I got a phone call from Roger, a reader who wanted to know how to upgrade from Office 2007 Home & Student to Office 2007 Small Business. Sadly, I didn’t have a good answer for him, and after looking around, I still don’t have one. If you have Windows Vista, you can pay Microsoft to upgrade to a better version using a program called Windows Anytime Upgrade, but no such program exists for Microsoft Office.
What option do you have? Not much. I’d suggest selling your copy of Office to a friend (not always possible, but it usually works). Uninstall it on your PC, install it on your friend’s PC, and as long as you haven’t installed it in the previous 90 days, it should activate (if it doesn’t, a phone call to Microsoft’s unfriendly activation representatives should fix the problem). Then, take your friend’s money and put it towards the purchase of the better Office suite, and call the difference your upgrade costs.
It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s probably your best deal. You could probably get $100 for Home & Student from a buddy, and while it’s $50 less than the retail price, it brings the cost of an Office Small Business Upgrade down to $180, thirty dollars less than the cost of buying Outlook and Publisher on their own (though you lose OneNote).
November 13th, 2007
Posted by
Nathan Weinberg |
Office, Applications |
no comments
Microsoft updated the Zune software today to the new version 2.0, so users of first-gen Zune devices can go get their new firmware and features. The update brings a much-improved version of the software, better than the Windows Media Player clone first version, with wireless sync, a new Zune Marketplace with over a million DRM-free tracks, cool new album art visualizations, and the new Zune social network.
The new Zunes go on sale, too, so get yourself an 80-gigabyte for $250 at Amazon, or the 8-gigabyte Flash Zune for $200 in red or pink or green, $187 in black, or the 4-gigabyte for $150 in pink or red or green, $138 in black.
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If you’re wondering why the 80-gig Zune is only available in black, the answer is: It isn’t. The big secret Microsoft held back is Zune Originals, the website where you can order any Zune (right now, only the Flash Zunes, but next month, the 80-gigger also) and choose the color, select artwork to be etched on the back, and/or add up to five lines of text to be etched on the back, at no additional charge.
Consumers no longer need to settle for the same portable media player as everybody else. The new Zune Originals online store will let people make a unique statement by customizing their Zune with laser-engraved art or personal text. Zune worked with 18 accomplished artists from all over the world to create a collection of 27 different designs, called the Artist Series, which will be available exclusively through Zune Originals. In addition to the Artist Series, a separate Tattoo Series will feature 20 graphics that consumers can have laser-engraved on their Zune with up to three lines of text. Alternatively, people can choose to engrave up to five lines of text in place of a design. On the Zune Originals Web site, customers can choose their Zune (Zune 80GB, Zune 8GB or Zune 4GB), pick a color and then select a design and their desired text.
This is a really cool service, one you have to pay for and sometimes don’t even get with that other fruit company, and to give it away for free is really great. Microsoft is making it easy and affordable to personalize your Zune, and that is going to be very appealing to some potential purchasers.
The only downside I can see is that, as time goes by, retailers are going to discount the Zune, making the Zune Originals version more expensive than retail. Since Microsoft is going by the official retail price, which will not go down for a while, this won’t be very “free” for much longer, which is a shame. Amazon is already selling some Zunes for $12-13 off, and that divide will only worsen.
Long Zheng spotted a Corvette hot yellow Zune, which looks really cool. I might have to give that one a second look when it becomes official.
November 13th, 2007
Posted by
Nathan Weinberg |
Zune, Windows Media, General |
no comments
You can now get the code for Windows Live Messenger IM Control for your website. This lets you include Live Messenger on your blog, so your readers can send you IMs without needing a screen name, or your customers can ask support questions on any website. The code is extremely simple, will run in any blog that can take a YouTube embed (using a simple IFRAME, rather than SCRIPT tags), and it doesn’t reveal your IM screen name to potential spammers.
Go here to get it.
Here it is, embedded in this post after the break:
It’s after the break, because it seems to break my site template in both IE and Opera, and doesn’t seem to be working. I’ll try to figure out why and fix it. If it does work for you, send me a message to let me know.
November 13th, 2007
Posted by
Nathan Weinberg |
Live, Messenger, Windows, General |
no comments
It looks like the Windows Live Search Club, the puzzle game promotion that seemed so successful for Microsoft at first, is quickly turning into a PR disaster for the company. The Club, which had searchers play puzzle games in order to win prizes, originally gave Microsoft a huge boost in search engine market share, a gain which has slowly dissapeared entirely in the last few months. Even worse, though, is the anger the Club’s fans are now turning towards the company.
Commenters have been showing up in increasing numbers at my original six month old Live Search Club post, complaining about cancelled or undelivered prize orders, a dead website, removed prizes and bugs. There’s talk of a class action lawsuit, and you can see some more complaints on the Wikipedia Talk page. Has Microsoft screwed up, or is it fighting back so aggressively against cheaters that it is causing a lot of anger among legitimate players?
Either way, we haven’t heard the last of this story. It looks like, in the end, Microsoft had negligible gains from the promotion, and there are a lot of headaches to come from its management, or mismanagement, of same.
If you’ve had a good or bad experience, feel free to post about it in the comments.
November 13th, 2007
Posted by
Nathan Weinberg |
Live, Windows, Search |
107 comments
