Microsoft Details Office Web Apps Enhancements - tharpsandint

Microsoft is mental testing impulsive a new version of its Office Web Apps suite, whose applications are hosted by the marketer and accessed by users via a web browser.

Improvements in the suite, which includes online versions of Word, Stand out, PowerPoint, and OneNote, nerve center on four areas: papers authoring, touch interface support, collaborationism and operation, Microsoft aforesaid on Friday.

Federal agency Web Apps, launched about two age agone and used by nigh 50 million people per calendar month, includes a subset of the functionality of the applications in the full-conspicuous, PC-installed Office suite.

As a cloud-hosted rooms, Bureau Web Apps have been enhanced on a regular basis on the backend by Microsoft, but the set of improvements existence tested today are significant, accordant to a blog post past Mike Morton, group program manager for Office World Wide Web Applications at Microsoft.

"This update is away far the all but significant we have always done and we Hope others are as excited about the changes as we are," he wrote.

In the area of authoring, Microsoft has made improvements so documents can look more job by up editing, layout, and data formatting capabilities. (See also "Edit Docs on Your iPad Using Microsoft Office Web Apps").

Acknowledging the popularity of tablets with touch screens, Microsoft is adjusting the Office Web Apps interface so that information technology's more accessible for fundamental interaction with hand gestures.

For collaboration, this new version allows users to engage in joint editing in PowerPoint, the only when entourage application that didn't have this capacity antecedently. Also new is the ability to insert comments in documents and presentations without necessarily being booked in editing the files. These comments dismiss embody replied to as well.

In performance, the new version doesn't slow down its basic operations like typing and formatting as documents get down larger. Excel in particular works faster, as ut vivid elements in PowerPoint like shapes and lottery tools.

Industry analyst Rebecca Wettemann from Nucleus Explore doesn't find the improvements particularly impressive. "Unless a user is mainly accessing a touch device, I'm not sure I witness what's compelling Hera," she same via electronic mail.

Position Network Apps is comparable to Google Docs in that they are both hosted by their individual vendors and old via browsers, and neither comes close to matching the functionality in the full-featured Office suite.

How to Join the Test

Those interested in trying forbidden the new version of Agency Web Apps can log up in to their SkyDrive online storage service explanation via this special link: http://skydrive.live.com/?officebeta=1.

Another way of testing the new Office Web Apps rooms is to participate in the semipublic beta of the new Office 365 suite, which offers full-faced versions of the Office applications delivered and upgraded remotely via the cloud, only in the end installed topically on users' machines. Office World Wide Web Apps is part of the Office 365 Beta suite.

Additionally to the Office 365 model, which lets each user install the suite on five computers, Microsoft will besides sell the new version of Office in the traditional way, equally a shrink-wrapped product with a perpetual licence that can be installed on a single machine. The latter option will be proprietary Situatio 2022.

It's non clear to Wettemann where Office Vane Apps fits in with the companny's broader Office strategy. "Microsoft needs to make it clear for whom exactly Web Apps makes sense," she aforesaid. "Touching nervy with Office and Function 365, does Microsoft need the Web Apps production?"

When asked about this earlier in the week, a spokeswoman for Microsoft spokeswoman aforementioned via email that users of the newborn Office might find Office Web Apps useful in situations when using the browser as the client software is almost convenient.

"It is great for document showing, editing and share-out — especially on the go," the spokeswoman aforementioned.

Juan Carlos Perez covers enterprise communication/collaboration suites, operating systems, browsers and general technology breaking news show for The IDG News Servicing. Keep up Juan on Twitter at @JuanCPerezIDG.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/460048/microsoft_details_office_web_apps_enhancements.html

Posted by: tharpsandint.blogspot.com