The latest version of Microsoft Office has been released to general consumers this week.  Office 2013 became available on Tuesday, January 29.  Many will have been working with beta copies that have been freely distributed by Microsoft over the last 9 months or so, and some may have been working with copies licensed by businesses, because the product became available to business licensees last fall.  But if you are the average Joe consumer, or are just now hearing about the latest version, it is finally here. This will probably be the final version of Office that will be obtainable on physical media. ...

The latest version of Windows Movie Maker is part of a download package from Microsoft called Windows Essentials, formerly know as “Windows Live Essentials” and “Windows Live Essentials 2012.”  No one ever accused Microsoft of branding acumen.  In any event, to get Movie Maker you must go to the Windows Essentials download site and click the Download Now link.  There is no need to go to a specific page dedicated to Movie Maker because you MUST download and start the installer for the entire Windows Essentials suite of programs, which included Windows Messenger, Windows Writer...

The new Microsoft Surface starts at $499 for the tablet only, without a type or touch cover (the detachable face cover with built-in keyboard), but including preview versions  the Office RT apps: Word RT, Excel RT, PowerPoint RT, and OneNote RT.  This review may be an extended effort to not only tell you about the Surface, but to attempt to answer the question “What were they thinking?” I am attempting to type this review on the membrane touch cover, which I opted for as a $120 addition, but things are not going well.  I think I have already pressed the Backspace key more often than the other keys...

I attended a webinar on Microsoft’s new Office 365 Home product today and can report on the near-finished feature set. Programs included: Word, Access, Outlook, Publisher, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote. Price: $99.99 per year. Number of installs:  Install on up to five devices.  Installs can be deactivated on one device and activated on another, also.  Just so the total does not exceed 5. Storage:  In addition to whatever storage you already have on SkyDrive, if any, you will receive 20 GB additional with the Office 365 subscription.  The storage is tied to an account, so it is only for one of the...

No, this is not spam, nor a phishing attempt. It’s not even a hoax, although I’ve found it difficult to convince people that I’m serious. There is a whole slew of Microsoft products available free for the asking to the students and employees of Palomar College. Now, before you get your hopes up, this does NOT include Microsoft Office. Let me say that again – no Office. If you’re interested in getting a copy of Office I can certainly point you towards some excellent discounts (although the pricing for students is higher than that for employees, strangely enough) that have...