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In another step to create consistency between Microsoft products, Outlook.com now includes the App Launcher that is part of Office 365. One click on the App Launcher opens the view shown below. Merely click the destination and it launches!
The App Launcher makes it easy to toggle between your calendar, OneDrive and the Office Online applications. If you are using the free Outlook.com email service (@outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com), see how easy it is to use.
If you click the App Launcher and change your mind about leaving the service you are currently, merely click in another spot on the page or click the Launcher again to close it.
The Microsoft Outlook.com, OneDrive and Office teams were very busy last week. Let's take a look at what happened.
Outlook.com
First came the celebration of the world-wide roll out of Outlook.com. Having started with MSN Hotmail in 2001, I am more than pleased with the improvements of the email service since then.
What seemed to be a haven for spam those many years ago is now a clean, efficient mail system. The junk mail filter along with Sweep and Rules work together to keep my Inbox clean and organized.
Now, with the integration of Office Online, it is hard to envision how Outlook.com could get any better, but we'll get to Office Online in a bit.
OneDrive
Although it has been known for some time that SkyDrive was being renamed OneDrive, the roll out of the change was nothing short of spectacular, with some lucky people adding 100 G free storage to their account for one year.
Even if you weren't fortunate enough to get the added bonus, the OneDrive team has provided other opportunities to add to your free space for current users. Log into OneDrive.com and get up to an extra 8 GB by following the steps to enable your camera roll backup and by referring your friends.
If you sign into OneDrive as a new customer from this link, in addition to the 7 GB storage when you sign up, both of us will receive an extra 0.5 GB of free storage. You can use OneDrive to store and share photos, videos, documents, and more. Even more, you can use OneDrive on your PC, Mac, tablet, and mobile phone.
Office Online
Office Web Apps were renamed Office Online. Along with the name change Office Online became more easily accessible than before. If you use Office.com email, you can choose from Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote right from the drop-down in the upper left-hand corner of your Outlook.com email account. Alternatively, you can go directly to http://www.office.com/.
The only prerequisite to using Office Online is a Microsoft Account, which can be set up with any email address. If you don't already have a Microsoft Account, the sign-up page is here.
Learn more about the announcements and changes in the references below.
The Microsoft Office team has been busy adding new features and improvements to the Microsoft Office Web Apps. Listed below are the changes being made to the Office Web Apps since my April 2013 article, Using Microsoft Office Web Apps. Word App:
A significant improvement is the added ability to find and replace words and phrases. You will now also be able to apply styles and formatting to tables and insert headers and footers.
Excel Web App:
Additions to the Excel Web App include the new ability to drag and drop cells and reorder sheets. A quick analysis of a range of data in the status bar (including sum, count, and average of a selected range of cells) has been added. In addition, there is support for more workbook types online.
PowerPoint Web App:
New
picture cropping functionality has been added to the PowerPoint Web App
and the name of your files can now be changed not only within the editing window of the PowerPoint Web App but also across the other Office Web Apps.
What can you do when you need to quickly create several new slides for a PowerPoint presentation and Microsoft Office is installed on your computer at home, not the computer you are using now? Microsoft Office Web Apps to the rescue!
Other examples of occasions ideally suited for Microsoft Web Apps include team projects such as managing a Little League team or planning the
neighborhood street party that involve multiple people needing the ability to
work from the same file. Microsoft Office Web Apps are also a perfect solution for people who seldom need to create a Word, Excel or other Office document.
Microsoft Office Web Apps are a simple way to
create a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation or
OneNote notebook while on the go, save the file to SkyDrive and then email the
file with Outlook.com or do additional editing later with Microsoft Office.
Creating Microsoft Office Web Apps
These simple steps illustrate how easy it is to create Microsoft Office Web Apps. All you need to get started is a free Microsoft Account, an Internet connection and you are ready to go.
There are two ways to access Microsoft Office Web Apps.
1. If you are already logged on to Outlook.com, merely click the arrow to the right of then click the SkyDrive icon.
After SkyDrive opens, click Create and select the type the type of file you need to create.
2. The second method is to go to Office.com click the "My Office" link and sign on with your Microsoft Account.
Scroll past your SkyDrive files and click the appropriate icon located under the Create New heading, depending upon the type of file you need to create.
Whether you access Microsoft Office Apps directly from SkyDrive or from the Office.com portal, the rest of the steps are the same.
Using Word as an example, a blank document will open with all of the standard formatting tools you are accustomed to finding in the ribbon readily available, including spell check!
Split between the two screen captures below is a copy of some of the formatting features available in the Microsoft Word Office App.
When you have finished creating your document, merely click the save icon or File > Save.
Share the File
After you have finished creating/editing your document, it is just as easy to share the file with team members, co-workers, family, etc., as appropriate as it was to create the document.
If you are ready to share the document, you can do it right from SkyDrive. Merely click "Share" and you can type in an email address or use one already in your Outlook.com address book.
Select whether the recipient(s) need the ability to Edit the document. If it is a business file, check the requirement that recipients need to sign in.
You can also attach the document to an email from Outlook.com. Merely create your email and click the paperclip. Click your SkyDrive app and select the document. At this point, you can elect to send the file using SkyDrive or attach the file, in which case the recipient can download the document.
Are You Ready Now?
You can see how easy it is to use Microsoft Web Apps. Give it a try and if you have questions, leave a comment. I'd also love to hear from you if you use Microsoft Office Web Apps for a group or team project.
Update: This short video by MSFTOutlookillustrates the simplicity of combining Outlook.com, SkyDrive and Microsoft Office apps in your everyday life:
Update 2: Consumer Camp is an excellent resource for, you guessed it, consumers! The purpose of Consumer Camp is to "showcase Microsoft’s consumer-facing technologies, through education and engagement."
To learn even more about Microsoft Web Apps, set aside 15 minutes and visit the link below to watch the Office Team's video shared by my friend and fellow Microsoft MVP, Marques Lyons: Getting things done with Office Web Apps.
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Note: I am a SkyDrive and Outlook.com Insider. If you have a question about this article, please leave a
comment and I'll do my best to assist.
Learn more about the SkyDrive Insiders program here.
Learn more about the Outlook.com Insiders program here.
