Time to check out Microsoft’s webmail?
Microsoft’s Outlook.com has a few advantages over Google’s Gmail, writes Rick Broida at PCWorld.
Category: Office Technology
Pump up productivity with your iPad
The iPad can be a great tool for getting things done at work, especially if you move from place to place and operate on the go all day, Jill Duffy writes in PC Magazine. Here are the essentials.
Save time with Microsoft Word templates
If you frequently write letters to the same few people, having documents that are partially formatted with dropdown menus can save you the hassle of copying and pasting from old documents all the time.
Google offers alternative to Excel
Google Docs’ Gadgets feature gives its spreadsheets an edge on Excel for some tasks. Users can create animated pie charts, produce QR codes and more. Helen Bradley of PCWorld explains how.
Automated Quick Parts
Q. Can I have a shortcut to insert a Quick Part?
Productivity secrets from the tech pros
Technology has the power to greatly enhance productivity, but if you’re like most of us, on average you only use 13% of the features in your software tools. PCWorld went to the experts to glean their favorite tricks and tips. Here are five:
PowerPoint bells and whistles: noise or not?
I recently heard a train-the-trainer presenter refer to all animations and transitions as unnecessary fluff and distractions. While I agree that animation beyond basic slide transitions can be distracting, I do think there is a place for well-placed advanced features in your PowerPoint. Here are my basic guidelines:
Goal tracking software
The web wants you to stick with your goals, if the number of goal-tracking tools online is any indication. Five of the best free methods for tracking and sticking to your goals:
What If Analysis in Excel: Goal Seek
You’ve plugged in the values for a PMT (payment) function to determine how much the payment will be only to find that the payment is a bit too much for your budget. You could keep plugging in numbers until you get the right answer, or find out the exact answer in a couple of clicks with one of the “What If” analysis tools in Excel.
Latest medical advice: Log off email
Office workers who take an email hiatus focus on a single task for longer stretches of time and have lower stress levels, according to a new study by the University of California and U.S. Army researchers.