What to expect in the next version of Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is the software package which provides people around the world with the most popular word processor, spreadsheet software, presentation software, and email client.

Some of the features that are going to be included in the next version of Office (probably to be named Office 2016) were announced at Microsoft’s Windows 10 event during January.

The new version of PowerPoint on Windows Phone

Although Microsoft Office is currently available on Windows Phone, it lacks functionality and can be very slow; Microsoft hopes to change that with an updated version of the Microsoft Office apps. The update will allow you to do anything on your smartphone that you can do on your computer as the tabs ‘review’, ‘file’ and ‘format’ are available amongst others. The mobile user interface - which they gave the press and developers a sneak peek of in January - even looked like the familiar Microsoft Office 2013. Office for mobile will also support cloud printing.

On mobile, you will be able to view and edit Microsoft Word documents either in a page view – which shows how the document will look when printed, or a mobile view - which optimises the document so it is easier to view on smartphones.

Outlook in Office 2016

Word in Office 2016

PowerPoint will include sophisticated new animations and be able to wirelessly cast to screens. Outlook Mail has had a full redesign as well and Word is integrated for rich email formatting. Like what you can currently do on the Gmail app or the Apple Mail app, Outlook now lets you slide right on emails to flag them or slide them left to delete.

Apart from the mobile version and the desktop version, the next version of Office will also have a touch optimised version for tablets and convertibles. This looks very similar to the version of Office available for iPad.

Sadly, Microsoft doesn’t seem have a problem with a PC having two versions of Office installed; one for desktop and one for touch. I suppose they’ve done it for years like that with OneNote on Windows 8 which comes included both in Microsoft Office and also as Windows Store app.

Overall, Microsoft looks like it is continuing to do what it does best by maintaining Office’s status as the best software package for your office needs however they need to address the issue of multiple versions of the same software on one device.

What to expect in Windows 10

Microsoft’s event in January played host to a number of announcements including the Surface Hub and the HoloLens. However, the primary purpose of the event, and the announcement which took up the most time, was showing off new features which are due to arrive in Windows 10.

Windows 10 was first announced at a tiny event last September and since then 1.7 million Windows insiders have downloaded the technical preview and given feedback to Microsoft on it. Some of the features included so far in Windows 10 include:

• A new action centre when you slide in from the right which includes a list of notifications and quick settings (such as Wi-Fi, aeroplane mode, and a button to switch between desktop and tablet mode).

• A new settings menu which combines the Windows 8 settings app and control panel which could only be accessed on desktop mode.

• A new way of app switching when you slide in from the left which is now more ‘elegant and natural’.

Windows 10 action centre

It was Joe Belfiore, the man responsible for the design and software product definition of Windows services, who came on stage to announce the new Windows 10 features. Before he did, he stressed that what he would be showing was an ‘early build’ thus is prone to glitches.

Belfiore first talked about the new search bar which sits comfortably next to the iconic start button in the bottom left corner of the display. It has Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant, built in – which was previously exclusive to Windows Phone – and it can be operated hands-free like by shouting ‘Hey Cortana’.

To demonstrate Cortana’s new capabilities, Belfiore had a cringe-worthy conversation with her where he showed how it could track flights, display weather forecasts, push calendar notifications, speak the latest sports results, and even attempt to do impersonations. All of the data that Cortana learns about the user is stored in what Microsoft is calling ‘the notebook’. Users can go here and review what Cortana has learnt about them. This proves that Microsoft is being transparent about the data they collect about their users.

Joe Belfiore in front of the improved photos app

The terrible Windows 8 photos app has finally been significantly updated with a new, slicker, and simpler user interface and a handful of new features. Photos automatically uploaded to OneDrive are now auto-enhanced and duplicates are hidden – capabilities which are extremely familiar to people who currently use Google Plus Photos. The new photos app also automatically files photos into albums depending on where they were taken, when they were taken and who is in them. In the header of the albums include a list of people who are tagged and the name of the album so you can share it on the Internet – once again, functionality which is familiar to people who have been using Google Plus Photo Stories. (All the photo features can be turned off in settings if you don’t want them.)

Belfiore then briefly touched upon a redesign to the People app and the Music app. The new Music app allows you to store your whole music album in OneDrive and then stream it from any of your devices - just like what you can currently do on Google Music.

Windows 10 on a desktop PC

The new lightweight Internet browser which was rumoured last week was officially announced. ‘Project Spartan’ has a new engine which is better built for the current internet (unlike Internet Explorer which is running into an increasing amount of compatibility issues as the web develops). The new browser has ‘three significant new features’ one of which is the ability to draw on pages using a stylus or your finger, click to add comments to the page and share the page with friends via OneNote. The page’s current content is saved however the links remain working. The second feature is a new reading mode which standardises web pages so you can consume content in a clean environment and open PDF documents in the browser instead of having to download them. Reading lists are now synced and offline so you can read when not connected to the Internet. The third, and probably biggest new feature, is Cortana built directly into the search bar.

Windows 10 on
a smartphone

Regarding games, the XBOX app has been improved greatly and you can now stream XBOX One games through your Windows 10 device – something which Microsoft has been promising for years.

The most surprising announcement of the day wasn’t actually about any new software features, it was that Windows 10 will be a completely free upgrade for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 users in the first year. This terrific news was met by light applause. Microsoft said that devices will be updated until they literally can’t take it anymore which sadly might already be the case for Windows RT as no plans have been released to update those devices to Windows 10.

Windows 10 is predicted for release in late 2015. Until then, technical previews will be available to Windows insider users until spring and then Microsoft will add the finishing touches to the OS before it becomes available for the millions of people currently using Windows 7 or above.

Microsoft's new augmented reality goggles: HoloLens

Recently, Microsoft has been lagging behind companies such as Apple and Google when it comes to innovation however, at their Windows 10 event during January, that all changed when they announced a holographic headset called Microsoft HoloLens.

Microsoft HoloLens

HoloLens looks like something which has been plucked straight out of a futuristic sci-fi movie. Once a user puts the headset on, it spatially maps the world around them so they can look through HD lenses into an augmented reality world. In this digital world, they can play games (Minecraft was demonstrated in Microsoft’s announcement), make Skype calls, overlay designs on reality, and much more. All of these scenarios allow the user to move around and look at the holograms in 3D like they were really there. This is never-seen-before, exciting new technology isn’t something you would usually expect from Microsoft.

Microsoft says that the HoloLens includes a high-end CPU but that they needed to invent a new processor especially for this device because there isn’t currently one available that would have done the job well enough. This decision seems to have paid off because there has been almost no lag at all in the test demos.

HoloLens runs a special version of Windows 10 called Windows Holographic and Microsoft claims that Windows 10 apps can be adapted so that they work with the headset.

The user interface on Windows Holographic

Although Microsoft says HoloLens will ‘transform you living room into a surreal gaming environment’, the main demonstration of Windows Holographic featured an employee using HoloStudio – a Microsoft design studio which they said lets you ‘build 3D… in 3D’ – to construct a quad-copter out of various different shapes. Once the holographic app was launched, a 3D toolbox appeared which was full of different shapes with different holographic textures and paints. Users can summon these different items in two different ways: either by voice or by staring at what you need – HoloLens understands both. The words ‘tap and gaze, and tap again’ were repeated constantly during this demo emphasising how simple HoloLens is to use. Then, to put the icing on the cake, they announced that products built in HoloStudio could be 3D printed within minutes.

The outro to this unorthodox yet intriguing announcement was a video featuring Scientists explaining how, by this summer, they will be using HoloLens to both control Mars rovers and to immerse themselves in the Martian landscape.

Microsoft announces the Surface Hub: an 84-inch 4K touchscreen whiteboard

The new Microsoft Surface Hub

At Microsoft’s even in January, the technology giant announced that they were entering a whole new product category which appears to be a blend of a television and an interactive whiteboard. It is called the Microsoft Surface Hub.

This is not a product aimed at consumers; Microsoft isn’t even attempting to market it that way. Instead, businesses and organisations are the target market of this unique device which features a 4K display, dual cameras, microphones, and inbuilt Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC.

Like many of the Surface products, the Surface Hub comes with a stylus which, once picked up, automatically turns the screen white so it can be drawn on. The notes are then automatically saved to OneNote.

Skype for business plus other useful business tools are built-in. During the unveiling event of the device, Microsoft employees staged a conference call where notes were made and a virtual 3D model was toyed with. Once the call had ended, all the information used during the call – including the notes and diagrams - were then sent to the people involved automatically and the apps closed down so the device was ready for the next meeting. The Surface Hub looks like the ultimate conferencing tool.

Users can cast to the Surface Hub from their Windows Phone or Windows 10 PC either wirelessly or with a wire. This is ideal for PowerPoint presentations, showing off charts in spreadsheets, and even simply watching videos.

The Surface Hub is running Windows 10 however the apps have been optimised for such a large screen. This means that you can multitask and run two apps side-by-side.



The Surface Hub comes in two sizes: 55-inch and 84-inch. And, although there is no price point yet – it is highly likely that this thing isn’t going to be cheap. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, said at the January Microsoft event: “We want to move from people needing Windows, to choosing Windows and loving Windows”. He hopes this will be a step in the right direction for Microsoft instead of a repeat of the $8000 PixelSense (Surface) table they announced in 2008 everyone has forgotten about (apart from Hawaii Five-0).

A disastrous flop: the Microsoft PixelSense in Hawaii Five-0 - a TV program sponsored by Microsoft

Al Murray, pub landlord, to stand as candidate in forthcoming general election

Xenophobic pub landlord, Al Murray has turned his attention to politics recently with his announcement that he will be running as a candidate for South Thanet in the forthcoming general election.



Murray announced his political plans on his YouTube channel where he stated “The system is broken. We all know it is. You hear people saying you shouldn’t vote. Well, you should vote… for me.”

Al Murray: Future MP of South Thanet?

Murray represents FUKP (Free United Kingdom Party) who claim to have “common sense policies for common sense people” which have been laid out in a 13 point plan. FUKP’s pledges include National Service – but only for people who don’t want to do it, the unemployed to be locked up to reduce crime, and South Thanet to be made the new capital of the UK with a demilitarised zone set-up between North and South Thanet. Out of all of these controversial pledges, the one which stands out most is his promise for the penny pint – clearly influenced by his background as a pub landlord.

Many politicians have taken the news that Murray is running to become an MP with good humour however others are arguing that this stunt is a dangerous joke. In response to hearing the news of the comedy candidate Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP – the party that Murray is clearly parodying – said “The more, the merrier”. South Thanet also happens to be the seat that Nigel Farage is running for. Will Scobie, Labour candidate for that area also, said that Murray will “certainly make things interesting”.

David Cameron proposes backdoor government access to messaging services

Services which could soon be monitored or banned by the
Government if the Conservatives win the next general election

In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo shootings last week in Paris, questions have been raised about how these kind of attacks can be prevented in the future. David Cameron, Prime Minister of Great Britain, pledged earlier this week that if the Conservatives win the general election they’ll introduce laws allowing the Government to access encrypted messages from services such as iMessage, WhatsApp, and Snapchat in hope that this would prevent acts of terrorism from being organised over the web.

David Cameron said: “If I am Prime Minister I will make sure that it is a comprehensive piece of legislation that does not allow terrorists safe space to communicate with each other.”

The controversial announcement was superficial and logistics were not mentioned. Messaging apps such as iMessage, WhatsApp, and Skype crucially market themselves as private messaging services where only the sender and recipient can view the messages – the companies themselves can’t even gain access to the encrypted messages. Therefore, technology companies have spoken out against these proposals; offering the Government backdoor access to user’s messages is not something they are prepared to do lightly as most companies would lose their unique selling point of offering secure and private messaging services. Consequently, messaging services would also see a significant reduction in users.

Even approaching this issues from the Government’s perspective, despite rumours of a new cyber-cell government organisation that will monitor communications, former security minister, Lord West, said “We probably do need a little bit more money for the security service”.

Even non-encrypted services such as Twitter and Facebook will be pushed by David Cameron and Barack Obama to co-operate with intelligence services as Cameron claims “they have a social responsibility to fight the battle against terrorism”.

If the law does pass in the next government and technology companies do not comply with it, it has been suggested that the government could ban or severely limit services. Plus, there is no guarantee that monitoring encrypted services will be successful; there is a large change that extremists will simply migrate to another medium of communication whether that be online on not.

Dell’s new XPS 13 is a stylish MacBook rival running Windows

Last week, when Dell announced the Venue 8 7000 at CES in Las Vegas I dubbed it the best Android tablet currently on the market. They also subtly announced the new XPS 13 – an Ultrabook - and it has thankfully followed suit of the Venue 8.

With a price point of around £1100 and a 13-inch display, Dell is marketing the XPS 13 as the ‘smallest’ Ultrabook currently available. The Ultrabook is undoubtedly a direct rival to the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro. What separates this computer from the MacBook though is its Full-HD touchscreen – something which Mac enthusiasts have been lusting after for several years now.

The touchscreen isn’t the only feature which makes this computer stand out. It has the same ridiculously thin bezel around the screen, as seen in the Venue 8 7000 tablet, which Dell has coined ‘infinity’ display. Also, the glass touchpad is being called one of the best on the market with no lag at all.

The XPS 13 is currently boasting a 15-hour battery life however it is unlikely that that will be achievable in reality. But for when the battery is running low, Dell sells a compatible USB external battery which can be plugged in for working on the go.

Other than that, the Dell XPS 13 could easily be confused with a MacBook Pro. They share the same backlit keyboard, crisp screen, and appearance. Bottom line, this is a stunning MacBook Pro but running Windows 8.1.

If you are looking for a powerful, stylish Windows Ultra-book with a touchscreen, this the best thing on the market at the moment - and probably will continue to be for the rest of 2015.

My 2015 Technology Predictions

Apple

• Spring Launch of the Apple Watch. It will cost a fortune.
• iPhone 6S with a faster processor and better battery life (as per usual). It will also have... well... what else can they improve on?
• Apple to finally radically improve the Apple TV.
• iTunes to be available from iCloud on the web so your music library is in the cloud.

Google

• Android M is launched - (Marshmallow maybe?)
• First Android Auto vehicles get unveiled.
• Android TV.
• An explosion in Android Wear devices.

Microsoft

• Another Microsoft Surface - maybe with no kickstand at all
• Touch-friendly versions of Microsoft Office (similar to what is available for iPad) developed for Windows 8/Windows 10 devices.
• New, faster, more functional Internet browser.
• Cortana to be pushed out to more Internet devices. 
• Microsoft to make a smartwatch. Live tiles on your wrist - maybe also a kickstand if it is branded with 'Surface'.
• Little updates to Windows Phone 8 (if any). Focus to be moved onto Windows Phone 10.
• Pricing structure for Microsoft Office is sorted out (it is currently free on iPad however £60 on PCs)

Microsoft to ditch Internet Explorer in Windows 10 for a faster, more powerful Internet browser

For the last few months, there have been rumours that Microsoft has been working on an Internet browser for Windows 10 that isn’t Internet Explorer. Latest rumours circulating suggest that the replacement browser is currently code named ‘Spartan’ and will be more like Chrome and Firefox.

What the Internet browser on Windows 10 will allegedly look like

Over the last few years, Internet explorer has gathered a reputation for being slow and lacking functionality. But that might all be about to change with this new ‘lightweight’ browser that Microsoft is apparently developing. ‘Spartan’ is rumoured to have Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana built in so when you need information, such as your personal flight times or package tracking, you just enter that in the browser’s address bar and Cortana will return with the results you need. Cortana’s integration would also mean that you could use your voice to ask questions and perform searches.

A second new feature allows users to draw on top of web pages using their stylus and then share the notes/doodles that they have overlaid – probably a feature built with the Microsoft Surface in mind (a device that comes with a stylus).

Like Safari, Chrome and Firefox, ‘Spartan’ will sync across devices so the desktop version will always be up-to-date with the tablet version and the phone version.

Even when Windows 10 has launched, updates will continue to be pushed out as ‘Spartan’ will be a Windows Store app – unlike Internet Explorer which changes only when a new version of Windows is released.

‘Spartan’ is being described as a really basic version of Google Chrome at the moment. The program is currently in early development and only has a few features however it is a step in the right direction and I think it will be good for Microsoft to finally replace Internet Explorer – well sort of… Although Internet Explorer will not be the primary browser, there are claims that it will remain on Windows 10 for backward compatibility reasons.

We are going to have to wait until Microsoft’s Windows 10 event on January 21st to find out more information.

Dell announces the thinnest - and one of the best - tablets in the world

The best tablet announced at CES 2015 was definitely the Dell Venue 8 7000. At 6mm thin, it is the slimmest tablet to date but it hasn’t made any sacrifices. The Venue features an 8.4-inch edge-to-edge OLED display which Dell is calling an “infinity display” meaning that the bezel is almost invisible. The screen is also crisp and sharp, with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600.

The tablet is also one of the first to include Intel’s Real Sense 3D camera which allows users to take 8MP images and then refocus them – a technology popularised by trendy camera manufacture Lytro. There are two an additional 720p stereoscopic sensors to make the depth camera possible.

A large speaker and a 2MP camera for video calls and #selfies foot the screen on the front of the device.

The Venue has 16GB storage (plus a MicroSD card slot for additional storage), 2GB RAM and currently runs Android KitKat however Dell promises that there will be a Lollipop upgrade in the near future.

For $399 you can buy the Venue 8 7000 today in the US – it unfortunately isn’t available anywhere else yet. Dell says it will be coming to other markets in “early 2015” and in my eyes, it will be worth the wait. The only drawback I can see is the fact that this is a tiny tablet; with a screen size of 8.4-inches it is neither a tablet nor a phablet. It is somewhere in the middle. I can imagine most people wishing this tablet was a few inches bigger.

Impossibly thin: The Dell Venue 8 7000 is 6mm thick