Archive for the ‘Office’ Category

Event: Microsoft Unveils New Surface Devices and AI Copilot

Thursday, September 21st, 2023

The new Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface laptop Go 3 were announced at the Microsoft Surface event 2023 today, as well as plans for the roll-out of AI-powered Microsoft Copilot.

Microsoft Copilot comprises three main components: Windows 11 Copilot for the PC environment, Microsoft 365 Copilot for content creation in the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity software, as well as web/browser-based Edge/Bing Copilot.

Microsoft Copilot comprises three main components: Windows 11 Copilot for the PC environment, Microsoft 365 Copilot for content creation in the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity software, as well as web/browser-based Edge/Bing Copilot.

Here’s a quick overview of the major reveals from the event.

Microsoft Copilot as an everyday AI companion. Copilot will incorporate the context and intelligence of the web, your work data and what you are doing in the moment on your PC to provide better assistance – emphasising privacy and security.

The company boasts that it will be a simple and seamless experience, available in Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and in Microsoft’s web browser with Edge and Bing.

Bing and Edge now offer a smarter and more personalised web with features such as personalised answers, Microsoft Shopping, Content Credentials, DALL.E 3 in Bing Image Creator and more.

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Fujifilm Business Innovation Singapore Unveils New Office & CEC

Thursday, May 27th, 2021

Fujifilm Business Innovation Singapore has unveiled its new office and customer experience centre (CEC) at Mapletree Business City.

FUJIFILM Business Innovation houses over 800 employees in the new premise which comprises both a working office and a customer experience centre.

FUJIFILM Business Innovation houses over 800 employees in the new premise which comprises both a working office and a customer experience centre.

The CEC and new office at Mappletree Business City were announced in conjunction with the launch of the Fujifilm’s latest range of multifunction devices and printers from the ApeosPro, Apeos C and ApeosPrint Series.

The office will serve as its Asia Pacific and Singapore Headquarters.

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New Arrival: Microsoft 365 Personal And Family Subscriptions

Monday, March 30th, 2020

Microsoft has announced the refresh of Office 365 to Microsoft 365, along with the preview of two new experiences – the Microsoft Family Safety app and new features coming to Microsoft Teams.

The refresh of Office 365 to Microsoft 365 will be fully rolled out by 21 April 2020.

The refresh of Office 365 to Microsoft 365 will be fully rolled out by 21 April 2020.

An evolution of Office 365, Microsoft 365 builds on the foundation of Office 365, infusing new artificial intelligence (AI), rich content and templates, and cloud-powered experiences to empower people to become better writers, presenters, designers and finance managers, as well as deepen people connections.

These experiences start rolling out today and will reach over 38 million Office 365 subscribers over the next few months.

In addition, Microsoft today unveiled two new Microsoft 365 experiences that will be available for preview in the coming months.

Firstly, a new Microsoft Family Safety app designed to keep families safe across the digital and physical worlds.

Next, to provide one application to help manage work and life and deepen connections with those who matter most, Microsoft also previewed new features coming to Microsoft Teams for users’ personal life today.

With these new features, users can connect, stay organised, and collaborate with family and friends.

They will be able to connect in group chats, make video calls, collaborate over shared to-do lists, assign tasks to specific people and coordinate schedules, as well as share photos and videos all in one place.

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Travel Tip #3: Use Skype for overseas calls while travelling

Sunday, December 28th, 2014

In addition of making overseas calls from your home country, you can also use Skype to call family, friends and colleagues who back in your home country on their landline or mobile – when you are travelling overseas. All you need is Wi-Fi access or mobile broadband on your smartphone, and some Skype credits.

Check out Skype as an additional affordable means of voice/SMS communication when you travel overseas.

Check out Skype as an additional affordable means of voice/SMS communication when you travel overseas.

When I first arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, while waiting at the customs, I logged on to the free Wi-Fi network in the airport and used Skype to call a local sight to make enquiries and make reservations for a day trip to a wildlife rescue centre in Petchaburi.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport serving Bangkok provides a pretty decent free Wi-Fi to travellers in its terminals – good enough to make VoIP calls using Skype.

First you need to register in the login page for the AOT network in the airport and you get to use the network for free for up to 2 hours a day.

Don’t bother to memorise the complicated userid and password they issue you, the next time you use the network – which is probably when you leave Thailand – you can register as a new user again and use a new set of userid and password.

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New arrivals: Microsoft launches Office 365 Personal in Singapore

Tuesday, April 15th, 2014

Office 365 Personal – annual subscription S$89 – allows individuals to install Office on one PC or one Mac, as well as one tablet device to be connected to the service.

Office 365 Home Premium – at S$138 per year – allows installation on up to five PC/Mac computers and five tablets (including iPad).

Introductory local promotions (until 30 June, 2014):

  • Free limited edition Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 with every purchase of Office 365 Personal.
  • Save $20 when you purchase Office 365 Personal with a new PC, Windows 8 Tablet of Mac.
  • Save $30 when you purchase Office 365 Home with a new PC, Windows 8 tablet, or Mac.
Microsoft Office 365 Personal is now available from Singapore at an annual subscription of S$89 per year.

Microsoft Office 365 Personal is now available from Singapore at an annual subscription of S$89 per year.

Office 365 Personal is suitable for individuals or small households who share a single computer to use Office.

For people or households who use Office on more than one device, it is more worthwhile to purchase Office 365 Home (previously called Office 365 Home Premium) instead.

Office 365 Personal and Home includes the complete set of Office applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access.

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Fuji Xerox adds PhotoNote application to its SkyDesk Services

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

The PhotoNote app digitses analog material into an online photo notebook – for more efficient management and more effective communications.

New freemium app from Fuji Xerox: PhotoNote - an online photo notebook.

New freemium app from Fuji Xerox: PhotoNote – an online photo notebook.

SkyDesk PhotoNote captures and stores analog content into digital form for more efficient storage and access and enables these content to be easily shared with co-workers, partners or customers for more effective communications.

Most of the features are free, with additional storage and Excel conversion feature available as paid options (prices within).

The app works with iOS and Android and is available in Singapore, Australia and Japan.

PhotoNote digitises physical memos or meeting notes jotted down during business discussions and stores them in the cloud – enabling easy access by the user and quick sharing of the information with others.

To digitise printed material, forms, handwritten memos and whiteboards, simply snap a photo using a smartphone or digital camera and upload the photo onto SkyDesk on the cloud.

The PhotoNote app automatically conducts image processing and OCR conversion, storing the image together with tags and additional text annotations, as well as text data from the conversion.

Easy search can be done on the database of PhotoNote records based on recorded time/date, tags, and the converted text.

Prices (excluding GST)

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GESS deploys Microsoft Office 365 for seamless collaboration

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

The German European School Singapore (GESS) has deployed Office 365 across its two campuses for 280 staff and 1,500 students.

German European School Singapore (GESS) deploys Microsoft Office 365 for seamless collaboration.

German European School Singapore (GESS) deploys Microsoft Office 365 for seamless collaboration.

With its combination of email, calendaring systems and office suite, Office 365 has enabled GESS to improve communication and collaboration amongst staff and students.

It has also reduced user IT support and back-end administration by up to 20%.

German European School Singapore (GESS)

The Singapore-based international school comprises a German section and a European section.

“The school spends a lot of effort to ensure that communications are kept private, student data is protected, and curriculum and assessment data are secure,” said Dr Harris, Head of Learning Resources, GESS.

The German arm of the school was established in 1971 to ensure that students coming from, and returning to, Germany benefit from continuity in education and reintegrate easily into the German system.

In the European section, students representing up to 35 different nationalities are educated in English, following the curricula of the International Baccalaureate Organization.

There is also a pre-school section which caters to children as young as 18 months old.

The school has campuses in Bukit Tinggi Road and Jalan Jurong Kechil and its IT department supports different groups of users across these two locations – from the students and teaching faculty to management and administrative staff as well as parents.

Extracts of the press release is appended below.

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Event: Microsoft launches Windows 8 and Windows RT worldwide

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Microsoft launched Windows 8 worldwide today and held launches in 15 cities around the world. From tomorrow – Friday, 26 October – the new operating system will be available to consumers and businesses in 140 countries and 37 languages.

Windows 8 has been launched today and will be available from tomorrow onwards.

Windows 8 has been launched today and will be available from tomorrow onwards.

Windows 8 will be available in two versions at retail, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

“With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft is unveiling a reimagined Windows to the world,” said Tracey Fellows, President of Microsoft Asia Pacific.

For business customers, Windows 8 Enterprise offers mobile productivity features such as Windows To Go, DirectAccess, and BranchCache; as well as enhanced end-to-end security with features including BitLocker and AppLocker.

Launching at the same time is a new member of the Windows family designed for ARM-based tablets – Windows RT – which will only be available pre-installed on new devices and comes preinstalled with Microsoft Office.

The Start screen is the launch pad for Windows 8.

The Start screen is the launch pad for Windows 8.

All the different versions feature a new fast and fluid Start screen that gives users one-click access to the apps and content they care most about, the new Internet Explorer 10 that is tuned for touch, and built-in cloud capabilities with SkyDrive.

How to get Windows 8 and the prices

In addition to getting the new operating systems pre-installed on new devices, consumers can also upgrade their existing PCs.

Through the end of January, consumers currently running PCs with Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, are qualified to download Windows 8 Pro for an estimated retail price of US$39.99 from here (for a limited time).

Eligible Windows 7 PCs purchased between 2 June, 2012, and 31 January, 2013 can download Windows 8 Pro for an estimated retail price of US$14.99 with the Windows Upgrade Offer, available at www.windowsupgradeoffer.com.

In Singapore, new Windows 8 licenses can be bought at all leading IT retail stores for S$89.99 with free PIXMA printer while stocks last.

Windows 8 comes pre-installed with apps that include Mail, People, Calendar, Photos, Weather, Xbox Music and SkyDrive.

“Windows 8 delivers a no-compromise computing experience to individuals, families and businesses, where they no longer need to choose between the fun and convenience of a tablet and the power and productivity of a PC,” said Helene Auriol, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore.

Additional apps can be downloaded from the cloud-connected Windows Store.

The online store can be accessed via the Windows Store App on the Windows 8 Start Screen and is a central place for users to manage their downloaded apps across multiple Windows 8 devices.

Microsoft has officially opened its Windows Store for Singapore as part of Windows 8 launch today.

Singapore and Asia Pacific launch

For Singapore and the Asia Pacific, the launch was held at the roof terrace at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, with a showcase of new Windows 8 PCs, notebooks and tablets from the main computer makers.

More than 600 Windows enthusiasts, partners and enterprise customers attended this Windows 8 Singapore launch event.

At launch, Windows 8 users can immediately download apps from the Windows Store.

iProperty has been designed for Windows 8 to help users search for homes in Malaysia and Singapore.Local apps available include iProperty, SingTel, StarHub, The Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia, SG Cab from Singapore; and The New Zealand Herald (New Zealand), Fruit Ninja (Australia), SM Cinema (Philippines), My Baby Piano (Korea), Bangkok Bank (Thailand), and iProperty (Malaysia) from the Asia Pacific.

Windows 8 devices

There are more than 1,000 Windows 8 certified PCs and tablets.

In Singapore, there are more than 50 Windows 8 devices from a wide range of manufacturers including Asus, Acer, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba.

These will be available at more than 120 IT retail stores across Singapore, including Challenger, Courts, Harvey Norman and Newstead.

Microsoft Office 365 subscriptions for consumers and small businesses

Monday, September 17th, 2012

You can get the new Office 2013 either through a traditional one-time purchase, or via an annual subscription. Microsoft has unveiled its subscription price plans for consumers and small businesses.

Microsoft has unveiled its Office 365 subscription and one-time-purchase price plans for Office 2013.

Microsoft has unveiled its Office 365 subscription and one-time-purchase price plans for Office 2013.

Looking at the price plans, it’s a no-brainer that Microsoft wants customers to move from a traditional one-time purchase model to the new annual subscription plan.

View the detailed features and price comparisons for the different purchase models and price plans.

View the detailed features and price comparisons for the different purchase models and price plans.

The cheaper Office 365 Home Premium subscription costs US$100 per year and gives you the same main component software as the top-end version for traditional purchase – the Professional version which sets you back US$400. (all prices rounded to the nearest dollar).

The subscription, however, allows for up to 5 PCs or Macs while the one-time-purchase version is only for one PC.

So the US$400 you dole out for one PC’s worth of the latter is enough to pay for four year’s worth of the essentially the same software for 5 computers.

If you renew your one-time-purchase Office every four years, the annual subscription model still works out to 20% of the one-time-purchase rate because you get five seats instead of one.

If you renew every eight years, you would still be paying only 40% of the one-time-purchase price in terms of cost per seat.

Plus the subscription model constantly keeps your version at the latest and offers additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage, 60 Skype minutes, and other cloud-based features.

COMEX 2012 promotions: HP

Thursday, August 30th, 2012

HP will be at COMEX 2012 at Suntec Singapore at Level 4, Hall 401, Booths 8108, 8150, 8245, 8428.

Check out promotions and offers from HP during COMEX 2012.

Check out promotions and offers from HP during COMEX 2012.

Check out HP’s COMEX 2012 discounts and freebies for computers, printers, media, and accessories.

HP在COMEX 2012售卖着多样产品,包括电脑,打印机,电脑零件,以及打印机所用的纸张与墨。在展览期间都享有折扣。HP的产品可在四楼8108,8150, 8245,以及8428号展览亭购买。” – 科技点心(微薄)

Computers (Booths 8150 & 8245) include desktops, all-in-ones, notebooks, and ultrabooks.

Printers (Booth 8150) include HP’s LaserJet laser printers, Officejet all-in-one (AIO) laser printers, as well as Deskjet and Photosmart inkjet AIO printers.

Media include a full range of printer papers and inks.

Accessories (Booths 8108, 8245 & 8428) include keyboards, mice, speakers, headphones, webcams, laptop bags, and hard drives.