September 3, 2010
ANNOYING CHECKBOXES
This week’s installment of Annoying Checkboxes is sponsored by Microsoft, which has already brought you the annoying checkbox to install the “Bing Toolbar” – the one that has to be unchecked every single time you install an update to Java. Since Java is updated approximately once every 72 hours, you’ve probably seen that annoying checkbox frequently. (If you open Internet Explorer and have a useless “Bing Toolbar” at the top of the screen, then you missed the checkbox.)
Now I’m training myself to watch out for a new Annoying Checkbox that turns up when Microsoft Office Home […] continued
August 9, 2010
ADVOLOGIX PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Previously:
The Sad State Of Law Office Software
Law Office Case Management In The Cloud
I called Deepa Patel of Halak Consulting looking for a LexisNexis Certified Independent Consultant in the Bay Area who could help whip a client’s Time Matters installation into shape. The conversation quickly turned to the new product that she is also trained to handle, the one to which she has committed her own office and is clearly excited about.
Within a week I was looking at a demo of AdvologixPM and feeling my own sense of excitement about […] continued
August 2, 2010
THE SAD STATE OF LAW OFFICE SOFTWARE
Almost every law office winds up using some kind of specialized line-of-business software. For most types of law, especially litigation, that means case management software designed to bring all the information about a matter into a single place – the contacts (client, opposing counsel, insurance agents, witnesses, deponent), the case calendar and deadlines, phone conversations, billing records, and if possible, links to documents and email.
In some respects those are just variations on the kinds of records that are tracked by many kinds of businesses. There is a certain comfort in having labels that are specific to your work, […] continued
July 25, 2010
ONENOTE 2010 – SYNCING AND SHARING
Previously:
OneNote 2010 – Introduction
OneNote 2010 – Outlook Integration
Stick with me. I’m going to describe the feature built into OneNote 2010 that works so well – quietly, seamlessly – that it deserves to be noticed, used, and celebrated.
OneNote 2010 is designed to be used on multiple computers. When you create a notebook, the first option is to store the notebook online. It’s not a requirement but it’s highly recommended.
It doesn’t change your use of OneNote. The program opens and you can use it, regardless of whether you’re online or offline.
But when you’re […] continued
July 13, 2010
WINDOWS LIVE SYNC AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Microsoft is finalizing a new version of Windows Live Sync, its free software for syncing files among different computers. The new version replaces the two overlapping programs available from Microsoft for the last few years, Windows Live Sync and Live Mesh, combining features from both of them.
This should be good news. Microsoft has declared that the entire resources of the company are being devoted to moving us to the cloud. The file syncing program could have been an important part of that transition to a new way of working with our files that is less tied to […] continued
June 15, 2010
MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010 NOW AVAILABLE
Previously:
Office 2010 – Technology Guarantee
Microsoft Office 2010 – Suite Comparisons
Should You Buy Microsoft Office 2010?
Microsoft Office 2010 went on sale Tuesday at local stores and through online retailers. My articles, linked above, describe some of the differences between the different versions; in the next few weeks I’ll tell you about new features.
If you want to do some research, here are three places to start.
- Microsoft’s Office home page
- Paul Thurrott’s exhaustive collection of reviews and screen shots
- Eric Ligman’s list of links to Office 2010 resources
There are […] continued
June 8, 2010
PATCH TUESDAY
Leave your computer on overnight and prepare for it to restart. It’s Patch Tuesday and Microsoft will install a large crop of updates on all versions of Windows tonight.
Tomorrow we should see the icon in the lower right corner alerting us to an important patch for Adobe Flash. Adobe has another important update for Acrobat and Adobe Reader scheduled for June 29.
After I look at the feedback and do some testing, I’ll be installing updates on client servers.
Install legitimate updates promptly – and be careful out there!
June 2, 2010
SHOULD YOU BUY MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010?
Previously:
Office 2010 – Technology Guarantee
Microsoft Office 2010 – Suite Comparisons
Dell is shipping new computers with Microsoft Office 2010 now and it will be on the shelves (virtual and real) to buy on June 15. This is the collection of tools you use every day to do your work and organize your life. Should you upgrade to the new version?
I’m going to offer some generalizations aimed at home and small business users who buy Office individually. The rules are different at bigger companies.
- NEW COMPUTER
If you’re buying a new […] continued
June 1, 2010
MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010 – SUITE COMPARISON
Microsoft Office 2010 will be on sale on June 15 – new versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and the rest. (It’s been available to enterprises with volume licenses for a few weeks now – big businesses live in a separate world from regular consumers, with different versions of products delivered on different dates.)
If you’ve bought a new computer or a standalone copy of Microsoft Office 2007 in the last few months, you probably qualify for a free upgrade to Microsoft Office 2010. The process is similar to getting a rebate – you’ll have to fill […] continued
May 27, 2010
LOGMEIN FILE MANAGER AND MAPPED NETWORK DRIVES
Previously:
LogMeIn Pro: Remote Access
LogMeIn Pro: Sending Large Files
LogMeIn Pro: Desktop Shortcut
Here’s a tip for LogMeIn users to fix a glitch that turns up in the File Manager used to transfer files between two computers.
LogMeIn is best known for its products aimed at consumers that provide remote access to computers over the Internet. LogMeIn Free and Pro are the programs I suggest to anyone looking for remote access to a computer at a different location. They work completely reliably, they’re very fast, and they’re designed securely.
LogMeIn Free takes seconds […] continued