Following a public beta with more than 7.5 million participants–three times the beta participation for Office 2007–Microsoft has signed off on Office 2010 and released it to manufacturing (RTM). Google may have drawn first blood with the recent changes to Google Docs, but Microsoft is aggressively taking on Google on its home turf with Office 2010.

The RTM milestone means that the next-generation flagship productivity suite will be available to begin burning retail discs and for OEM manufacturers to begin developing images that include Office 2010 to be pre-installed on new PC’s. Takeshi Numoto, corporate vice president for Microsoft Office, declared on the Microsoft Office 2010 Engineering blog “RTM is the final engineering milestone of a product release and our engineering team has poured their heart and soul into reaching this milestone.”

Above and beyond the normal evolution of features and advancement of the user experience that are to be expected with a major update to the Microsoft Office productivity suite, Microsoft is also making some bold moves to defend the suite against Google, and, in fact, take the fight into Google’s back yard–the Internet.

With Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft is including Web-based versions of the core Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Users can store files in the cloud with the Windows Live SkyDrive, and seamlessly transition from working with the Office 2010 Web Apps, to working with the same files using the more comprehensive features of their desktop equivalents.

That is great for those who have the discretionary cash to buy Office 2010 for the desktop, but what about the users who don’t? Well Microsoft thought of that too. That is why Microsoft is also offering a free version–sort of an Office 2010 Lite–that will be pre-installed on Windows-based PC’s instead of the ubiquitous, but rarely used, Microsoft Works that users are accustomed to.

The two primary advantages that Google has capitalized on with Google Docs are cost–it’s hard to beat free–and cloud-based availability. With Office 2010, Microsoft is competing head-to-head with Google in these two areas while also leveraging the overwhelming dominance and popularity of Microsoft Office.

The availability of Microsoft Office 2010 will be rolled out in phases. The productivity suite will be available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers this week, followed by availability to Microsoft’s Software Assurance licensing customers, then volume license customers without Software Assurance, followed by the general availability of Microsoft Office 2010 for retail consumers sometime in June.

Microsoft will be hosting a major virtual launch event for Microsoft Office 2010 on May 12. Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft’s Business Division, will deliver the keynote speech, and the launch will include product demonstrations, customer testimonials, interviews with product managers and Microsoft executives. Visit http://www.the2010event.com for more information or to add the event details to your Outlook calendar.

Google has been determined to break out of its mold and become a serious alternative for the Microsoft Office productivity suite for both consumers and businesses. While Google has made tremendous strides, Microsoft is apparently not going to sit back and watch. With a free version of Office 2010, and Web-based access to the products users are most familiar with, the challenge for Google just got exponentially tougher.

URL:  http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/194497/office_2010_reaches_rtm_watch_out_google.html

Sometimes I’m tempted to buy an iPhone because it looks like so many of the “cool” apps are on the iPhone platform. However, there are indeed lots of great apps for other devices.

Verizon Wireless, AT&T and BlackBerry all have portals to provide you with useful apps for their devices. Sprint has a partnership with GetJar.

You can use your smartphone, like a regular phone, and check email. However, if you want to BOOST productivity as you work out of the office, the mobile applications you use are going to be critical.

For example, AT&T launched a Small Business Mobile Application Recommender Tool, a Web portal you can use to locate mobile apps from AT&T.

An AT&T representative told me that SMB mobile app spending is growing fast, from $241.8 million in 2008 to a projected $616.5 million market by 2012, according to market research firm Compass Intelligence. AT&T also announced four new mobile apps:

• AIRTIME Manager from AT&T – provides solutions for capturing and reporting billable events, including time associated with wireless calls and email.
• Associate from AT&T – provides lawyers, doctors and other professionals with a mobile dictation tool and transcription and review workflow.
• ProntoForms from AT&T – offers mobile forms application, replacing paper forms and streamlining in-field data collection and reporting.
• Nice Office from AT&T – offers suite of mobile office applications, including contact management, work tasks, sales opportunity management, calendar, email, and auto journals.

Other carriers wireless portals are:

BlackBerry | Sprint | Verizon Wireless

URL:  http://smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2010/03/jealous-of-iphone-apps-verizon.html

Microsoft has said that, starting with Office 2010, it will allow computer makers to bundle in a limited version of the product onto new PCs. However Microsoft has shared relatively little about Office Starter 2010, the product that will replace Works at the low-end of Microsoft’s productivity lineup.

Over lunch on Wednesday, Chris Capossela, a senior vice president at Microsoft, shared a little more about what users can expect when they open up Office Starter.

As previously detailed, the product includes scaled-down versions of Word and Excel and is free for consumers, but does include advertising. Capossela said that the ads will change every 45 seconds, but for the foreseeable future the pitches will all be for Office itself. The ads will never be based on the content of one’s document, he said.

“There’s no scanning of the document,” he said, a clear dig at rival Google. Instead the ads will say things like “Don’t you miss PowerPoint” and encourage people to upgrade.

As for what users can do with the applications, Capossela said that Word will be capable of opening and displaying even the most complex documents. However, Office Starter users won’t be able to use macros, create automated tables of contents, or add comments, though they will see comments added by others.

The approach with Excel is similar, with users able to view and edit documents, but not create their own pivot tables and pivot charts, for example.

Those who want more features–or to use of PowerPoint–will have to upgrade to a paid version of the product. Microsoft is also trying to ease that process, including all the code for Office 2010 on new PCs and allowing the other programs and features to be unlocked through the purchase of a new product key card.

The software maker envisions that over a short time more than 80 percent of new PCs will have Office Starter, though Capossela said on Wednesday that it will be up to computer makers how quickly PCs sold at retail have that product, as opposed to the current combination of Works and a trial version of Office 2007. He said that some PCs with the older software will probably be on shelves through the fall.

Microsoft is making a big bet with Office Starter. Although the company got comparatively little revenue from Works, which Office Starter replaces, the danger is that some users that would have paid for Office will settle for either Starter, the free browser-based Office Web Apps, or some combination of the two.

The company has been exploring the idea of an ad-funded productivity suite for years and did quietly introduce an ad-funded version of Works.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20001979-56.html?tag=mncol;title

Don’t wait for the government to finalize meaningful use requirements. Here’s how to jump-start your health IT efforts.

The federal government’s $20 billion-plus healthcare IT stimulus program has more hospitals and doctors than ever planning to implement e-medical record and other health IT systems. But many healthcare providers have put plans on hold as they wait for the government’s final “meaningful use” rules that will determine which types of systems are eligible for reimbursements.

“I’ve been in this industry for 25 years, and I’ve never seen as much anxiety and confusion,” said Dr. Mark Leavitt, chairman of the Certification Commission for Health IT. Leavitt spoke with Informationweek at the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS ) conference in Atlanta Tuesday.

Despite all the uncertainty, there are steps providers can take now that will help them jump-start system deployments once the final rules are issued later this spring. Here are 10 top ones:

1: Get buy-in and sponsorship from your organization’s top leadership, including influential clinicians and the CEO. “Solicit your leadership team and actively communicate with upper management,” said Curt Kwak, CIO of the western region of Providence Health & Services, a provider that serves Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, and Alaska.

Support from the top is critical, especially when convincing users to give up old work habit and processes. Make sure everyone understands your goals, such as how the new systems will improve quality of care.

2: Decide how you’ll fund the project–remember stimulus dollars don’t start flowing until 2011. Some EMR vendors are offering interest-free loans for the upfront costs related to the purchase of these systems. Also consider applying for federal, state, and private grants. And some hospitals are offering free EMR software to doctors under the relaxed federal Stark rules.

3: Start evaluating your workflow and processes. Figure out what steps you’re doing now waste time and money, and can be eliminated with the new system. “Health IT is truly a magnifying glass, you’ll see all your flaws,” said Florence Chang, senior VP and CIO at MultiCare, a Tacoma, Wash., hospital network. “Decide what steps don’t add value.”

4: Find out where key information resides in your organization. For instance, is information on patients’ allergies in paper charts or computerized files? Start collecting information on how many prescription drug orders your doctors put through, and how they do those orders–paper, fax, or phone-in. You’ll need this data later to measure your organization’s meaningful use of electronic ordering, said Mike Wilson, senior IT director of clinical systems at Compuware.

5: Look at EMR and other health IT products for the ones that fit your organization’s needs. Consider products that have a good shot at attaining meaningful use certification, like those already approved by the Certification Commission for Health IT, or software from vendors that are offering meaningful use compliance guarantees.

6: If you’re not ready for a big bang approach to EMRs, consider modular software and components that let you add functionality in increments. “Look at the entire puzzle for what pieces fit now, and what can fit later,” Providence Health & Services’ CIO Kwak said.

7: Determine whether you have the resources and staff to handle an on-site system–both to implement it and keep it running. If not, then maybe a hosted model makes more sense. If you need to recruit talent, figure out the skills you’ll need and get going.

8: Get your infrastructure ready to deal with new systems. For instance, can it handle computerized physician order entry? If not, what foundation can you start laying, said Avery Cloud, VP and CIO of New Hanover Health Network, a health care organization in Wilmington, N.C.

9: If you were already planning or implementing health IT systems prior to the HITECH legislation passing in February 2009, don’t change things now. Don’t divert your original plans because meaningful use deadlines are compressing the timeframe, said Kwak.

10) Finally, don’t jump into poorly thought out health IT plans just to try getting the stimulus rewards. “Don’t do it just for the money,” said Wilson. “It’s like having a baby just for the tax break.”

URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223101301

Sprint has been aggressively promoting its expanding 4G wireless network at the CTIA show in Las Vegas this week. Verizon and AT&T are also pursuing 4G or LTE broadband, but Sprint–true to its name–is sprinting ahead to deliver 4G in more markets ahead of the competition.

Current pilot tests and implementations of 4G networks offer broadband speeds significantly faster than existing 3G networks, but fall significantly short of the established goal. The technologies used today represent the first generation effort to achieve mobile broadband rates of 100 mbps, and stationary wireless broadband speeds reaching 1 gbps.

A Sprint press release declares “With 27 markets already equipped with 4G and more being planned for this year, Sprint is fulfilling its promise to light up major metropolitan areas with speeds that are up to 10 times faster than 3G.”

The press release goes on to claim “And unlike “concepts” and “lab tests” from other wireless companies, Sprint is the first national wireless carrier to actually test, launch and market 4G technology.”

Iyad Tarazi, VP of 4G Wimax network development for Sprint, took PCWorld’s Mark Sullivan for a test drive of the Sprint 4G capabilities around Las Vegas. Sullivan witnessed consistent broadband download speeds of over 10mbps, but ran into some technical difficulties that showed less-than-stellar results for the upload speeds.

While it’s a fraction of the projected 100mbps that the next-generation wireless broadband promises, Sprint’s 4G network raises the bar so that customers can get wireless data speeds comparable to middle-ground wired broadband speeds, and allows businesses to expand the tasks and functions that are possible over a wireless network.

Sprint outlines some business scenarios that are made possible by the faster 4G broadband speeds:

• Real estate agents can conduct virtual property tours.

• Construction teams using 4G in the field can save valuable time by sharing schematics with engineers online.

• Insurance companies can speed their claims management through real-time communication with on-site adjusters.

• Health care professionals can improve their ability to remotely monitor patients.

• Emergency first responders can rapidly assess and coordinate disaster action with real-time on-site video and audio.

• Photojournalists can instantly transfer high-resolution images to the newsroom.

Those are just a few examples. Because the 4G wireless broadband is capable of speeds comparable to most wired broadband solutions today, it opens the possibility that businesses can consolidate services and drop wired broadband completely. Just as mobile phones have enabled many customers to eliminate the traditional land line, 4G wireless broadband will enable customers to eliminate the traditional broadband network.

That said, it is worth pointing out that wireless providers are already struggling to keep up with data demands, and the FCC is working aggressively to recapture wireless spectrum to head off an impending crisis of bandwidth. AT&T–sole purveyor of service for the Apple iPhone–has had a particularly difficult time keeping the speed and reliability of its 3G data network consistent.

The bottom line is that 4G wireless broadband promises to expand the scope of what is possible over remote, wireless data networks, but the technology is still nascent and the wireless bandwidth will probably fold quickly under the pressure if there is any sort of mass exodus to drop wired broadband in favor of 4G.

URL: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/192244/sprint_4g_broadband_a_business_primer.html

Dell’s first U.S. smartphone, the Aero, is based on Google’s Android operating system.

AT&T will be the first U.S. carrier with Dell’s Aero smartphone. The Monday announcement came the same day the carrier said it would also offer Palm’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus smartphones, based on the Palm WebOS launched about a year ago. The Aero will feature a user interface developed by Dell and AT&T.

The Aero will include a 5 megapixel camera and mini-applications that provide access to the Flickr and Picassa photo sites, the YouTube video site and the Facebook social network. The smartphone has a 3.5-inch display.

The device also includes a global positioning system, Web browser and support for Adobe Flash, which is missing from Apple’s iPhone. AT&T is taking pre-orders online for the Aero, but has not said when it would be available.

After months of media speculation, Dell formally introduced its smartphone late last year, releasing the device first in China and Brazil. While AT&T will be first to market with the device, Dell has said it will make the Aero available through multiple carriers, including Verizon Wireless.

In the U.S., Dell enters a crowded smartphone market, led by Research in Motion, which dominates the corporate market, followed by Apple, which is gaining strength in the consumer market. Meanwhile, Android-based smartphones from other manufacturers are gaining market share at the expense of the more established player Palm.

Analysts have said that Dell is making a risky move entering the smartphone market, given its relative inexperience in the market. To be successful, Dell’s phone will have to offer features that people want and are not available in other phones, particularly Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry.

URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224100024

In Good Hands, Ten things your users may not know about protecting their notebooks.

Most users are unaware of the dangers of notebook abuse or how to keep their devices safe. But with knowledge of 10 maintenance pitfalls and a little proper care, your users should be able to tote around notebooks that perform like new for at least three years.

1. Overcharging wears down batteries.

Charge the notebook only when necessary. Charging all the time causes a significant decline in battery life. Draining the power from the battery keeps it in good working order. For most models, start charging when the battery indicates 20 percent or less power left. Make good use of any power management software that comes with the notebook. This can help with getting more usage time from a single charge.

2. Abrupt shutdowns can cause hard-drive errors.

Patience is a virtue; it can save you from damaging the notebook. When shutting down any computer, do not hold the power button down. The shutdown process is delicate; interruptions can cause hard-drive errors or worse failure. Be patient. Let the notebook do its thing.

3. Dust leads to overheating.

Keep the notebook free of dust and crumbs. Dust can cause a notebook to overheat. Use a can of compressed air to blow dust away from ports and the keyboard. Wash your hands before touching the keyboard to avoid dirty or sticky keys. Invest in a microfiber cloth to clean the LCD screen.

4. Handling the LCD screen can leave permanent marks.

Don’t grab or touch the screen; it can cause serious problems. First, the screen gets covered with fingerprints, which leads back to Tip 3. If enough pressure is applied, the liquid crystals can be damaged, leaving permanent marks. Keep in mind that the LCD screen is the most expensive part of the notebook, so be extra careful with it.

5. Portables risk losing data.

Stored data is the notebook’s most important commodity. A good rule of thumb: Protect valuable data by backing it up to a CD or DVD. Any hard drive (the notebook’s most sensitive part) can go bad — through no fault of the user — at any time and without warning. Back up, back up, back up work you cannot live without.

6. Fragmented files slow performance.

As modern file systems are used and as files are deleted and created, the total free space in the notebook’s memory splits into smaller, noncontiguous blocks. Eventually, newly created files and extended old files can no longer reside in a single, contiguous block. They scatter across the system. This degrades performance because multiple seek operations are required to access one fragmented file.

7. Protect against viruses.

The notebook user must make sure virus definitions are up-to-date. Create an automatic update system, using the virus program so that the notebook is almost always protected. Excessive heat leads to hardware damage.

8. Excessive heat leads to hardware damage.

Notebooks need cool environments. Any computer runs at a high temperature. Protect it from higher temperatures than it is accustomed to. Leaving a notebook in a hot car, for example, can lead to hardware damage. Read the manual for recommended storage temperatures. My rule is simple: If you won’t leave your pet there, then don’t leave your notebook.

9. Unapproved software can lead to network trouble.

The easiest way to damage software on a notebook is to download or install programs not approved by your organization. Likewise, remove any applications not being used to save disk space and prevent the notebook from slowing down.

10. Critical updates keep notebooks safe.

Check for updates from software vendors from time to time. Software vendors release critical updates to help their software run more smoothly.

Take an Active Role
Accidents will happen. It’s our job to make sure we have done everything in our power to avoid 99.9 percent of them.

Before purchasing notebooks, fully understand the manufacturer’s warranty. Know what is covered and what is not. Most warranties are short-lived and exclude big-ticket items such as LCD screens. Make sure any warranty includes coverage for accidental damage during the notebook’s life.

Ask the manufacturer if theft and loss insurance are available. Offer this as an accessory to parents purchasing notebooks. Explain to them that replacing stolen or lost notebooks is their responsibility. Paying a deductible is much better than paying the full retail price.

URL:  http://www.biztechmagazine.com/article.asp?item_id=705&sv=related

Businesses are turning to mobile-payment technology to simplify the transaction process.

Many small and midsize businesses looking for an easier way to accept credit cards from customers, make payments to suppliers and perform other financial transactions can now turn to their cell phones to handle these common tasks.

Gartner predicts that worldwide usage of handheld devices for such purposes is poised to double. According to Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner, mobile-payment usage is expected to rise from 1.7 percent to 3 percent in North America between 2009 and 2012. In real numbers, that’s tens of millions of users.

Whether it’s opening new opportunities for consumers in Montreal or SMBs in Vancouver, the mobile-payment market is quickly expanding, as giant partnerships among vendors and carriers take root and dozens of startups throw their hats into the ring, offering downloadable applets and other products. With such technologies, processes that in the past may have lasted days — say, waiting for a check to clear or getting approval to pay an invoice — now take only seconds to complete.

Consider EnStream LP, a venture involving Canada’s three wireless carriers — Bell Mobility, Rogers and TELUS. Under the auspices of EnStream, these entities are jointly developing and marketing Zoompass, a mobile commerce application that lets people send and receive money anywhere across Canada using their mobile devices.

Although EnStream designed Zoompass with consumer users in mind, it agrees that the product will be attractive to SMBs. “They have the most to gain in this space,” says Aran Hamilton, vice president of strategic partnerships for the Toronto-based company. “Being able to allow small and midsize businesses to accept mobile payments to their phones might reduce a lot of infrastructure.”

For now, Zoompass permits what Hamilton calls “the merging of the phone and the wallet” — person-to-person mobile payments via a free downloadable application that works on a wide range of devices. Users set up a Zoompass account first. Then, they link a credit card or a bank account to that account. (EnStream is attaining PCI certification.)

Purchases using Zoompass are free, and so is receiving money transfers. The company takes a 50-cent fee per person-to-person transfer and a 3.5 percent fee for money sent from a credit card.

EnStream gives users Zoompass prepaid cards so that they can easily access money in their Zoompass accounts. The prepaid card is accepted anywhere MasterCard is accepted, including online.

EnStream’s all-Linux shop is the engine behind Zoompass. “We’re a big fan of open source,” says Fabian Ubogi, a systems engineer at EnStream.

Other elements of the network include Cisco Systems and F5 Networks hardware, as well as Hewlett-Packard servers. A nearby collocation facility hosts the platform and has room to expand as transactions do. EnStream mirrors the entire setup elsewhere for redundancy and disaster recovery.

Other manufacturers are also joining the mobile-payment technology realm. Intuit, the developer of Quicken, offers GoPayment, a processing service that lets businesses accept credit card payments through phones and PDAs. And Chicago startup mPayy is positioning its payment system to work across websites and, with the forthcoming Version 3.0, over cell phones and other devices. EnStream, mPayy and other mobile-payment providers also permit users to transfer funds into bank accounts.

When Intuit launched GoPayment in May, it focused on users such as artists selling work at street fairs and tradesmen out on calls all day, says Mary Shapero, product manager at Intuit. As with Zoompass, GoPayment users create accounts with Intuit, and then download the application to their cell phones. An electrician who has completed a repair job can enter a customer’s credit card number into his phone to authorize payment or swipe the card with a separately sold reader.

Conrad Sheehan, founder and CEO of mPayy, says his company’s applet can be embedded into a MySpace or Facebook page to facilitate payments through social media. “Our goal is to try to eliminate as many layers as possible between a buyer and a seller,” Sheehan says.

In the case of mPayy, a buyer logs into her account using her cell phone number, enters the dollar amount of the purchase and hits “submit.” The seller receives a text message alerting them of the incoming payment.

Rather than process a credit card transaction, mPayy uses the Automated ClearingHouse network that serves banks to transmit a deposit into a seller’s mPayy account. MPayy takes 2 percent of the total transaction value plus 20 cents, while PayPal, for example, takes 2.9 percent plus 30 cents.

Modest fees and the promise of quick payment add up to substantial appeal for SMBs wishing to process payments using mobile devices. On average, “small businesses carry $1,500 in overdue payments each month,” says Shapero. “Paying by mobile device helps them get paid quickly and easily.”

To realize the full promise of mobile-payment technology, services “need to provide good value, such as access to payment services where there is no alternative, lower service charges and more efficient transactions,” Gartner’s Shen notes.

URL: http://www.biztechmagazine.com/article.asp?item_id=677

Google is expected to announce on Monday that it will withdraw from China on April 10, according to a report in a Beijing-based newspaper that cited an unidentified sales associate who works with the company.

“I have received information saying that Google will leave China on April 10, but this information has not at present been confirmed by Google,” the China Business News quoted the agent as saying. The report also said Google would reveal its plans for its China-based staff that day.
A Google representative declined to comment on the report.

Google, which has a significant share of the search market in China, announced in January that it no longer intended to censor search results in that country and would consider leaving entirely. Google has identified China as the source of attacks on prominent U.S. Web properties and e-mail accounts belonging to human rights activists, though it has not revealed the specific people behind them. For its part, the Chinese government has denied any involvement.

After months of negotiations over whether it can run Google.cn with or without restrictions, it seemed that Google was getting ready to make a decision in the near-term future. However, according to a Financial Times report last week, Google is now “99.9 percent” certain that it will shut down Google.cn.

The Chinese government has reportedly warned Google business partners to prepare for the day when they can’t use Google services such as a search bar on their Web sites. Earlier this week, Google confirmed that it had received a letter purportedly signed by 27 advertising partners in China that complained of a lack of communication on the part of Google and demanded to know how they would be compensated if the company withdrew from China.

URL:  http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20000757-93.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0