Thursday, September 18, 2014

Software : Pictures of next version of Microsoft Office 365 emerge

Software : Pictures of next version of Microsoft Office 365 emerge

Pictures of next version of Microsoft Office 365 emerge

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Pictures of next version of Microsoft Office 365 emerge

Microsoft has been distributing copies of the next version of Office to partners and testers and although less glamorous than its operating system counterpart, Windows, the corporation's business suite is still one of the biggest (if not the single biggest) revenue stream for the company.

Sources told The Verge that the "Office Technical Preview", which has yet to be name, will feature a "Tell Me" helper, similar to the one found in its Office Online apps and to the much-maligned Clippy.

Screenshots of Office 16 (which could become Office 2015) show no change to the user interface - the Ribbon UI still is there - but there will be a new dark/black colour theme, one that will be introduced due to popular demand.

The Verge also suggests that Microsoft will add automatic image rotation to Office documents and additional sync options for Outllook email client.

Expect the change log to be significantly longer than this though as the momentum gradually shifts from the desktop to online and mobile.

The current version of Office saw the introduction of a subscription model together with tighter integration with Microsoft's online storage service, OneDrive.

Expect Office 2015 to feature during the Microsoft "Windows 9" event, one that will be held on 30 September.

iOS 8 bug puts the pinch on apps using Apple HealthKit

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iOS 8 bug puts the pinch on apps using Apple HealthKit

Wednesday may have marked the grand arrival of iOS 8, but the launch was marred by a bug keeping several health and fitness apps that use Apple's new HealthKit platform from landing.

Apple didn't say what the problem was exactly, but it admitted a bug is delaying these apps from arriving on iDevices running the new OS. The company hopes to resolve the unspecified issue by the end of the month.

"We discovered a bug that prevents us from making HealthKit apps available on iOS 8 today," Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller said in a statement to Re/code. "We're working quickly to have the bug fixed in a software update and have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month."

Part of HealthKit's appeal is that the platform stores pertinent health and fitness data in one central place that can be tapped by various sources, such as a running app or a doctor at a hospital. Packed with new sensors, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are meant to track body metrics in ways never before seen on an Apple product. That is, when iOS 8's HealthKit is working properly.

Health apps left in the cold

While it's not clear if every health and fitness app wanting to take advantage of HealthKit was delayed, some have come forward to speak their peace.

The developer of Carrot Fit, a weight-tracking app, told Cult of Mac Apple informed him the app was pulled from the App Store because of a "last-minute problem with HealthKit," as the site put it. Apple couldn't explain what the issue was, but the developer said users who downloaded iOS 8 had no problem with HealthKit.

Others, like an updated WebMD app, were also pulled while Lark and Strava were made unavailable.

It's expected that when a new OS launches, there's going to be some glitches. But for such a highly touted feature as HealthKit to run into a problem like this at launch, and to likely rub many third-party partners the wrong way in doing so, isn't a good way to get iOS 8 off the ground.

Facebook updates its iOS 8 app ahead of the iPhone 6 launch

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Facebook updates its iOS 8 app ahead of the iPhone 6 launch

Just as folks are starting to download iOS 8 today and get on line for the iPhone 6 launch on Friday, Facebook is also tidying up its smartphone apps.

The social network detailed in a blog post that it's making its Facebook app bigger and clearer to match the larger screen resolutions of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Facebook also wrote a short walkthrough on how sharing photos from users' libraries or webpage clippings though Safari will lead users to a sharing page with a new layout. After tapping on Facebook, the usual sharing overlay will display on the screen allowing users to pick who they want to share with, add a location, tag friends, and add a status update.

In reality nothing has changed here on Facebook's end as it seems its smartphone app does not support iOS 8's extensibility feature, which lets apps to communicate directly with each other. The new feature allows users to share an item they see in Safari on Pintrest without ever having to leave their browser or edit their images in the photo library with Waterlogue effects.

Facebook says its update will roll out to users over the coming weeks.

It's Apple, not us

Aside from the small UI refresh, Facebook is took the time to make it very clear that it has not changed its privacy rules regarding users' Location Services.

Users on Apple's latest mobile OS may note that their Location Services settings have been updated with an option to be turned always on, never or just when using an app.

Worried that it would be accused of tracking users (again), Facebook wrote it "does not get location information from your device in the background (that is, while you're not using the app)." The social network went on to explain Location Services only activates when users geotag their status updates or turn on a feature that requires the service such as Nearby Friends.
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