bruceb news

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

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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

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Microsoft has introduced Office Web Apps, free online versions of Office programs that can be used entirely inside a web browser. Visit http://office.live.com to take a look at technology that will change our world.

That sounds breathless and exciting, right? It’s not hyperbole. You are living through a long-term shift away from dependence on individual computers and toward shared resources that live online and can be accessed from any of our devices, big and small.

The problem is that this first incarnation of Office Web Apps is pretty weak. You have to squint to see the future […] continued

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I want you to take a look at a demo of Google Docs. It’s a fast way to be introduced to the concept of editing and storing documents online.

When I look in my crystal ball, my prediction has changed from last year. It now looks likely that small businesses and small law firms will not be storing any significant quantities of documents online in the near future. You’ll be using online files as a convenience, not as your primary file storage. I had hoped to be saying something different but Microsoft has dropped the ball […] continued

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It’s rare now to find traditional POP3 email accounts, where messages are downloaded to a single computer and are only accessible at that computer. We move between different computers freely (home/work/laptop/netbook) and want our mail to be available on all of them. We are buying smartphones in staggering numbers and getting our email on the phone is a big part of the reason.

Seeing our mailbox from multiple computers and devices can be done clumsily with a POP3 account but it’s far easier with Gmail, Hotmail, or an Exchange mailbox. If you are using an email address […] continued

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Last month I described one way to move photos online with Microsoft’s free photo program, Windows Live Photo Gallery, using the built-in option to publish photos on Skydrive.

It turns out that Windows Live Photo Gallery can also send photos online to a number of other services, making it even more flexible than I realized. It takes a moment to install a connector to some of the services, which then appear on the “Publish” button in Photo Gallery.

Here’s a page that lists the plug-ins for Photo Gallery. The Big Four:

• FACEBOOK  LiveUpload to

[…] continued

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For many people, Windows Live Photo Gallery is the best program for displaying, tagging, and doing light editing of photos. It’s free, attractive, and helps you do simple photo chores without the mind-numbing complexity of Adobe Photoshop Elements. Sure, serious photo junkies will use Photoshop, Lightroom, or other programs, but Windows Live Photo Gallery is just right for the rest of us.

When you log in with your Windows Live ID, you can share photos online directly from Windows Live Photo Gallery. It’s an alternative to Photobucket, Flickr or Picasa with a nice online presentation (see […] continued

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Live Mesh is Microsoft’s program for syncing folders between multiple computers and online storage, making your files available to you wherever you are.

I think Live Mesh is dead, and I think I know why: Microsoft is deliberately cutting back on what it could have delivered to protect the revenue it wants from Office 2010.

Live Mesh was built on promising technology and it fulfills part of its promise: once it’s set up, it syncs files accurately and quietly.

Its quirks were easy to overlook – for a while. Two examples:

• There is nothing intuitive about setting up Mesh.

[…] continued

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Google announced today that you will soon be able to store any kind of file online in Google Docs, which until now has been basically limited to text and spreadsheets. Anyone with a Google Account will be able to store 1Gb of files online and access them from any computer.

If you’ve been following along, then this sounds like old news. Microsoft has let you store files online for free using Windows Live Skydrive since 2008, with a current storage limit of 25Gb, not a paltry 1Gb. There are some differences – Google will allow […] continued

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Previously:
Passwords: computer login
Passwords: e-mail

Google and Microsoft have created single sign-on systems where a master password provides access to a broad range of free services. When you sign in to your Google account and Windows Live ID, the companies’ online services will act like an extension of your computer, giving you seamless access to your online files, your pictures, social networks, messaging, games, file sharing and syncing, and many more ways to interact with your friends […] continued

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