Newsletter Archives

• Outlook (new) for Windows

  Posted on December 2, 2024 at 02:43 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  It’s been a big year for the new Outlook for Windows. Microsoft has removed the “preview” tag and is pushing it hard. But is Outlook (new) really ready for the public?

  A lot has changed since I gave Five reasons not to use the new Outlook; alas, not enough has changed in those key areas.

  Two major Outlook for Windows versions are now available, but they are very different.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.49.0, 2024-12-02).

  Microsoft 365 Classic Outlook, Microsoft, Newsletters, Outlook, Outlook (classic), Outlook (new)

• Microsoft 365 gets “Copilot Lite”

  Posted on November 11, 2024 at 02:43 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Microsoft is offering big changes to Microsoft 365 Family and Personal plans, which may eventually mean price increases for all customers.

  It’s a trial balloon which, if profitable for Microsoft, will be rolled out globally. Let’s look at the important limits on the Copilot feature, along with the significant rise in price. And I’ll also explain why it’s an opportunity for many AskWoody readers to lock in the current Microsoft 365 price and thus save some money.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.46.0, 2024-11-11).

  Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Lite, Microsoft 365 Consumer, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Newsletters

• Microsoft 365 vs. Office 2024 — which to buy?

  Posted on November 4, 2024 at 02:45 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.45 • 2024-11-04

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Comparing Microsoft 365’s subscription/rental to the single-purchase, perpetual-license Office 2024 “boxed” product is not quite the same as comparing apples to oranges, but it’s certainly not easy.

  I’ll try to present the facts and burst some myths so you can make your own decision based on your situation. I’ll also give my recommendation with reasons and concerns. See Is Office 2024 worth getting excited about? (AskWoody, October 14, 2024) for my overview of the latest perpetual-license Office.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.45.0, 2024-11-04).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Microsoft 365 Excel, Newsletters, Office, Office 2024, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word

• Is Office 2024 worth getting excited about?

  Posted on October 14, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  The new single-purchase, non-subscription version of Microsoft Office, released just a few weeks ago, is a replacement for Office 2021 and Office 2019.

  Those with a Microsoft 365 plan need not think about Office 2024, because the latter has a smaller set of features than the subscription version of Office.

  In this column, I’ll discuss what’s in Office 2024 and what it doesn’t include — and some features that Microsoft is uncharacteristically quiet about. I’ll also mention where to buy it for less.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.42.0, 2024-10-14).

  Microsoft 365 Access, Excel, Newsletters, Office, Office 2019, Office 2021, Office 2024, PowerPoint, Word

• Why Proton means privacy

  Posted on October 7, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  If you want privacy in your email, cloud storage, and other parts of your digital life, then go to Proton’s suite of very secure but easy-to-use services.

  Proton is a Swiss company with a suite of familiar services – email, cloud storage, VPN – but with an important difference: Proton is serious about privacy. Others, such as OneDrive and Dropbox, talk about privacy but aren’t so great in delivering it.

  In this article, I’ll focus on the three important offerings of Proton and its free plans for private encrypted email, secure cloud storage, and properly private VPN.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.41.0, 2024-10-07).

  Microsoft 365 Cloud storage, Email, Email security, Newsletters, Outlook, Outlook (new), Privacy, Proton, Secure Email, Security, VPN

• Redaction made easy for screen shots and PDFs

  Posted on September 30, 2024 at 02:42 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Both Windows and Mac have tools to remove (redact) details from screenshots and PDFs before sharing. As usual, there are some hidden traps that I’ll help you avoid.

  My recent article on screenshots got a lot of forum comments, with some folks asking for more help with redaction tools. Given the slightest encouragement, I’m willing to dive in.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.40.0, 2024-09-30).

  Windows 11 macOS Preview, Newsletters, Privacy, Redaction, Security, Snipping Tool, Windows Paint

• A cheaper Microsoft Office

  Posted on September 9, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.37 • 2024-09-09

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Are you missing out on a less expensive edition of Microsoft 365?

  There are three Microsoft programs offering up to 30% off Microsoft 365 plans. They are available to a surprisingly large number of people, including many employees, students, teachers, and anyone with a current or past connection with the US military.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.37.0, 2024-09-09).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Microsoft 365 Discounts, Education, Microsoft 365, Military Appreciation Edition, Newsletters, Project 365, Students, Visio 365, Workplace Discount Program

• Get Office Copilot now — without paying

  Posted on September 2, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  It’s possible to get many of the AI features promoted for Copilot without paying Microsoft $30 per month.

  What you’ll get is less streamlined than in the paid product, but it’s still approachable. Besides, the paid version isn’t yet anywhere nearly as good as the hype.

  In this article, I’ll explain some of the ways you can use free Copilot with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. You’ll be able to experiment and thus gain an appreciation for whether paid Copilot Pro or Copilot for Microsoft 365 are worth the cost.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.36.0, 2024-09-02).

  Microsoft 365 ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Copilot Pro, DALL-E, Generative AI, Google Gemini, Meta AI, Newsletters, Office
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