What is Microsoft Office 2021, Microsoft 365 and Office for the web. Are they are the same or different? Which of these should you get or use and will it work for your needs? I’ll try and explain what the differences are, what is new and how to maximize them.
Office 2021 explained
Office 2021 is a one time purchase software that allows you to install and run Office apps for only one PC or Mac. It does not have upgrade options till the next major Office release becomes available usually after 2-3 years. You will also have to pay the full amount to get this new version when it becomes available, that’s if you want the new features. But you will get security updates as and when they become available.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based version of Office that makes sure you are always up-to-date with the latest Office feature updates. So after Office 2021 is released you will start getting all the new feature updates and not have to wait till after two years to use them. Microsoft 365 includes plans for personal, home, small and midsized businesses, large enterprises, schools, and non-profits. The Microsoft 365 Family plan allows you to share your subscription with your family for up to six people, and use your apps on up to 30 devices. You can choose from monthly and yearly purchases.
Office for the Web
Microsoft Office for the webis a free version of Office that you can use in a web browser. All you need is to sign up for a Microsoft account with a new or existing email address. You can use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote to create, edit and save files to your PC or save to the cloud. But you can only use it in the web browser that is all, it wouldn’t work if you aren’t connected to the internet. You can click to try Office for the web if this works for you. Note that Microsoft 365 subscribers have access to this and get more features when they use office for the web.
Office 2021 vs Microsoft 365, what’s the difference & what’s new?
Kevin Stratvert says over the first two years, Microsoft 365 users end up paying less compared to Office 2021 users. $70 for an individual plan & $100/year for the family plan, which is good for up to 6 people. Microsoft 365 users get everything in Office 2021 and more. Including Grammarly type offering with Microsoft Editor, presenter coach in PowerPoint, plus Access and Publisher. Watch the video below to find out the major differences and downsides of Office 2021.
Should You Upgrade to Office 2021? What is new for Excel users
Leila Gharani says Office 2021 is a huge jump for Excel 2016 and 20019 users. Noting it has at least 9 new functions that will change the way you use Excel. This includes XLOOKUP, FILTER, UNIQUE, and SEQUENCE. Watch the video below to find additional features you can look forward to in PowerPoint, Word and Outlook.
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Samsung and IBM invite developers to participate in the 2021 Call for Code challenge dubbed honouring everyday heroes challenge. To encourage the development of new technology solutions to help everyday heroes who are invaluable to society. The winning team will receive a cash prize of $15K USD, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and get deployment support to bring their solution to life.
The hackathon event is part of the broader Call for Code global program with contributions from over 179 nations. Inviting problem-solvers around the world to build and contribute to sustainable, open-source technology projects that address social and humanitarian issues.
Submissions for the Call for Code Honoring Everyday Heroes Challenge must be able to run on a Samsung tablet, smartphone, and/or wearable device. It must also make use of one or more IBM open hybrid cloud technologies such as IBM Cloud or IBM Watson. Participants will also have access to Samsung toolkits, as well as data from The Weather Company.
The deadline for submissions is November 20th and evaluated by a judging panel from IBM and Samsung. It will announce the winner on December 9th.
The Call for Code Honoring Everyday Heroes Challenge starts now. Get more information on how to register and participate here: ibm.biz/CallforCode-Samsung.
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Dell Technologies is announcing the new edition of the Dell XPS Desktop series the model 8950. The desktop is larger with bigger chassis than the previous model 8940 and comes with a better cooling architecture. It is powered with the latest Intel Alder Lake desktop processors up to Core i9K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics. Dell says it is available with up to a 750W power supply supporting up to 350W graphics. The Dell XPS Desktop 8950 starts retailing at $919.99 for the low end and will be available later this fall. The device was announced at the October 2021 desktop launch where it also introduced the Alienware Aurora R13 and Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R14.
The new XPS Desktop model comes pre-installed with the latest version of Windows, 11. Dell says it is designed to maximize performance, airflow and acoustics. Having 42% larger chassis with tool-less entry and removable side panel. It is said to be much cooler and quieter than the previous generation.
Dell XPS Desktop 8950 Specifications
Dimensions
173 x 426.7 x 391mm, 173 x 426.7 x 372.9 mm
Weight
7.62kg, 7.42kg
OS
Windows 11 Home/Pro 64-bit
Chipset
Intel Z690 Chipset – Alder Lake
CPU
12th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-12600K (10 Core, 20 MB Cache, 3.7 GHz to 4.9 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology)
12th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-12700K (12 Core, 25 MB Cache, 3.6 GHz to 5 GHz with Turbo Boost Max 3.0)
12th Generation Intel® Core™ i9-12900K (16 Core, 30 MB Cache, 3.2 GHz to 5.2 GHz with Turbo Boost Max 3.0)
125W k-series with high-capacity thermal heat sink or liquid cooling option
Power supply
460W bronze, 750W platinum,
Graphics power
Max support 350W graphics (requires 750W power supply)
Multimedia
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
Port
Front: (3) USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1, (1) USB 3.2 Type-C, Gen 2 Headset jack, SD card slot Rear: (2) USB 2.0 Type-A, (2) USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1, (1) USB 3.2 Type-C™ Gen 2×2, (1) Display Port 1.4, (1) Gigabit Ethernet, (1) 7.1 channel
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Oracle and Orange are announcing an agreement to accelerate cloud-led digital transformation in West Africa. The collaboration will see the companies build Oracle’s Cloud regions using Orange’s infrastructure in Senegal and Ivory Coast. This they say aligns with their common objective of ensuring that all customer data is hosted locally. Providing customers with cloud services that meet their data latency and performance requirements. This comes a few weeks after Oracle announced that it has chosen Johannesburg, South Africa as the site of its first African datacentre. The company is currently planning to launch 13 new cloud regions across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
The companies will jointly offer cloud services for enterprises and public sector organizations in West Africa. Starting with offerings in Senegal and Ivory Coast. For this initiative, Orange plans to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to complement its portfolio of enterprise-grade managed cloud services.
The planned joint go-to-market model is intended to support West African enterprises and public organizations in addressing the challenge of digital transformation. Through advanced cloud services, enabling operational efficiency, lower costs and high-security standards.
The two companies also plan to collaborate on a project to migrate part of Orange’s internal applications onto Oracle Cloud. In order to generate greater efficiencies through digitalization, particularly in administrative processes. Discussions are ongoing to define the scope, conditions and feasibility of this strategic step. Oracle and Orange also intend to jointly promote their health solutions, especially in the area of vaccination.
We strongly believe that digital technology is a catalyst for economic transformation on the African continent says Alioune Ndiaye, Chairman and CEO, Orange Middle-East and Africa. Contributing to sustainable employment and socio-economic development, he adds. “Cloud infrastructure is one of the key solutions Orange brings to companies and public institutions in its role as a multi-service operator. Oracle’s industry-recognized solutions should bring additional value to Orange’s Cloud portfolio.”
“With improved bandwidth access and increased awareness of the benefits of cloud computing, organizations in the West and Sub-Saharan Africa region have begun exploring migrating workloads to the cloud. This initiative with Orange is an important step toward introducing world-class cloud infrastructure in the region,” said Clay Magouyrk, executive vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
“As organizations in West Africa start their digital transformations, we look forward to joining with Orange to offer a rich portfolio of cloud infrastructure services,” says Jonathan Tikochinsky, executive vice president, Global Strategic Clients Group at Oracle. “This partnership brings the power of Oracle’s OCI services and Orange’s extensive managed cloud services that will empower organizations to take advantage of the efficiency, cost savings and increased security that the cloud provides.”
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Here is how to watch today’s Apple Event and everything you should know. Apple is hosting its Unleashed event today at 10 AM PDT, 5 PM GMT, 6 PM BST & EAT and 5 PM SAT. Where Apple will introduce its next generation of MacBook devices powered by a new M1X processor. The event is virtual and you can stream it on Apple’s website, Youtube Channel, Apple TV app and on Twitter as it has done during previous events. We will have the Youtube stream embedded right here for you to watch.
Watch Apple Event – October 18, new MacBook, M1X chip
What will Apple announce at October 18th product launch?
Rumours have it that the new MacBooks could launch with a notch just like the iPhones. But iDevice Care GH believes that despite the notch, the new generation MacBook Pros won’t include Face ID support. It also notes macOS Monterey beta may have shown us the screen resolutions of the 14 and 16-inch devices: 3024 × 2160 and 3456 × 2234 respectively.
We hear the new Apple silicon chip M1X will be more powerful than the previous M1 chips. Featuring a 10-core CPU, with eight being high-performance and two being high-efficiency cores. The M1X chip will have a GPU with either 16 or 32 core options to choose from. Expectations are that the new chip will be able to support up to 64GB of RAM.
Others expect Apple to announce the official release date of macOS Monterey. Which was announced at WWDC in June and is currently in public preview. The new OS features include FaceTime updates, a redesigned and streamlined Safari, Universal and Shortcuts, and Focus.
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GITEX Global 2021 is underway in Dubai and Microsoft is taking the opportunity to showcase its latest technological innovations in the areas of the future of work and sustainable smart cities. Alongside partners such as Schneider Electric, AVEVA, Digital Okta, Predica, Cloud 4C, Crayon, Rackspace, Liferay, TechVista, Intertec and Jedox.
Microsoft’s theme at GITEX Global 2021 is creating a “bolder digital future together”, with the company mapping out its vision for a more sustainable future. The event is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre till the 21st of October 2021.
few things are more pressing today than solving the issue of climate change
Microsoft is challenging everyone to imagine a more sustainable future this year says Sayed Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft UAE. He notes that the company is constantly striving to find solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time. He adds that few things are more pressing today than solving the issue of climate change.
“We have partnered with Schneider Electric, to bring Dubai’s sustainability vision to life. Our collaboration, running on Azure and powered by the Microsoft Cloud demonstrates how a combination of cutting-edge technologies can translate large amounts of data into actionable, sustainability-focused outcomes. This will turn urban environments from being part of the climate problem into becoming part of the solution. Together with our partners, we look forward to showcasing some of the ground-breaking innovations which will empower our customers to thrive in the digital economy and hybrid work environment.”
Sayed Hashish
You can find Microsoft and Microsoft partners on the event floor at Hall 7, dubbed the Microsoft hub. It houses an experiential center where you can have a hands-on with their products and solutions. Such as the Sustainable Smart City Command Center demo, Microsoft Teams, Viva Connections, Xbox, Windows 11 and Surface laptops. It also features a talk area for discussions, keynotes and workshops.
Microsoft says GITEX delegates will be able to try out its future of work products and solutions that allows employees to work, learn, and play under new flexible relationships with employers, all fuelled by the intelligent cloud. The company will also show how a balance can be struck between in-person and digital collaboration.
Last year the company focused on showcasing how it supports sustainable farming using AI, Edge and IoT,
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