Microsoft's new Office features: highlighting social and cloud services

According to foreign media reports, Microsoft Chief executive Ballmer (Steve Ballmer) released a consumer preview version of Microsoft's new office software in Monday, and consumers can view and download the Office.com/preview page of Microsoft's official website. Microsoft says the new Office software has an intuitive design that can be used on a variety of latest Windows devices by touch, stylus, mouse, or keyboard. The new Office software is social, releasing a variety of modern scenarios such as reading, taking notes, meeting and communication, which will be delivered to users through a cloud service that will remain updated.

Microsoft releases the next generation Office products today

"Microsoft is taking bold steps," Ballmer said in a news conference in San Francisco, USA. New, stylish Office software delivers unmatched productivity and flexibility to ordinary consumers and business customers. This is a cloud service that can be fully displayed when combined with Windows 8. ”

In the best state on Windows 8:

--can be touched everywhere. The new office will respond to touch as naturally as the keyboard and mouse. Users can slide their fingers across the screen or hold their fingers to zoom to read the file. Through the touch of a finger, the user can get new content and use new features.

Users can use the stylus to create content, take notes, and use features. A user can reply to a handwritten e-mail message and then automatically convert it to text. Users can use the stylus as a laser wand to paint their content and easily erase the error.

--New Windows 8 applications. OneNote and Lync represent the first batch of the latest Windows 8-style Office applications designed to deliver a touch-first user experience on a Tablet PC. OneNote's new menu allows users to easily use new features by touching them with their fingers.

--Included in Windows Rt. The Office home and Student 2013 RT contains new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote that will be included in the ARM processor-based Windows 8 devices, including the Microsoft Surface Tablet PC.

Office Cloud Services:

--skydrive. Office stores files by default to SkyDrive, which allows users to get files from devices such as tablets, PCs, and mobile phones at any time. User files can also be used offline and synchronized when they are back online.

--roaming function. Once you register office, user personalization can roam before a variety of devices, such as recently used files, templates, and even custom dictionaries. Office can even remember where the user last stopped, and just click to get back to that location.

--use Office as needed. After subscriptions, users can also get office services away from their PCs by transferring full-featured applications to a Windows PC that is connected to the Internet.

--New subscription service. The new office will be available to users as a cloud-based subscription service. After subscriptions, consumers can automatically get future updates, as well as access to cloud services such as Skype and additional skydrive storage space. Users can install multiple times for all members of the home and their various devices.

The social nature of Office:

--yammer. Yammer can deliver a secure, private social network for the enterprise. Users can register for free and start using the social networking service immediately. Yammer can be integrated with SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics.

--Keep in touch. Users can focus on other users, teams, files, and Web sites on SharePoint, and can view and embed pictures, videos, and office content to keep in touch with colleagues.

--people card. Consolidated contact information can be seen everywhere in the new Office software. The people card includes complete information with pictures, status updates, contact information, and activity feeds from Facebook and LinkedIn accounts on social networking sites.

--skype. The new office is integrated with Skype, which allows users to get 60 minutes per month to use Skype to call global users. New office consolidates Skype contacts into Lync, and users can call or send instant messages to anyone on Skype.

Office Show new Scene:

--Digital notes. OneNote can get notes at any time in a cloud service from a variety of devices. Users can use the most natural way of using notes, such as touch, stylus or keyboard, can also be used in combination, in a variety of methods can easily switch back and forth.

--Read and mark. The reading mode in Word provides a modern, easy to navigate reading experience that automatically adjusts the size of the display. Users can scale content, stream video inside files, and flip through touch.

--meeting. PowerPoint has a new Presenter view feature that shows users the current and upcoming slides, which can be scaled, tagged, and navigated by touch or stylus as they are displayed. Lync supports multiple high-definition video, OneNote notes sharing, and features like a virtual whiteboard for brainstorming.

--82-inch touchscreen display. Users can hold more attractive meetings through the perceptive pixel and stylus display screens.

Although the full portfolio and pricing plan for the new office will not be available until this fall, Ballmer has discussed three new versions of Office 365 subscription services. When launched, each new subscription service will include the latest 2013 Office applications, which are word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and access. In addition, Subscribers will have access to version upgrades and the right to use on up to five PCs, Macs and other mobile devices. Three new versions of Office 365 subscription services include:

--office 365 Home Advanced Edition: This product is designed for families and ordinary consumers, including additional 20GB SkyDrive space and 60 minutes of Skype Global call time per month.

--office 365 Small Enterprise Premium: This product is designed for small business users, including enterprise-class e-mail, shared calendars, Web site tools, and high-definition network conferencing capabilities.

--office 365 ProPlus: This product is designed for enterprise users who want to gain advanced business performance and flexibility to deploy and manage in cloud services.