iPhone 4S.  Sweet!  That is until I run the upgrade and my iPhone ended up in “Recovery Mode”.

    I’ll post periodic updates as I work through this issue.  The iPhone 4S is my first iPhone, I was a Palm Pre user before getting my iPhone in October 2011.  There have been a few OTA iOS updates since then, and they have all gone smoothly.  I’m not sure why this upgrade failed.  Naturally, I’m holding off upgrading my iPad 3 until I figure out what’s going on.

    If you have found yourself in the same situation, or want to learn more about Recovery Mode, check out Apple’s support page on the subject.

    Update 5 – 5:45am:

    The OTA iOS 6.1 upgrade for my iPad 3 installed without any issues.

    Update 4 – 9:00pm:

    The iOS 6.1 recovery install from iTunes 11 running on my MacBook completed successfully.  Everything is back to normal and my iPhone 4S is ready to get back to work. Crisis averted.

    Update 3 – 8:30pm:

    The iTunes 11 download for iOS 6.1 is *finally* complete and I’m about to plug my iPhone 4S into my Mac – hopefully getting this update show back on the road and my iPhone back into working condition.  It sucks as a paperweight.

    Update 2 – 7:30pm:

    Well, we’ve got about 60% of iOS 6.1 downloaded and about another 45 minutes to go.  I haven’t found any posts online yet to indicate that this is a wide spread issue.  I may just be ‘lucky’ tonight.

    Update 1 – 6:50pm:

    I’m downloading the iOS 6.1 update so I can install it on my iPhone and get it working again.  According to iTunes 11, the 920MB download will take about 85 minutes to complete the download.  Looks like it’s going to be a long night.

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  • apple,  galaxy III,  iphone,  rumors,  samsung,  wsj

    Rumor: Apple Working on Less Expensive iPhone Model

    January 9, 2013 /

    According to an article that appeared in today’s Wall Street Journal, Apple is rumored to be working on a lower cost version of their popular iPhone smartphone.

    “Apple is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped” reports the Journal.

    We’ve heard rumors of cheaper iPhones before along side rumors of an “iPhone mini”, however, it seems that this time around, Apple is taking a closer look at finally selling a high and low-end iPhone.  Up until now, Apple has favored keeping around the previous two years models as their less expensive purchasing options.

    Here in the United States, customers typically purchase wireless carrier subsidized phones.  That means, that the newest iPhone, the iPhone 5, starts at $199, last year’s iPhone 4S is $99, and the two-year old iPhone 4 is now free.  These prices all require that you purchase a 2-year service agreement.  If you chose to purchase an iPhone without a service contract, a 16GB iPhone 5 will cost you $649,  a 16GB iPhone 4S will cost you $549, and an 8GB iPhone 4 can be had for the low-low price of $450.  Not exactly “cost effective.”

    Now, factor in that in many other countries, wireless carriers do not subsidize the purchase cost of smartphones.  Customers have to pay the full price up front, but have the option of changing carriers without the hassle of early termination fees and other lock in tactics that U.S. carriers use to keep people tied to their service.  Suddenly those prices look insane for customers to purchase with the current global economic situation.

    Making matters worse for Apple, Samsung has had an amazing year selling their Galaxy-line of smartphones in China and emerging markets.  At the end of 2012, Samsung was estimated to have about 31% of the worldwide smartphone market compared to Apple’s 14.6%.  To put a finer point on it; the iPhone generates about 48% of Apple’s total annual revenue.  Any perceived slowing or decline in Apple’s global share is likely to send investors running for cover.

    So, what might we expect from Apple should they decide to go to market with new version of the iPhone that will be less expense?  The Journal has this to say:

    “Apple has been considering a less-expensive iPhone since at least 2009, viewing it as a way to grab market share and introduce people to the brand, said people familiar with the efforts. 

    Before the launch of the iPhone 4 in mid-2010, the company developed designs for cheaper phones that were very similar to the iPhone at the time but had a less expensive back and sides, one of the people said.”

    You can read the full article online. (Subscription maybe required.)

    [Via Wall Street Journal…]

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  • amazon,  att,  lumia,  microsoft,  verizon,  windows phone

    Are Lumia Smartphone Sales Softer Than Expected?

    December 27, 2012 /

    According to a story in today’s Wall Street Journal (link, subscription required), sales of Nokia’s Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones may not be selling in the US as well as carriers had hoped.

    Deals on the flagship Lumia 920 and 822 smartphones can be found at online retailers like Amazon.com for as little as $0 – $39 dollars depending on carrier and phone configuration.  For example, the high-end Lumia 920 can, with a new 2-year service agreement, can be purchased for $39 at Amazon.com.  At AT&T stores, the phone is still on sale for $99 with a new 2-year service agreement.  Amazon.com also has the Lumia 822 on Verizon Wireless is free with a new 2-year service agreement.  Without a contract, both the Lumia 920 (AT&T Wireless) and the Lumia 822 (Verizon Wireless) sell for $449.99.

    Offering smartphones at a deep discount is not uncommon for phones that have been out for six months or more as a promotion to drive sales of new phones in advance of the next year’s model coming out.  It is also a tactic that manufacturers use with their carrier partners to help drive adoption of their phones and their mobile platform.  What is raising eyebrows is the timing of the discounts.  The Nokia 920 and 822 have not yet reached the six month mark.  We know US adoption of smartphones running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system hasn’t been selling as well as Microsoft had hoped.

    So what’s really going on here?  Are AT&T and Verizon trying to drive sales of these new phones with a limited-time, post Christmas discount program?  Is Nokia providing further incentives or marketing support to drive up their year-end sales numbers?  Is Microsoft somehow involved in an attempt to drive up market share numbers against Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms?

    Without sales numbers or an official statement from one of the major players involved it’s hard to know for sure.  Deep discounts on new smartphones are not completely uncommon, however, this close to a new product launch does send up some red flags.

    [Via WSJ.com…]

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  • cydia,  ios,  iphone,  ipod touch,  jailbreak

    Auxo Posted to Cydia

    December 26, 2012 /

    The other day, we wrote a post about Auxo, a jailbreak tweak that enhances multitasking on iOS 6 devices.

    According to a new post on iDownloadBlog.com, Auxo is now available as a $1.99 purchase from Cydia.  Jeff Benjamin writes:

    “If you have a jailbroken iPhone running iOS 6, I’m happy to report that you can now download Auxo from Cydia’s BigBoss repo for just $1.99.”

    Seems pretty reasonable to me.

    [Via iDownloadBlog.com…]

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch,  jailbreak

    Auxo Tweak Revolutionizes iOS App Switching

    December 23, 2012 /

    Tech blogs are abuzz this weekend because of Auxo, a new iOS 6 tweak for jailbroken iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch handsets.

    Auxo, developed by @Sentry_NC, is a replacement application switcher for iOS.  There are two main features of Auxo which really grabbed my attention.  The first is a new card-like interface to show you which applications are running on your iOS device.  The second, a feature that I really like on smartphones running Google Android, are a sort of widget-like toggles for features that you normally have to go hunting for in the Settings control panel.

    iDownloadBlog.com recently posted a video demo of Auxo running on an iPhone 4S.  Below are some screen captures from the video which we link to below.

    These first two photos show the new app switcher interface.  The standard iOS app icons have been replaced by smaller versions of the app icons with a thumbnail of the application state.  This is really kind of cool in a webOS kinda of in that it shows you what the application is ‘doing’.

    These next photos show more detail in to the other key feature of Auxo, iOS control widgets.

    The first image in this set shows the replacement iPod music controls and the second image shows the regular Rotation Lock control, and three new controls that allow you to quickly toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular radios on/off.  Auxo also allows you to have two rows of four controls.  In the last screen shot, the red arrow points to the two ‘page’ indicators that you see elsewhere in iOS, like in the Home screen.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Q_97exnJk]

    Auxo is an unofficial tweak for iOS 6 devices.  Because Auxo is a tweak, and not an ‘official’ app that comes from Apple’s App Store, you must be running a ‘jailbroken’ device and install the software from the Cydia app store.  Auxo will be a paid tweak, however reports say that the cost will be ‘reasonable.’  The developers are suppose to be working on an iOS 5 port now.

    Auxo, Jailbreaks, and Staying Competitive

    I have to say that I’ve always been a member of #TeamPure and up until now, I have not seen a tweak that would make me consider jailbreaking my iPhone 4S or iPad 3.  There has been a growing call from bloggers and ‘geeks’ (ie: not your average consumer) that iOS needs a major features shake up with iOS 7 that is expected to be released late in 2013, and I’m starting to come around an agree with that sentiment.  Google’s Android and to a lesser extent, Microsoft’s Windows Phone, are putting up a strong challenge to Apple’s mobile platform.  With iOS 7, Apple needs to start ‘borrowing’ ideas from their rivals and making some ‘strategic’ code acquisitions from the iOS jailbreak community if they want to stay competitive.  I hope that Tim Cook, Jonny Ive, and the rest of the Apple team setting the direction for iOS in the wake of Scott Forstalls stepping down as the head of iOS development really take a look at what’s going on with other mobile operating systems and look to them for inspiration on new features and improvements in iOS.

    [Via iDownloadblog.com…]

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  • app store,  apple,  games,  ios,  ipad,  ipad mini,  iphone,  ipod touch,  microsoft,  playstation,  sony,  xbox

    Karateka Returns to Delight a New Generation of Heroes

    December 22, 2012 /
    Back in the mid-1980’s I was introduced to the Apple //e and a I fell in love with computers and technology.  The first real game that I played back in 1984, after Apple Presents…Apple, was Karateka.

    For those of you who don’t remember, or may not have been around back then, Katateka is game focusing around an evil warlord who has captured the princess and the tasks falls on you to save her.  Pretty straight forward.

    Fast-forward to 2012 and Karateka has been reborn on the iOS, PlayStation, XBox Live, and Steam.  The game has been updated to run on today’s popular gaming platforms and looks amazing all the while staying true to it’s 8-bit Apple //e roots.

    This time around, you must still save the princess, however, you are given three warriors with which to save her: the warrior, the monk, and the brute.  You battle your way into the warlord’s fortress, fight his minions, battle his hawk, and then fight him to save your true love.

    After finding Karateka on the Apple iOS App Store, I immediately purchased the game and started playing on my iPhone until the battery died.  Then I picked up my iPad and kept playing.

    Gameplay is simple and easy to learn.  In combat, you have two moves: block and attack.  The controls are pretty easy to master.  You tap the screen to block an attack and you tap the screen to attack.  New in this version of the game there is the ability to double-tap the screen to use a special move that allows you to stun your opponent and unleash a powerful combo attack that shaves a good amount of hit points off his health meter.

    I found the new Karateka true to it’s 1980’s original.  Yes, the game has been updated with new graphics and new characters, but at it’s core, it’s still the same game that I loved as a boy.  Personally, I think that it’s a tribute to the care and detail that went into remaking Karateka.  I have played some other ‘reboot’ games on iOS this year, and with all of them, I came away longing for the originals.  No so with Karateka.

    If you’ve played Karateka before you will find this version familiar and fun to play.  If you are new to Karateka, hopefully, you will have found a new game to play that is fun to play.

    Karateka is available now from the Apple iOS App Store (link) and sells for $2.99.  Karateka for iOS is a universal application and will play on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.  Before you buy, make sure you have a supported device as the game only plays on the iPhone 4S and newer, iPad 2 or newer, including the new iPad mini, and the iPod touch 5th generation.  Karateka is also available now on Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network, and Steam.  The console editions sell for about $9.99.

    For more information about Karateka, check of the game’s website.

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  • microsoft,  office,  office365,  windows,  windows phone

    Upgrading Hotmail.com to Outlook.com

    December 11, 2012 /

    Earlier this year, Microsoft upgraded their Hotmail service to the new Outlook.com email service.  This upgrade was a major improvement to Microsoft’s free and paid web-based email service, so much so, that I will actually use Outlook.com.  And that’s saying a lot.

    Now that I have Windows 8 Pro installed (on my Mac, using Parallels and VMware Fusion) I want to be able to login using my @outlook.com email address rather than my @hotmail email address.  Windows Phone users might also want to do something similar.

    All the way back on August 3, Microsoft posted directions for either setting up an @outlook.com alias to send email to your existing @hotmail.com address or actually converting your @hotmail.com email account over to an @outlook.com address.  (After the conversion is complete, your old @hotmail.com email address is configured as an alias pointing to your new @outlook.com address.)

    To get started, you will want to log into your Hotmail account, and from the Settings menu, select “More mail settings” to access the command for managing your email account.

    Microsoft’s directions are pretty clear and straight forward.  If converting your mailbox is something that doesn’t sound like ‘fun’ to you, don’t worry.  Microsoft has you covered.  Simply read their blog post on switching to Outlook.com first before you get started and you will be fine.

    Special Note to Windows Phone Users

    If you use a Windows Phone device, you will want to pay attention to Microsoft’s warning:

    “If you use a Windows Phone, you will need to reset your Windows Phone to factory settings, and then set it back up with the new account name. You will lose all personal data on the Windows Phone when you do this, so make sure you have that data backed up. You will need to re-install all your applications on your phone, although you will not need to re-purchase them.”

    [Via Microsoft Outlook blog…]

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