Paul's Picks

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
Pros: Compatibility with latest Office document formats; true Universal application offering native compatibility on Intel Macs
Cons: Lackluster performance; no innovative features; no ribbon UI from Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows
Rating: 3 out of 5
Recommendation: Macintosh users have been waiting two years for Microsoft to ship a Universal version of its Office suite that offers native compatibility with Intel-based Macs. (Previous versions were written for the PowerPC and ran under an emulation mode.) Well, it’s here and, frankly, it’s not much of an improvement. Office 2008 for Mac isn’t demonstrably faster than its predecessor, and its non-standard UI looks nothing like other Mac apps and doesn’t offer any of the niceties of the Office 2007 ribbon from Windows. But you might find it worth using if you need compatibility with Microsoft’s latest XML-based Office document formats or with Microsoft Exchange.
Contact: Microsoft • 800-426-9400 • www.microsoft.com
Discussion: www.winsupersite.com/showcase/
win2008_rc1.asp

Windows Live SkyDrive
Pros: Anywhere-anytime access to data; easy to share data with others
Cons: Limited storage
Rating: 3 out of 5
Recommendation: Windows Live SkyDrive, Microsoft’s Web-based storage service, is a rare example of the software giant beating Google to market. The service is only so-so: It offers 5GB of free storage but no way to increase that storage allotment. And it feels pokey, especially with file uploads. However, SkyDrive makes it very easy to share files securely with others and to specify whether they can edit or just view and download files.
Contact: Microsoft • 800-426-9400 • www.microsoft.com
Discussion: www.winsupersite.com/showcase/win2008_rc1.asp

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