Here is how to be productive on the go with the free Microsoft Office app

Here is how to be productive on the go with the free Microsoft Office app

The Microsoft Office app is a mobile app that lets you view, create, and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more with Office apps designed for mobile devices and tablets. It serves as a hub to access Microsoft 365 apps in one place including Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and OneNote. The app works seamlessly with office 365 to connect you to your documents and content.

Image showing iOS and android  Microsoft Office app

The app helps you to be productive by allowing you to work from anywhere, anytime, with anyone using Office apps for Android and iOS. You can use the Office app for free and download it from Google Play or App Store and access Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other features without a subscription. However, some advanced features may require a Microsoft 365 subscription.

You can scan and save documents with OneDrive document scanning using your phone. Letting you skip the bulky scanner and turn your paper documents, receipts, and whiteboards into PDFs. Another feature that helps you to be productive on the go is co-authoring. You can collaborate with others on Word and PowerPoint documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. You can see who else is working on the document and their changes as they happen. We share more on scanning to pdf and co-authoring below.

Here are five things that you might not know about the Microsoft Office mobile app

  • You can scan a document or a whiteboard in Outlook by tapping on the camera icon while composing a mail. The app will automatically trim and enhance the image for you.
  • You can use voice commands to create emails or dictate text in Word or PowerPoint. Just tap on the microphone icon on your keyboard and start speaking.
  • You can use Lens mode to capture text from images or documents. The app will convert it into editable text that you can copy or paste into other apps.
  • You can use Quick Notes to jot down ideas or reminders without opening a new document. Just tap on the note icon at the bottom of your screen and start writing.
  • You can use Smart Lookup to get definitions, synonyms, or related information for any word or phrase. Just select it and tap on Smart Lookup from the menu.

To scan a document with your camera using the Microsoft Office app, follow these steps:

  1. Lay out your paper on a flat surface
  2. Open the Microsoft Office app
  3. Tap Scan to PDF
  4. Adjust corner points if needed
  5. Tap Confirm
  6. Save as PDF
  7. You can also scan multiple pages into one PDF file by tapping Add Page after each scan.

Co-authoring on the go

Co-authoring features allow you to work together with others on Word and PowerPoint files stored online. To co-author with others, you need:

  • A shared storage area such as OneDrive or SharePoint
  • Apps that support co-authoring such as Word or PowerPoint for office mobile

When you open a file that someone else is editing you will see their name at the top of your screen. You will also see their cursor position and changes as they happen. You can also chat with them using Skype for Business by tapping on their name. To invite others to co-author with you just share your file link via email or other apps.

Other exciting features

  • Action pane: A quick way to access common tasks such as signing PDFs converting images into text creating QR codes etc.
  • Lens mode: A powerful tool that lets you capture text from images documents whiteboards etc.
  • Quick Notes: A simple way to jot down ideas and reminders without opening a new document
  • Voice commands: A convenient way to create emails dictate text etc.
  • Smart Lookup: A handy way to get definitions synonyms related information etc.

If you want to learn more about these features please visit this link.

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Lucidspark brings new whiteboard integration experience to Microsoft Teams

Lucidspark brings new whiteboard integration experience to Microsoft Teams

Lucidspark Microsoft teams whiteboard

Lucid, provider of visual collaboration software, announces integration of its virtual whiteboard, Lucidspark, with Microsoft Teams. The Lucidspark integration with Teams will connect distributed teams by bringing collaboration right into their existing workflows.

The new integration feature will allow users to collaborate and interact with a Lucidspark board directly within a Teams meeting. By sharing it to the meeting stage. Providing the full experience of an in-person whiteboarding session without ever leaving Teams. Thereby making it easier for hybrid teams to collaborate, align and move into action.

One of the key ways we help teams see and build the future is by providing integrations and solutions that work wherever teams work,” says Sable Petersen, senior director of product marketing for Lucid.

Through our continued collaboration with Microsoft Teams, this new integration experience will enable our users to more effectively and seamlessly collaborate right within their existing workflows, providing seamless collaboration in today’s hybrid environment.”

Sable Petersen

We’re pleased to continue our relationship with Lucid and improve collaboration to better enable and support today’s hybrid teams,” says Ben Summers, director, Teams Platform Marketing at Microsoft.

This updated integration experience brings powerful solutions right to where teams already work, allowing distributed team members to innovate and drive the business forward even more efficiently.”

Ben Summers

Team members can contribute in real-time while also taking collaboration to the next level with Lucidspark features like emoji reactions, collaborator colors, notes and timers, voting sessions and automatically organizing and prioritizing ideas into action plans with intelligent data synthesis. These capabilities allow distributed and hybrid teams to stay connected while centralizing conversations and turning those into action through visual brainstorms.

The updated Lucidspark integration builds on existing features, including the ability to share boards quickly and easily within Teams. To bring everyone together and add boards directly to team channels for later reference or asynchronous collaboration.

Earlier this year Lucid announced the integration of Lucidspark with Microsoft Azure DevOps. Click here to learn more about Lucidspark virtual whiteboard for Microsoft Teams.

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Microsoft increases number of simultaneous videos in Teams meetings

Microsoft increases number of simultaneous videos in Teams meetings

Microsoft is increasing the number of participants who can be viewed simultaneously on the Teams meetings stage from four to nine. The company made the announcement introducing new features to the service.

How this works is that it will optimize for attendees who have video-enabled. It will then place the remaining audio-only participants below the meeting stage. Microsoft notes, “the layout will adapt, based on the user bandwidth and alter the number of videos shown to provide the best meeting experience“.

In addition to this, the company also announced other features. These include Raise Hands, – a feature that lets meeting participants identify they want to speak -, one on one live recording, Background effects and Background Blur for iOS.

The new capabilities will further the experience for our customers“, Microsoft says.

The new features are live and being rolled out in stages. Microsoft says it will take a few weeks if you don’t have it yet.

Microsoft Teams has seen a surge in usage since the outbreak of Covid-19 global pandemic. It currently has more than 75 million daily active users. Recording more than 200 million meeting participants in a single day in April.

In healthcare alone, CEO, Satya Nadella shared there were more than 34 million Teams meetings in the past month. In education, more than 183,000 educational institutions now rely on Teams.

Microsoft recently announced it will start allowing users without an internet connection and those with low bandwidth connectivity to read chat messages on Microsoft Teams platform.

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Offline connectivity, low-bandwidth connection, real-time noise suppression in new Microsoft Teams update

Offline connectivity, low-bandwidth connection, real-time noise suppression in new Microsoft Teams update

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft announces it will start allowing users without an internet connection and those with low bandwidth connectivity to read chat messages on Microsoft Teams platform. This is to make it easier for users to continue working no matter where they are.

This part of a wider upgrade programme aimed at enhancing the user experience, the company shares. As more and more organisations, employees and students across the globe shift to remote working and learning in an effort to keep themselves and the people around them healthy and safe amidst Covid-19.

Enabling remote work is more important than ever, and we are committed to building the tools that help organisations, teams, and individuals stay productive and connected even when they need to work apart,” says Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft 365.

As part of this upgrade programme, Teams is also introducing real-time noise suppression capabilities to minimize distracting background noise, allowing participants to hear what is being said. In large meetings, it is also sometimes difficult for remote participants to chime in when they have something to say. The newly introduced raise hand feature lets anyone in the meeting send a visual signal that they have something to say.

“We continue to invest in experiences that will make it easier for teams to communicate and collaborate. The new capabilities we are announcing reflect our commitment to two things: building the very best online meeting experience for our customers; and bringing technological solutions to traditionally underserved professionals, including first line and healthcare workers,” explains Spataro.

Teams will soon enable users to pop out chats into a separate window to help them streamline their workflow and move more easily between ongoing conversations. We are also expanding the Teams devices ecosystem, with new devices certified for Teams. The Yealink VC210, now generally available, is the first collaboration bar certified for Teams, and brings together speakers, microphone, camera and the Teams app to deliver a meeting experience for smaller conference rooms that is simple to install and easy to manage.

Over the last three years, thousands of organisations, large and small, have discovered how Teams can be their hub for teamwork, helping them to stay connected and engaged. Today, 93 of the Fortune 100 use Teams, and 32 million people around the world make use of the solution daily.

In the face of COVID-19, there are countless stories from customers who are using online video conference facilities like Teams to connect and thrive in inspiring ways. Universities across the world are moving courses online while doctors are using Teams for videoconferencing with patients, especially those who are most vulnerable to Coronavirus, as a way to protect both patients and healthcare providers. Organisations are also using the online platform to conduct orientation and trainings for new incoming employees.  

Also introduced is the new Bookings app in Teams which makes it easy to schedule, manage and conduct virtual appointments for situations like healthcare patient consults, client meetings, or job candidate interviews.

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Microsoft brings official store to Jumia Nigeria online mall

Microsoft brings official store to Jumia Nigeria online mall

Microsoft Nigeria is hosting an official store on the Jumia Nigeria online mall.

Microsoft Store Jumia Nigeria

Microsoft now has an official store page on the Jumia Nigeria online mall. A move to help consumers and businesses buy and use genuine Microsoft products and solutions. This solves an earlier challenge as payments are in the local currency, Naira.

The Microsoft store page currently features only Microsoft Office 365 product suites. Offering Office 365 business, Office 365 Business Essentials and Office 365 Business Premium. The store page mentions buying Windows 10 software, that is not presently available.

Get the best tools you need on Microsoft official store page on Jumia mall. Find the best deals on this page. Do more with Office 365 for less. Are you are interested in Windows 10 software? Everything you are looking for is available online at the lowest prices.

Microsoft Nigeria earlier this year also partnered with FirstBank Nigeria. To provide SME’s with an education platform and access to its productivity suite tools at discounted rates payable in Naira.

Microsoft discourages piracy as it has so many negative effects it brings to a software user. Malware ransomware being a major one that opens a software user to cyber attacks. But buying genuine software was a challenge in the African region. This narrative is however changing.

We are unable to confirm to you at this moment if there will be products targeted at individuals. As well as if other Microsoft products like the Surface and Xbox devices will be available in the near future. Or if the Microsoft store will become available in Jumia’s other ten online malls across Africa.

We will bring you updates on this. Click to check out the official Microsoft store on Jumia.

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