Software : Microsoft allows government-approved ODF in Office 365 |
- Microsoft allows government-approved ODF in Office 365
- Updated: The Best Free Windows 8.1 Apps
- Gmail update brings unified inbox to Android owners
| Microsoft allows government-approved ODF in Office 365 Posted:  Microsoft has finally relented in the face of the open document format (ODF) to allow documents created in Office 365 to be exported in the format thus adhering to UK government guidelines on document creation and sharing. The decision, which comes after a great deal of discussion with the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), allows users of Office 365 to create documents that stick to GDS's strict new guidelines on using the ODF for documentation, according to Computer Weekly. Microsoft's announcement went on to explain that documents can be created or imported in any format before being edited and then exported in ODF 1.2, and the new functionality will be rolled out in May. It brings Microsoft in line with new government advice issued last year that standardised the document format used across the public sector to ODF. That decision was made even after Microsoft lobbied hard for its own Open Office XML format, which it claimed was far more popular than ODF. Once the decision had been made it even claimed that it was "unclear" how the new guidelines benefitted UK citizens. Google's helping tooMicrosoft isn't the only one working with the government to embrace ODF. Linda Humphries, senior technical adviser for the office of the CTO at GDS, revealed that, since December, Google has added ODF support for presentations and LibreOffice's upcoming cloud offering will have support for ODF. A range of government departments have already begun to publish documents in ODF via the gov.uk website including communities, transport and local government, and the department of health, work and pensions is one of a handful of others working on implementing it shortly.
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| Updated: The Best Free Windows 8.1 Apps Posted:  IntroductionWindows 10 may well be on the horizon but there are still a sizeable number of users that either won't bother or remember to upgrade from the current incarnation that owns a sizeable chunk of the active users. The return of the start menu isn't the sole reason to get hold of a copy of Windows 8.1 and the lineup of apps available makes it a more than viable proposition for anyone looking to move up from Windows 7 before the arrival of Window 10. That in mind we've devised of list of eight must-have apps that should be at the top of the download list of anyone with a new Windows 8.1 PC or even an existing system. 1. Facebook Social networking is made easier by the Windows 8.1 interface and even though there are plenty of beneficiaries of this move, Facebook is top of the pile. The whole experience mimics what you'd expect to find on a mobile device except on a larger screen. Everything from the toolbar on the left that brings up all options including groups, events, pages, photos and friends to the chat bar down the right and icons along the top are all present and correct. It all means you can Facebook-stalk your friends (or foes) to your heart's content! 2. Microsoft Solitaire Collection Solitaire has been part of the fabric of the Windows OS ever since the early days and the next level of that popular game is this extensive reproduction. There are in fact five different card games that make up the Microsoft Solitaire Collection including Klondike (the traditional Solitaire you're used to), Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid and TriPeaks with every one taxing in its own right. Achievements can be automatically added to your Microsoft gamertag meaning that by playing Solitaire whilst at your work-desk you can then show off to your friends on the Xbox 360 or Xbox One when you log on to your console. 3. TVCatchup Whilst it may suggest otherwise, TVCatchup is much more than a place to catch-up on TV shows and offers completely live TV free of charge to UK citizens. You can watch any of the five terrestrial channels as well as a handful digital-only offerings such as Al-Jazeera, BBC Alba and Viva with the exact same service you'd expect from a Freeview TV or set-top box, except that you don't need to leave Windows 8.1. It'll mean the next time you're finishing off that piece of work and don't want to miss the next episode of EastEnders then you can just take a quick break without leaving your PC. 4. Skype It remains one of the best free voice and video chat utilities out there and now that it's under the Microsoft umbrella there's no need to even go to the effort to download Skype as it'll be there for you from the off. Skype in Windows 8.1 differs to what you would see on a Mac or even a mobile device with a clean and very easy to use interface that gives you a list of recent contacts expressed in nice big icons. This is in addition to the even bigger icons for any recent chats you have been involved in. Initiating a chat or call with a contact can be done by picking out a name from your friends and then typing in words or clicking the phone icon. All things told, the Skype app for Windows 8.1 makes it easier than ever to call and chat to friends at any time of the day. 5. Netflix Watched the third series of House of Cards yet? Good news because one of the richest app experiences on Windows 8.1 is the only place you can watch Francis Underwood strut his stuff: Netflix. The app presents each title in the form of a DVD-box sized icon with the titles going from left to right instead of down the screen like they do in the browser, on other mobile devices and games consoles. Basically nyone that has used Netflix in the past knows the drill and the experience inside the app is so similar that you'll never be visiting the site from within a browser ever again. 6. Danger Road Solitaire has the ability to get rather boring after a while and thankfully the Xbox link means there are plenty of games to get your teeth stuck in to. One such title is Danger Road's attempts to bring the retro action from Frogger onto Windows 8.1 and the developers do so in some style. At its bare bones the object of the game is to guide a small animal from the bottom of the screen to the top and dodge cars, trains, water and anything else that gets in your way. Even the first level is fiendishly hard and will have you posing the questions: why did I download this in the first place and why does it keep drawing me in for more? 7. uTube Having to enter a browser every time you want to use YouTube is a thing of the past in Windows 8.1 thanks to the unimaginatively titled uTube. You can use uTube to watch any videos from the Google-owned video service and even sign into your account to see the same level of personalisation present when you usually sign in to YouTube via a web browser. There are also some added extras such as the ability to download and save any videos you like the look of, a real plus for anyone sick of the browser plug-ins that seem to be perennially slow at downloading the content. You can even choose the quality that it should be downloaded in and once uTube is on your PC, there's no way you'll ever bother with the web version again. 8. Kindle Much as Windows is a byword for PC operating systems, Kindle is the go-to brand for eBooks and its app for Windows 8.1 means you now don't need a separate device to enjoy a good read. It's exactly the same as any of the mobile apps that have come to define the eBook genre and can be setup to sync with other devices so that you're always starting off from the point you finished at. The app plugs in to the Kindle Store so that you can make new purchases straight from Windows and avid readers will be warmed by its presence in the Windows Store. |
| Gmail update brings unified inbox to Android owners Posted:  Google's latest update to its Gmail app for Android devices brings a unified inbox so you can view emails from multiple accounts at the same time. "Starting today you'll be able to view all your mail at once, regardless of which account it's from, using the new "All Inboxes" option," Google announced. "This way you can read and respond to all your messages without having to hop between accounts." The unified inbox is a convenient feature to triage email if you have multiple accounts to check. Business customers and consumers will no longer need to switch between different accounts to see their emails within the Gmail app. The Gmail app supports emails from Yahoo, Outlook, and other services. These features help to bring Gmail up to par with the pre-installed email clients on Android devices, third-party email clients from the Google Play Store and Microsoft's new Outlook app. Threaded conversations, better Drive integrationAdditionally, to make it even more convenient for non-Gmail users to use the app, Google now brings threaded conversation view to Yahoo and Outlook mail. With the threaded messages view, related emails with the same subject line are grouped together in a single conversation, making it easy for users to follow all the replies. Google is also improving its auto-complete feature to make it easier to find what you're looking for. "The new Gmail app for Android has better auto-complete, so you can find what you need even faster," Google said. Other new features include responsive animations, larger attachment previews and the ability to save files to Google Drive with a single tap. The update is available today from the Google Play Store, but it may take a while to get pushed to your Android devices.
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