Simon Jones

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Recent articles by Simon Jones
Your new Office: Is Microsoft's free Web version of Office 2010 actually useful? 

Your new Office: Is Microsoft's free Web version of Office 2010 actually useful?

by Tim Danton, Simon Jones, Barry Collins  |  17 Mar 2010  |  Comment now
Microsoft decision to release a free Web version of Office is big news for the 20+ year old software suite. But does free actually mean it's any good?
Microsoft Office 2007 

Microsoft Office 2007

by Simon Jones  |  17 Jun 2008  |  Comment now
Useful new features and a total interface overhaul make this the best Office ever.
Preview: Microsoft Office Live Beta 

Preview: Microsoft Office Live Beta

by Simon Jones  |  25 Jun 2007  |  Comment now
An innovative and potentially very useful service for small businesses without an existing IT infrastructure.
The complete guide to Microsoft Office 2007 

The complete guide to Microsoft Office 2007

by Simon Jones  |  14 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
Useful new features and a total interface overhaul make this the best Office ever.
Microsoft InfoPath 2007 

Microsoft InfoPath 2007

by Simon Jones  |  13 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
This version sees a new maturity, with more server integration and easier-to-use controls online forms.
Microsoft Groove 2007 

Microsoft Groove 2007

by Simon Jones  |  13 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
An effective group-working tool, especially for those with the infrastructure to take full advantage of it.
Microsoft OneNote 2007 

Microsoft OneNote 2007

by Simon Jones  |  12 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
A worthy update to the most underrated of the Office applications — OneNote is now a must-have.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007

by Simon Jones  |  12 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
Improvements all round keep PowerPoint well ahead of the competition.
Microsoft Publisher 2007 

Microsoft Publisher 2007

by Simon Jones  |  12 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
Still a competent tool for marketing material, although it would have benefited from an interface overhaul.
Microsoft Access 2007 

Microsoft Access 2007

by Simon Jones  |  12 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
Now pitched at less experienced database users, this refresh is a mixed blessing.
Microsoft Outlook 2007 

Microsoft Outlook 2007

by Simon Jones  |  12 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
Behind-the-scenes changes make a huge difference, even if the interface is inconsistent.
Microsoft Excel 2007 

Microsoft Excel 2007

by Simon Jones  |  12 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
A rewritten front end makes Excel’s significant power far more accessible than before.
Microsoft Word 2007 

Microsoft Word 2007

by Simon Jones  |  12 Feb 2007  |  Comment now
Not many new features, but the new interface breathes fresh life into an already great product.
Google Docs & Spreadsheets (Beta) 

Google Docs & Spreadsheets (Beta)

by Simon Jones  |  24 Jan 2007  |  Comment now
Useful for the very basics, but it’s early days for Google’s latest venture.
The PC Authority Guide to Office 2007 

The PC Authority Guide to Office 2007

by Simon Jones  |  11 Oct 2006  |  Comment now
Microsoft’s radical redesign promises ‘better results, faster’. Be fully prepared for this world-leading productivity software.
Office 2007: The whys and ways of upgrading 

Office 2007: The whys and ways of upgrading

by Simon Jones  |  17 Aug 2006  |  Comment now
We evaluate the various versions of Office 2007 and what they offer, and find a companion to help with search
MICROSOFT OFFICE 2003 BETA 2 

MICROSOFT OFFICE 2003 BETA 2

by Simon Jones  |  1 Jun 2003  |  Comment now
It has been over two years since we previewed Office XP, but Microsoft has finally given us a glimpse of Office 2003. The finished version should be on the shelves by the end of July, but will it be worth the upgrade? The answer could be an emphatic 'yes' if you're a Tablet PC user, as Microsoft has just launched OneNote (see page 59), making full use of electronic ink. The company is also introducing InfoPath (see page 59) for designing electronic forms, with the flexibility of XML. The classic apps have also had their seen refurbishment, with Outlook (page 56) getting the most attention, and FrontPage and Publisher (page 58) a bit of a revamp.
WORD 2003  

WORD 2003

by Simon Jones  |  1 Jun 2003  |  Comment now
With its cosmetically enhanced menus and toolbars, Word 2003 is now smoother and prettier, but the bulk of Microsoft's efforts are hidden under the surface. There are a quite a number of enhancements that will appeal to everyone, but the majority of Word's new features are aimed at the corporate market, with support for XML, Smart documents and IRM (Information Rights Management).
EXCEL 2003 

EXCEL 2003

by Simon Jones  |  1 Jun 2003  |  Comment now
The buzzword in Excel 2003 is XML, best illustrated by the new mapping feature. This lets you map cells, columns and ranges to data held in XML data sources, so you can create Excel workbooks showing data from Web Services or other back-end data stores. The XML data is validated on input into Excel against a custom XML Schema under your control. Excel can also save your work in a native XML workbook format, which keeps any formatting but avoids the proprietary XLS file format. You may also, however, save data as a pure XML data file, leaving any formatting in the template. This XML data file can be put through BizTalk or imported into a back-end database.
ACCESS 2003  

ACCESS 2003

by Simon Jones  |  1 Jun 2003  |  Comment now
Again, SharePoint and XML support separate Access 2003 from its predecessors, and Access can now import and export XML data using custom Schemas. Exports can employ XSLT transforms to match data formats to other custom Schemas, and you may include related data such as look-up tables so you export structured data.
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