For anybody who purchases a new Mac these days the first question they typically ask is – how do I get Office on to this? And the answer has always been pretty disappointing – Office for Mac was available, and it was a horribly stunted version compared to the Windows counterpart. Office for Mac 2008 was a slow, unintuitive mess, especially after Office 2007 gained its Ribbon interface. In fact, I was pretty sure Microsoft was purposefully making the Office for Mac suite a stunted excuse compared to the Windows version. Who knows?

Office 2010 for Windows was released a few months ago and it is a brilliant version – the user interface is great, the built in tools have been improved and the speed has increased a lot, especially with start up with apps. In fact, after using Office 2010 at work, and then using Office for Mac 2008 at home you realize how slow Office for Mac was.

Luckily that changes with Office for Mac 2011. I have been running the Beta version for quite a while and I eventually also got hold of the final version, and clearly Microsoft’s Mac division has been working hard to fix Office. The interface has been made cleaner, more powerful, and they have finally made it up to scratch with the rest of the Mac experience.

The product range has been simplified – especially compared to the Windows SKU’s. There are only two versions available: Home and Student (single user package, R999; three-user family package R1299, and Home and Business (single user package, R2499; licensed for two machines, R2699). Both  versions include Word 2011, Excel 2001 and Powerpoint 2011. But the Home Business version gains Outlook 2011 as well.

Outlook 2011

Outlook 2011 is significant because it replaces Entourage 2008, which was has always been a very poor mail, contacts and calendar app. I cannot even explain to Windows users how bad Entourage was – even trying to import a Outlook PST file was impossible with Entourage. Outlook 2011 is almost identical to Outlook for Windows, but of course uses the Mac user interface guidelines, so if you are a Mac junkie for years you will be happy.

Switching from PC? PST import is finally here.

Talking about PST files – Outlook 2011 does away with the PST archive system which creates one giant file, and instead stores each message, calendar or contact entry into a separate file (you can still import your PST file over from your PC if you would like). This is primarily to make Outlook easier to use with Apple’s Time Machine backup solution. This way only delta changes to your mail needs to backed up, and Spotlight can quickly index and access these files.

Outlook's Threaded Conversation view

Overall it is very similiar to Windows in terms of features, but there are a few new features as well. Do you like the unified inbox on your iPhone? You can do the same in Outlook 2011. All your account’s inboxes can populate one inbox if you prefer. If you Exchange at work, make sure they are running Exchange server 2007, previous versions are not supported. This is not as devastating as it sounds – your Snow Leopard mail account has the same limitation. So if you can access Exchange through Apple Mail on your Mac, you will be fine… (Thats a subtle tip, you might not need the more expensive version of Office for Mac 2011)

Word 2011

One thing that always bothered me about the Word 2008 for Mac was that it’s files was not perfectly compatible with the Windows version, and vice versa. Often I would try to open a report that had a bit of formatting, only to see it not render correctly. Word 2011 also includes some pretty great templates – and they need to, because Apple’s Pages includes very stylish templates, but Office has the big advantage of being able to use a massive online library of available templates.

But perhaps the most significant improvement is the addition of Visual basic macros which is finally coming to Mac. I tried a few more sophisticated documents from my Windows machine and did not have any problems. Of course the security conscious Protected Mode is also carried over from the Windows version.

Word 2011 also gains the collaborative features from Office 2011, but it requires a file to be stored online using Skydrive, but you can also use Sharepoint if you have that available to you. Of course it requires the latest version of Sharepoint, and I was unable to test this functionality. Skydrive based collaborative editing was not perfectly realtime in my experience, but it was still very useful.

Who needs Publisher when Word 2011 does the job?

Word also sports a new Word Publishing Layout tool which gives you precise publishing tools to quickly design and perfect flyers, banners and page layouts. Publishing view also gives and innovative new way of handling the image ordering – using a 3D stack to move around objects.

Word 2011 Full Screen View takes away distractions

A small, but potentially very powerful feature is the full screen writing mode which take away all distractions, and makes you concentrate on just your writing. Great.

Excel 2011

Once again macro support is back, which is such an essential part of Excel, but was somehow ignored in the previous version. I was once again impressed by the range of templates available out of the box – for example the personal finance calculators. I was also surprised to see that conditional formatting is also finally available – for some reason it was skipped in the 2008 version.

At last your conditional formatting can be carried between platforms...

The graphics portion of Excel is also finally up to par with the Windows version – graphs and SmartArt features look very good. Im not going to pretend to be a big Excel user, but I can honestly say it is finally good enough.

Powerpoint

In 2007 when Microsoft debuted its ribbon interface, it was Powerpoint 2007 that got the biggest overhaul. Powerpoint 2010 on Windows improves even further on that by including very decent graphics tools – which does not require you editing an image outside of Powerpoint and then copying the image back.

You can now stay in Powerpoint if you want to do image tweaks

Similiar to Word, Powerpoint gets the new image ordering tool which shows you in 3D the layers used. This will take a lot of frustration out of image rich slides, especially ones using the new animation effects. MS has clearly taken a few tips from Keynote, because they do look fantastic without taking away the attention of your audience.

Office's new image reordering tool takes away the guessing in image rich slides and documents

Powerpoint 2011 gets all these new editing tools – like the super easy to use background remover, but video editing options is not available in Office for Mac. I guess they realize that Mac’s come with Quicktime X or iMovie, which is plenty good enough right? Some people might say that Apple Keynote is still the best presentation software – which might even be true, but which office runs on Apple’s productivity suite? For me the major reason I ignored Keynote was that its export to Powerpoint functionaility was almost consistently useless. I stick to Powerpoint thanks.

Conclusion

Its sometimes difficult to get excited about something like Microsoft Office, but with Office for Mac 2008 Macheads have always felt a bit shortchanged. In fact Office for Mac was such a poor product for me that I used to use VMWare Fusion and then booted into Windows 7 on my Mac when I wanted to do “real work”. Office for Mac 2008 was that bad.

With Office for Mac 2011 things have changed – now Mac users can use Office without any limitations. The apps launch quickly, they are easier to use and they do not feel like immitations of the “real thing”. Perhaps the best part of Office for Mac 2011 is that Mac users can now also use Outlook 2011, which is still the defacto standard in PIM software out there. Sure, Apple’s Mail and iCal apps work well, but Outlook is still a polished, well rounded, integrated application.

If you are not too bothered about Outlook, the other apps are still great value for money if you take the Home and Student edition. If you are an Office for Mac 2008 user I cannot recommend this upgrade enough. You will be surprised at how good Office on the Mac really can be.

The rapid consumerisation of technology is fundamentally changing the way businesses procure and use information technology (IT) – and is transforming the entire industry in the process, according to one of Microsoft’s top executives. Speaking at the opening of Tech-Ed Africa 2010 in Durban, Microsoft’s chief technology officer (CTO) of Worldwide Services, Norm Judah, said people increasingly want Monday morning’s technology experience to be the same as their Sunday evening experience, with access to the same data and devices.

“We hear a lot about the cloud, which is effectively the fifth generation of computing,” said Judah. “Fact is, the cloud is dramatically changing the way IT in general is consumed – and this rate of change is accelerating dramatically. The cloud will automate a lot of the cost out of technology, while increasing its agility. If you’re not thinking about the cloud today, why not?” Tech-Ed Africa 2010 is Microsoft’s premier event for IT professionals and developers, and runs from 17-20 October at Durban’s International Conference Centre (ICC). It is being attended by more than 2 500 delegates from across the continent.

At the event, Microsoft will be showing off its much-anticipated Windows Phone 7 Series and controller-free Kinect gaming system – both of which launch in South Africa next month. It will also be highlighting some of its key cloud-based technologies, including its Lync collaboration platform and recent releases like SQL Server 2008 R2 and Office 2010. “I don’t know if we’re always going to be talking about the cloud – that’s a word that might last five or ten years. So the real thing to do today is to capture the dimensions of the thing that we’re betting our company on, and pretty much everybody in the technology industry is betting their companies on,” said Judah. Judah is no stranger to South Africa: he earned his first degree (in electrical engineering) from Wits University before heading abroad in the mid-70s. He has worked for Microsoft for the past 20 years, and has built an impressive reputation as a speaker and a strategic thinker around IT.

Tech-Ed will also feature the announcements of several new and upcoming technologies that Microsoft believes will help enable IT professionals and developers to help their organisations save money and improve efficiencies. “It’s all about ensuring that IT professionals and developers continue to have the platform and technologies to drive maximum value and business results. Getting the most out of IT investments is even more important in today’s economy,” said Nyati.

Apart from Judah, Microsoft has assembled a formidable line-up of local and international speakers for this year’s event, which will include more than 200 in-depth sessions. They include internationally recognised technology expert, bestselling author, and public speaker Michael Noel, and self-confessed geek Lynn Langit, who co-host’s the MSDN Channel 9 geekSpeak series at http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/geekSpeak/. Links to videos, blogs, product downloads, and other information about this year’s event, can be found at www.teched.co.za. If you want news from Africa’s premier technology conference, you can expect it right here on Bandwidth Blog, so stay posted.

Microsoft has launched its Office for Mac 2011 desktop suite in South Africa, with a strong focus on collaboration and social networking tools that it says will allow users to work with colleagues and friends anywhere, anytime, and across platforms. After more than two years of hard work, Mac users will be happy to hear that Office for Mac 2011, the latest version of the productivity suite, will be in stores in 100 countries including South Africa by the end of October 2010.

The new version of Mac Office – the first major revision for the suite since 2008 – also includes Outlook as its e-mail client for the first time, replacing Entourage for the Apple machines.

Over 1 billion PCs and Macs run Microsoft Office and Office for Mac – making the Office franchise the most used productivity suite worldwide. The latest offering for the Mac builds on Microsoft’s drive towards allowing you to work the way you want, where you want.

Speaking at the launch in Sandton yesterday afternoon, Lance Thorp, Entertainment and Devices Lead, said that more than ever before, Office for Mac 2011 brings the familiar productivity tools and features of Microsoft Office to a suite of applications that work brilliantly on the Mac. “With the many new exciting feature additions and improvements, this version is shaping up to be the best of Office for Mac yet”, said Thorp.

Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 adds rich new features to the familiar Office applications, helping you to manage your home and business the way you want, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Most notably are the improvements to Outlook. Outlook for Mac 2011 lets you see your calendar from within your email, as well as allowing you to read and save related emails in a single thread.

Reliable compatibility with Macs and PCs running Office around the world ensures you have the right tools to create, share and collaborate with virtually anyone, anywhere. The new Office Web Apps let you post, access, edit and share Office documents from where you want with nearly any computer with a browser, allowing you to co-author a document with multiple people in multiple locations.

Messenger for Mac 8 enables you to communicate in real-time with audio and video support, and Remote Desktop for Mac 2 so you can drive your Windows-based PC from your Mac.

In store from 26 October locally, the suite will come in two editions at retail, both available with either a single user license, or a multiple user option – Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 (ERP: R999- R1299) and Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 (ERP: R2499- R2699). For better alignment across platforms, the Office for Mac 2011 pricing and edition options, map closer with Office for the Windows operating system.

Bandwidth Blog is excited to share the news that Xbox LIVE, the premier online gaming destination, will launch in South Africa on November 10^th 2010.

Xbox LIVE is about building communities and connecting people to each other and to great content.  The launch in South Africa is another step toward our vision for LIVE – to deliver the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, wherever you are in the world.

The service in South Africa will focus first on delivering the core gaming and community features that have made Xbox LIVE the world’s premier online gaming destination. Play your favorite multiplayer games with friends on Xbox LIVE, rack up your Gamerscore and download the latest Xbox LIVE Arcade and Games on Demand titles in the comfort of your living room. You can even extend the life of your games by downloading the latest Game Add-ons, which include map packs, levels, characters and songs.

With an Xbox 360 and broadband internet connection you can connect and join LIVE for free to access your personal profile with Gamerscore, Gamertag, and Avatar as well as the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace, and free game demos. An upgrade to Xbox LIVE Gold membership will allow you to play games with your friends online, including great new Kinect titles, or video chat with Video Kinect. It also allows you to receive early access to content and exclusive Gold discounts. An Xbox LIVE Gold 12-month membership will be available for R599.

For those with existing Xbox LIVE account for another region, you’ll be able to migrate to the local service and keep your Profile, Gamer Score, Achievements, Microsoft Points Balance and paid for Subscription time remaining. You can also keep all the downloaded content stored on your hard-drive such as your Avatar items, LIVE Arcade games and songs. For full details on account migration, please visitwww.xbox.com/En-za/live/faq.htm

For more information about Xbox LIVE visit www.xbox.com/En-za/live/default.htm

Follow South Africa’s local Xbox 360 Twitter page @Xbox360ZA and on the Facebook page Xbox 360 South Africa.

Free WiFi for Tech-Ed Africa? You’d better believe it, thanks to an agreement between Microsoft and MTN Business that will effectively see a 50Mbps international pipe being bolted onto the side of Durban’s ICC for the duration of the event later this month.

Tech-Ed Africa 2010, Microsoft’s premier event for IT professionals and developers, runs from 17-20 October at Durban’s iconic International Conference Centre (ICC) – and is expected to attract 2 500 hard-core geeks for three days of in-depth workshops, demos and insights from an array of top local and international speakers.

MTN Business’ participation means users will be able to access websites and applications using the WiFi provided, as well as take part in presentations that will be done using video conferencing. Microsoft will be splitting the connectivity between free browsing and streaming international presentations.

“We’re proud to demonstrate our highly resilient, low latency technology capabilities to such a tech-savvy audience,” said Angela Gahagan, Managing Executive at MTN Business. “We look forward to making their experience at Tech-Ed a fantastic one.”

Tech-Ed delegates will also get the unique opportunity to get hands-on and personal with the two jewels in Microsoft’s consumer crown, the upcoming Windows Phone 7 and the controller-free Kinect gaming system.

Katrien De Graeve, a Developer Evangelist at Microsoft BeLux, will be showcasing the Windows Phone 7 platform for developers. She plans to make her sessions interesting, practical and above all hands-on.

“I want to show all the capabilities of the phone. In these sessions, we will actually build sample applications end-to-end. After all, Tech-Ed is as much about fun as it is about learning,” said De Graeve.

Windows Phone 7 is a completely new offering when compared to Windows Mobile 6.5: the new device offers a music player, social network integration, Xbox Live games, Office applications, as well as the typical e-mail and contacts integration.

The one thing I cant wait to see is Kinect, Microsoft’s new control scheme for Xbox games:

The highly-anticipated Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways, with full body play – no controllers. Microsoft believes the natural, intuitive interface will herald a new era in how people interact with devices in the future.

More details on how to attend the event, as well as links to videos, blogs, product downloads, and other information about this year’s event, can be found at www.teched.co.za. You can also follow the pre-event activities on Twitter on @MicrosoftSA or @TechEd_Africa, using the hashtag #TechEdAfrica.

Expect a lot of updates from TechEd, right here on BandwidthBlog.

Simon Pegg, John Cleese, and Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley headline this October’s revolutionary action-adventure experience in Fable 3.

It takes a village, so goes the popular adage, and never has this been truer than in Fable 3. As you embark on your own revolution to seize the throne from an evil tyrant you’ll be flanked by a supporting cast that features some of Hollywood’s most renowned talent, with film accomplishments that include “Monty Python,” “Star Trek,” “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and the upcoming “X-Men: First Class.”

Available today, the latest installment to the popular “Inside Lionhead” video documentary series features the talented cast, including Sir Ben Kingsley, Michael Fassbender, Simon Pegg and more, as they reflect back on their experiences working on Fable 3. From topics such as Sir Ben Kingsley picking up a Welsh accent to how Michael Fassbender prepared to take on a villain’s role in his first video game voiceover project, watch what happens when the star-studded cast applies their craft to Fable 3 – this October’s most anticipated title.

The ‘Fable’ franchise has always been recognised for its unique take on drama, morality, and of course, humor,” said Yvette van Rooyen, Xbox Product and Marketing Manager for Microsoft South Africa. “We’re taking this to the limits in Fable 3 by bringing on a star-studded cast that includes Sir Ben Kingsley, John Cleese and Simon Pegg, who truly understand what it takes to bring characters to life in complex ways and add new dimensions of blockbuster entertainment.

“This is my first experience voicing a video game, so what drew me to it was the team, how committed they are, how well organized everything is and how beautiful the game is,” said Sir Ben Kingsley in the video documentary. “One of the things that’s missing from a lot of video games is good writing and good voice work. I think this one has a wonderful mythology and it’s witty and it’s engrossing,” added Simon Pegg in the video documentary.

Interact with these critically acclaimed actors in Fable 3 like never before. Talk politics with Sir Ben Kingsley, dish over the latest fashions with John Cleese or stir up trouble with Simon Pegg, all while plotting to bring the tyrannical King Logan – voiced by Michael Fassbender – to his knees. The Fable 3 voice-cast brings together some of the world’s most talented actors from all genres of the big screen, silver screen and theater, including:

• John Cleese as your trusty butler and confidant, Jasper
• Sir Ben Kingsley as the leader of the mountain dwellers, Sabine
• Simon Pegg as attention-seeking soldier Benn Finn who is looking for action
• Michael Fassbender as the evil King Logan whom your “Fable III” hero will lead a revolution against
• Zoë Wannamaker returns as Theresa. She was last seen taking over the Spire in Fable II, but who knows what her real motivation is?
• Stephen Fry returns as Reaver, the narcissistic marksman blessed with eternal youth
• Bernard Hill as Sir Walter Beck, your faithful mentor
• Nicholas Hoult as the potential male love interest, Elliot, to your Fable 3 female hero
• Naomie Harris as Page, the leader of the rebels who reside in Bowerstone

Fable 3 will be available in a Standard Edition R699 and Limited Collector’s Edition R799 for Xbox 360, and is available now for pre-order at participating retailers. Fable 3 launches in South Africa on 29^th October 2010.

The most anticipated gaming event of the year is here. Starting today, millions of gamers around the world will embark on a mission of courage, sacrifice and valour in “Halo: Reach,” the prequel to the iconic “Halo” trilogy that became a global entertainment phenomenon and defined a generation of gamers over the last decade.

The “Halo” franchise has been dubbed “a pop culture phenomenon” by Variety magazine and hailed as the No 1 game series of all time by the Guinness Book of World Records.

“When it comes to the size and scope of a franchise and especially the dedication of the fans, no game is bigger than ‘Halo,’” said Yvette van Rooyen, Xbox Product & Marketing Manager in South Africa. “With ‘Halo: Reach,’ we’re delivering on our promise to redefine blockbuster entertainment experiences and ultimately help make this year the biggest ever in Xbox history.”

Tens of thousands of retailers around the world are opened their doors at midnight exclusively to sell copies of “Halo: Reach,” as well as “Halo: Reach” Xbox 360 consoles and accessories. Special marquee launch events are taking place in major cities around the world. A jetpacking Spartan descended on Trafalgar Square yesterday to celebrate the launch of Halo: Reach where over 400 stores in the UK opened at midnight for Halo fans to grab an early copy.

“Halo: Reach” tells the tragic and heroic story of Noble Team, a group of Spartans, who through great sacrifice and courage, saved countless lives in the face of impossible odds. The planet Reach is humanity’s last line of defense between the encroaching Covenant and their ultimate goal, the destruction of Earth. If it falls, humanity will be perched on the brink of destruction.

Published by Microsoft Game Studios, the “Halo” franchise of games is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network, which finally hits South African shores later this year. As evidence of the game’s highly anticipated release, more than 2.7 million players participated in the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta in May, making it the largest console video game beta test on record and more than triple the size of the historic “Halo 3” beta.

The “Halo” franchise started with the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001), and has spawned multiple best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more. To date, more than 34 million copies of “Halo” games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 3.3 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE.

Im looking forward to try it out, and my copy is already in the mail… Will keep you posted!

Sun, sea — and a hall filled with 2 500 technology geeks. That was the deal clincher for Microsoft’s chief technology officer (CTO) of Worldwide Services, Norm Judah, who has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at this year’s edition of Tech-Ed Africa 2010 in Durban.

Tech-Ed Africa 2010 is Microsoft’s premier event for IT professionals and developers, and runs from 17-20 October at Durban’s iconic International Conference Centre (ICC).

Judah is no stranger to South Africa: he earned his first degree (in electrical engineering) from Wits University before heading abroad. He has worked for Microsoft for the past 20 years, and has built an impressive reputation as a speaker and a strategic thinker around IT.

Apart from Judah, Microsoft has assembled a formidable line-up of local and international speakers for this year’s event, which will include more than 200 in-depth sessions. They include internationally recognised technology expert, bestselling author, and public speaker Michael Noel, and self-confessed geek Lynn Langit, who co-host’s the MSDN Channel 9 geekSpeak series at http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/geekSpeak/.

One of the key discussion points at Tech-Ed this year will inevitably be around cloud computing – and Microsoft South Africa’s CTO, Fred Baumhardt, says the focus will be on companies embracing the cloud on their own terms.

“Cloud computing has been a significant part of many conversations I have had recently, and the IT Professionals I talk to are looking for more guidance, standards, support and clarity as they begin to plan for cloud. To get it right, we’ll have to collaborate with the business on the answers to these key questions and about business goals and how best to bring IT experience and innovation to the table,” said Baumhardt.

Tech-Ed will also feature the announcements of several new and upcoming technologies that Microsoft believes will help enable IT professionals and developers to help their organisations save money and improve efficiencies.

These technologies include the next version of Office Communications Server, the much-awaited Windows Phone 7 Series, as well as recent releases like SQL Server 2008 R2 and Office 2010. “It’s all about ensuring that IT professionals and developers continue to have the platform and technologies to drive maximum value and business results. Getting the most out of IT investments is even more important in today’s economy,” said Baumhardt.

More details on how to attend the event can be found at www.teched.co.za. I attended last year, and I have to say it is one of the most well organized, informative conferences I have ever attended. The sessions are informative, and I really appreciated the information on upcoming products, and how businesses should ready themselves.