Office365 is Micrososoft's Future

Jeff Bennion is a lucid law practice technologist. The writing on his virtual wall says Office365 in Big Letters. This week he posted a great article on Above The Law. In the article Jeff makes the following observation:

For years now, Microsoft has been acquiring companies and integrating them with Office 365 and Windows 10 to let you do more from places other than your desk. For example, the new Timeline feature takes advantage of the artificial intelligence working in the background of Windows, and lets you start a document at work, and when you pick up your cell phone or go to another computer it will ask you if you want to pick up where you left off, regardless of whether that file is on your computer. If it’s not on your computer, it downloads it and you can get to work seamlessly.

Jeff also notes the upcoming release of new Surface computers from Microsoft:

So, today [May 23, 2017] Microsoft is having its conference in Shanghai to announce new Surface computers. What does that mean for lawyers though, whose Outlook calendars and pleading templates work just as well on a fourth-generation Intel i5 than on a seventh-generation i7? Does it really matter what the new computers are and how fast they can do things?
The answer is yes, but not because we need faster, better computers. It’s because between the hardware changes that are coming and the software changes, manufacturers are rapidly trying to change work culture to encourage mobility and remote working. We are right in the middle of a huge work culture change, which includes law practices, and it’s being driven in part by these new things coming out.

Jeff is giving us lawyers a heads up that we have to start getting ready now for the inevitable transformation of computing to the cloud. His big statement:  We are going mobile.

The Death of the DesktopIt is my prediction that desktop computers in the office will be gone in five years. As we’ve seen in big law firms, more law firms will rely on employees working from home. That will be hastened by the technology that is allowing that transition to happen more smoothly. 

This message does not come as a shock to me. As someone who has been telecommunting for three decades, the pattern makes sense. People are mobile. Why shouldn't our computing platforms be able to follow us, rather than tying us down. Mobile technology equals convenience. Convenience equals efficiency. Efficiency makes for better performance, be it sales, writing, practicing law, anything!

Get ready folks, the transformation will be a lot easier if you go with it rather than fighting it. If you are not already there, you need to start looking to the cloud. If you are a Microsoft Word of Excel addict, you better start learning more about Office365.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

Please click here to read the entirety of Jeff's brilliant article.

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Office 365 Report

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since we implemented Microsoft's Office 365 Business Premium. On the whole I would say I am most enthused. Having all Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.) on all of my hardware is great! Likewise, being able to go live with Outlook regardless of device or location is a huge convenience. And for $12.50 per user per month, you cannot beat the cost!

Remember we made the switch after Rocket Matter -- our Great practice management software -- released its Office 365 integration features. Those new tools are also proving to be a great addition to our practice, particularly the new email integration tools.

Of course, we are talking about Microsoft here, so I am not going to say everything has been problem free. Office 365 requires a new way of thinking, and it has been mind numbing at times. I have bought books and reviewed dozens of blogs and chat groups as part of the learning curve. Of course, there are also hiccups. We have not completely moved all of our files to the cloud because we are still struggling with some Sharepoint and OneDrive formatting requirements. We are still getting used to finding those cloud based files and documents. While in court yesterday I tried to review some pleadings on my iPad. It did not go as smooth as glass. With time there will come familiarity. I am not worried.

I have been a proponent of maintaining a mobile practice for decades. Office 365 is a major development in that regard. It was the right move to make.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

#Microsoft #office365 #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Migrating to Office 365

Regular readers will remember that about a year ago we made a major shift to our case management when we migrated from AbacusLaw to Rocket Matter. The move was not without its hiccups, but we are thrilled with Rocket Matter. It is a cloud based system. Updates come often. It is reliable and innovative. They are still ironing out their credit card interface, but that too is impressive as it improves. I have become a huge Rocket Matter booster!  The latest major innovation from Rocket Matter is its ability to integrate with Microsoft Office 365.

Microsoft has been pushing 365 for about a decade as it has determinedly pushed cloud based computing. For a decade I have resisted because of internet security concerns, and because it usually takes Microsoft a decade before its product(s) evolve to a point of reliability and efficient usefulness. I started researching 365 on my own about a year ago. I did not make the switch because I was still nervous. However, 365's security now gets endorsements from all the major bar associations and legal techies. It has evolved to be a pretty good Mac application. A lot of the customary Microsoft bugs and wrinkles have been ironed out.

With the new Rocket Matter 365 integration I have decided to make the switch. If all goes as planned the technology side of my practice will be entirely cloud based. All case management. All document handling. All file storage. All libraries. With Rocket Matter and 365 I will be able to access my entire office from my desk at the office, from my Mac Book Pro when on the road, and from my Mac at home. The idea of remote computing by logging into my office computer with a connection like LogMeIn or GoToMyPC will be unnecessary. I will have the full slate of Microsoft applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote . . . .). All of the programs will feature the latest version. There will be no software maintenance for me, I will have 1 Terabyte of cloud storage. All of my files will be available to me anywhere and everywhere. And I get it all for $12.50 per month per user! WOW!

If things go as planned, I will be able to track and add time to my Outlook emails, sync contacts and calendars automatically on all my devices, upload documents and files, leverage full document versioning, and so much more. The prospects make me giddy!

Of course, the dreams rarely correspond with the reality. The transition is underway. I have installed the Office 365 apps on all my devices. Today we migrate our data and email. I am working with a consultant recommended by Rocket Matter. I will let you know how that goes. Stay tuned!

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

#office365 #rocketmatter #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Microsoft About To Launch Law Practice Management Sfotware

Leave it to Robert Ambrogi to break another big legal technology story. Microsoft is going to launch its own law practice management software.  Over at his Law Sites blog Robert details Matter Center for Office 365.  Microsoft describes the program as an intuitive document management and collaboration solution accessible from any device at any time, all delivered in a secure and easy-to-manage package. Lawyers will be able to organize files by client and matter, review documents, and find information when needed without ever leaving Microsoft Word or Outlook. 

Looks like the the target date for the release is April, 2015. Want to learn more, click here for Robert's post.

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Your Writing Sucks!

Writing is one of the lawyer's primary stocks in trade.  That is why it is so bewildering to me why so many of us write so badly?  We should be better at writing given that we get paid to do it.

Okay fine, I have yelled about making your writing better.  You, in turn are saying, fine Harding, how do I do that?  I am not going to go back to college to get an English degree.  I hear you.  I do have a suggestion.  I have come across a wonderful software app called WordRake.  It is an add-on for Microsoft Word, that adds an icon driven menu bar to your program.  With a click of a few buttons in Word, WordRake becomes your computerized proof reader.

WordRake filters your document for run-on sentences, redundancy, and other grammatical mistakes, all from the comfort of a visually appealing, user-friendly interface. Because it is a Word add-on it runs within Word.  No cumbersome bouncing in and out of independent programs. You create a document and run WordRake. It then analyzes all of your text, highlights the problem portions, and includes recommended text to fix the problems.  It is very cool.  I wrote to the company and asked for some screenshots to post here.  They weren't very helpful.  I got one picture that did not go a long way in demonstrating what it does.  That being the case, rather than read about it, take a look at the video from the WordRake website, below, to see how it works.

I have used the free trial version of WordRake, and I really like it.  It just plain works.  The problem for me is the price.  It is available on a subscription basis, and goes for $129 per year ($259 for three years).  It really does work great, the price point just leaves me uneasy.  If you need help with your writing this is an exceptional tool!

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

#wordrake #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Running Windows Software On A Mac

Our mainline computers at the firm are Windows machines.  However, my laptop is a Mac Book Pro and my home computer is a Mac.  The Macs are superior in every way.  Better operating system, better software, better screens . . . .

We go with the Windows computers at the office because all of the legal-specific software that we use is Windows-only (for example, AbacusLaw, DissoMaster, Attorney's Briefcase).  Sucks, but that's how it is.

There is an alternative. It is called Windows Virtualization.  Parallels and VM Ware Fusion 6 are software programs that allow you to install Windows on your Apple computer, and then run Windows and all of your Windows software on that computer.  I have installed Parallels on my Mac Book Pro and it is AWESOME!

Once you have the virtualization software installed you simply click an icon and then Windows is running on your Apple machine.  Totally seamless.  It seems to me that Windows runs even better and faster on my MBP than it does on my native Windows machine -- and the same can be said for the Windows programs that I run on the Mac.

Now I can have the best of both worlds.  Windows programs and Mac Happiness.

Fusion 6 on a Mac

A couple of confessions:  In addition to buying Parallels or Fusion 6, you are also going to have to buy a copy of Windows to install on your Mac.  Your looking at more than a couple of hundred dollars.  Also, the complete installation on your Mac can be a bit challenging.  Be humble and call tech support.  With help it took me about an hour and a half to get it done.

I am going to be speaking on this topic at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in Chicago on November 5, 2014.  Stop by and say hi!

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

#Apple #Windows #Parallels #Fusion 6 #windowsvirtualization #AAML #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Contextual and Predictive Technologies

Apple's Siri is a technology that I am getting more comfortable with everyday.  It is proving to be a nice little time saver when it comes to looking up phone numbers on the internet, dialing phone numbers from my directory, etc., etc.  When Siri came out she was fairly big news.  Now apparently she is old school.  The new buzz words are contextual technology and predicitive technology.

CT and PT are software programs that allow our devices to learn about behavior and preferences so that the device can anticipate what we want or need, and get it done for us.  Want an example?  Think Radar O'Reilly from MASH.  Radar walks into Colonel Blake's office and lets Henry know that his wife is on the phone before the Colonel even asked Radar to make the call!

The opportunities are endless: phones, watches, headset, cars, televisions . . . .  Imagine the calendar on your phone synching with your car's GPS.  It's a Tuesday and you need to be at a depo in a different city.  You start the car and automatically the depo location is programmed into your GPS. . .  You are driving to court for a 9:00 a.m. appearance.  It's 8:50 and your car senses that you are still 20 minutes away.  Your phone automatically calls the courtroom clerk, bluetooth sends the call to your car's speakerphone, and you let the clerk know you are running late.  Your smartwatch senses that your heart rate and blood pressure are elevated.  It also detects unusual shaking in your body.  It sounds an alarm and tells you to get to a doctor immediately in case of heart attack or stroke.  Oh yeah, the marketers will be involved also.  You are on your laptop looking at pictures of Hawaii.  Your heart rate goes up.  Your smartwatch senses this as a good thing, and an ad for a discount vacation pops up on your laptop screen personalized with your name and an invitation to immediately book a special deal for a Hawaiian holiday.  The possibilities go on and on.

The technology is already out there, and the big boys like Google and Microsoft are investing heavily in it.  Examples would include Google's recent purchase of Nest thermostats and its evolving Google Now service, two more examples of CT and PT.

Hal is here, but it may not be a bad thing?

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

#contextualtechnology #predictivetechnology #siri #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

PowerPoint Presentations On Your iPad

The iPad is a nifty tool for making presentations.  I am a big fan of Apple's Keynote presentation software (for Macs and iPads).  Others prefer to stick with the tried and true PowerPoint from Microsoft.  Fortunately, if you are an Apple hardware person wanting to use PowerPoint, you can have your cake and eat it to.

Over at the ABA's Law Technology Today blog there are a series of articles detailing how you can give PowerPoint presentations on you iPad.  Click here for a look.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law #keynote powerpoint






#powerpointonipad #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers
#Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Branding and Letterhead

Think of traditional law firm letterhead...  Black on white.  Solid blocks of text.  Engraved printing.  Rich, traditional, and strong.  Nothing wrong with it.  Some would say it ain't broke so don't fix it.  I sorta followed this model for a long time -- although long ago I broke away from commercially printed letterhead, and started printing my own through our word processors.

My one adventurous design deviation was to go with three columns in the header.  As you can see in the exemplar below, the first column advertised my personal credentials.  The second gave the law firm name and address block.  The third gave information on satellite offices and internet.  I believe this information is important for marketing purposes, and to demonstrate my credibility to recipients of writings from me (no I don't know why the jpeg below turned the paper gray?).

Recently I began to rethink the importance of letterhead as a marketing tool, and I reassessed the look and impact of our letterhead.  I was motivated initially by Matthew Butterick's book Typography For Lawyers.


Matthew thinks long and hard about how lawyer writings should look. He got me thinking just as hard.  His book also steered me to his website, Typography For Lawyers.  At the website I studied Matthew's letterhead section, and started formulating a new layout for our letterhead.

Next I did a Google search on "typography for lawyers."  That steered me to a fantastic article at lawyerist.com (a website that all tech-geek lawyers should love!) entitled DIY Law Firm Letterhead Using Microsoft Word.  Using the step-by-step techniques from the article, and being inspired by samples from other law firms included in the article, I went to work.  Here is what came to life (again, I don't know why the jpeg gray's the paper as we print on clean white paper):

The new design incorporates the logo that is so important to our branding. The logo adds color. The left column includes all the personal bio info for me, and all of the law firm info.  Following Matthew Butterick's rules the left column's gray print makes it less conspicuous than the body of the letter.  At the same time there is contrast with the smoother font of the left column and the traditional font of the main body.  What's really cool is that it is all done in Microsoft Word.  I'm thrilled with the new design.  It has pop while still being classy.  It is a letter and also a marketing tool.  Our letters look great when they are sent via email as pdf's, and they look just as good rolling out of our ink jet printers.  They also sell me and the firm.  I am never afraid to admit that it is always about marketing, and letterhead like this fills the bill.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law

#Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Don't Rush To Install Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 will soon hit the street.  Take my advice people, don't be in a rush to install it.  Remember John's new software mantra:  Software companies generate revenue by selling product.  New revenue is generated by new products.  To maximize revenue software companies must release new products, whether the product is ready to be released or not.

Microsoft is the master of selling premature software. Remember Vista?  Still regretting installing ME? When Microsoft's revenues go soft, they release a new version of Windows.  Usually the first release is buggier than an ant larvae sandwich, and has more holes than a sponge.

Microsoft marketed 8.0 as revolutionary.  Just as it had marketed every preceding generation of Windows product.  Most of us bought into the hype -- as we always do -- because we are ever optimistic that dreams will come true. . . When people actually started using 8.0, it proved be to be no big deal.  It did prove to be buggy and unstable.  Windows 8.1 is simply the patch for all of the problems that have so far been identified in 8.0.  8.1 is the version that should have been released first.  Instead, as is Microsoft practice, 8.0 hit the street and Microsoft then let the paying customer do the beta testing.  Enough problems have been identified to release 8.1, but it too will be buggy, and crashy.  It will be better than 8.0, but far from perfect.  Let the person to your left and the person to your right do the beta testing of 8.1 for a few months.  The service pack for 8.1 will then be released, and at that point you should be able to install a relatively stable product.

The only thing you have to watch out for is the possibility of Microsoft puling a switch-a-roo, and starting to charge for the 8.1x upgrade.  That I cannot help you with.

If you are running Windows 7, stay with it.  Let at least a couple of month pass so that Microsoft can de-bug 8.1 before you consider paying for the upgrade.  Better yet, wait for the next generation Windows product. Again, in my opinion, Microsoft has an alternating momentum pattern.  Think back:  Windows 95, not so good. Windows 98, a big improvement.  Windows ME, garbage.  Windows XP, good stuff. Vista, garbage. Windows 7, not bad.  Windows 8, let's wait for the next big release.  See the alternating pattern?

Windows is going to force 7.0 users to upgrade when it eventually stops supporting 7.0.  That is when I will upgrade.  I see nothing in 8.0, or 8.1 that I really need.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

#Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Saving Emails in Outlook as PDFs

Did you know that Outlook and Adobe play nice together?  Did you know that with a couple of clicks in Outlook you can convert an email message into a pdf document?  You can.  Thanks go out to Jim Calloway for sharing this simple and productive technique with us on his Law Practice Tips Blog.  With the Acrobat Addin enabled in Outlook all you have to do is open the Adobe pull down menu and select convert!  Simple as that.

Please click here for Jim's original blog post.  Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law

#outlook #adobe #acrobat #emailpdf #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

No Love For Windows 8

Windows 8 has hit the street, and the initial reviews are less than flattering.

There are actually two W8 operating systems.  One for PCs, and another for tablets and mobile devices. David Pogue at the New York Times writes: "Microsoft has combined [two systems] into a superimposed, muddled mishmash called Windows 8."  PC World says this: "Windows 8 isn’t for everyone. If you’re mostly a desktop PC user comfortable with Windows 7, upgrading to Windows 8 is probably not worthwhile."  The dubious reviews don't end there.  Extremetech.com has this to say:  ". . .by shipping an operating system with an identity crisis Microsoft has put itself in an almost untenable position. Barring a miraculous intervention by third-party app developers, Windows 8 looks like it will be a jack of all trades, but master of none. On mobile, iOS and Android’s ecosystems will prevail; on desktop, Windows 7 will be hard to supplant."

Are you sensing a pattern here?  Seems the two-fold approach that Microsoft has taken is leaving everybody looking for more, and asking "why?"  Early adopters may want to exercise patience and let the market evolve around W8.  I can assure you from personal experience with every other Microsoft product, release 1 will be bug laden, and ridiculously unreliable.  Let the marketplace smooth over the rough edges of the first release.  The W8 find itself, and let it merge its multiple personalities with some time on the road.  If W8 is any good today, it will get better with subsequent releases.  In the mean time don't sacrifice the reliability and familiarity of Windows 7, Android, and iOS.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law

#Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Table of Authorities in Word

Call me strange, but there is something visually appealing about a well laid out brief.  The ruled and numbered lines give structure and design.  The even spacing creates a nice balance of black on white.  Case citations bring reliability and precedent.  The table of authorities makes finding and citing the relevant authorities a breeze.  When everything is laid out all nice and even and straight, it is pleasing on my eye.

If you have ever worked on a brief with any number of cases and codes cited you know that generating that oh so important table of authorities can be a real challenge.  Microsoft Word has a pretty good table of authorities generator, if you know how to use it.  Over at Lawyerist.com Deborah Savadra gives us a great step-by-step tutorial on how to make Word's table of authorities feature work for you!  This is a great instructional  Click here to learn!

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law

#Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers #word

First off, a disclaimer.  I do not like Microsoft.  I think the company creates software that is just good enough to function at a bare minimum.  It releases products prematurely, and before the bugs and kinks are worked out.  It provides terrible support.  Unfortunately for most lawyers it is the only game in town, so we live with it.

Now Microsoft has announced its new line of tablet computers.  Called the Surface, this piece of hardware is Microsoft's competitor to the iPad.  Price point has not been published yet.

Here is what the Microsoft website says about the line:

Advances in Industrial Design

Conceived, designed and engineered entirely by Microsoft employees, and building on the company’s 30-year history manufacturing hardware, Surface represents a unique vision for the seamless expression of entertainment and creativity. Extensive investment in industrial design and real user experience includes the following highlights:

• Software takes center stage: Surface sports a full-sized USB port and a 16:9 aspect ratio – the industry standard for HD. It has edges angled at 22 degrees, a natural position for the PC at rest or in active use, letting the hardware fade into the background and the software stand out.
• VaporMg: The casing of Surface is created using a unique approach called VaporMg (pronounced Vapor-Mag), a combination of material selection and process to mold metal and deposit particles that creates a finish akin to a luxury watch. Starting with magnesium, parts can be molded as thin as .65 mm, thinner than the typical credit card, to create a product that is thin, light and rigid/strong.
• Integrated Kickstand: The unique VaporMg approach also enables a built-in kickstand that lets you transition Surface from active use to passive consumption – watching a movie or even using the HD front- or rear-facing video cameras. The kickstand is there when needed, and disappears when not in use, with no extra weight or thickness.
• Touch Cover: The 3 mm Touch Cover represents a step forward in human-computer interface. Using a unique pressure-sensitive technology, Touch Cover senses keystrokes as gestures, enabling you to touch type significantly faster than with an on-screen keyboard. It will be available in a selection of vibrant colors. Touch Cover clicks into Surface via a built-in magnetic connector, forming a natural spine like you find on a book, and works as a protective cover. You can also click in a 5 mm-thin Type Cover that adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.

An Amazing Windows Experience

Two models of Surface will be available: one running an ARM processor featuring Windows RT, and one with a third-generation Intel Core processor featuring Windows 8 Pro. From the fast and fluid interface, to the ease of connecting you to the people, information and apps that users care about most, Surface will be a premium way to experience all that Windows has to offer. Surface for Windows RT will release with the general availability of Windows 8, and the Windows 8 Pro model will be available about 90 days later. Both will be sold in the Microsoft Store locations in the U.S. and available through select online Microsoft Stores.

Do I think it will work as advertised?  Of course not.  Will Microsoft sell a bunch of them?  Surely.  If anyone out there buys one please write us with your thoughts.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law 

#microsoftsurface #Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Windows 8

Previews of Widows 8 are hitting the street. In a surprise to me, the new operating systems is actually getting good reviews. The most comprehensive that I have read so far comes Wired.com.

Reviewer Christina Bonnington gives high marks to 8's touchscreen capabilities, picture password, and user customization. The big thought is that 8 is trying look and feel more like the iPad. Please click here for the entire article. Other reviewers are also laying praise on the internet interface. You can also check out Microsoft's advertorial page.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information of Harding & Associates Family Law.

#Harding&AssociatesFamilyLaw #californiafamilylaw #divorce #family law #superlawyers #americanacademyofmatrimoniallawyers #Pleasantondivorce #AlamedaCountyDivorce #ContraCostaCountyDivorce #lawyers

Are You Making Maximum Use Of Microsoft Office?

We use Microsoft Office in our practice -- what else is there? I must confess that I am sure the various components (Word, Excel, Powerpoint. . .) can do a lot more than I ask them to. For me looking past the first circle of the programs just hasn't happened. Perhaps that should change. I came across an interesting article by Deborah Savadra at the Attorneysatwork blog that got me thinking. For example, I did not know you can customize the status bar to track changes? I did not know that you can import WordPerfect formatting tools? I did not know there are autocalc formulas in Excel other than autosum? If you would like to see Office is a better light check out Deborah's article.

Please click here to read the original article.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information of Harding & Associates Family Law

Windows 8 -- Already?

Apparently revenues are too far down at Microsoft. With Window 7 just starting to hit its stride, Microsoft is not starting the spin for its release of Windows 8.

My opinion: Buyer beware! The previews for 8 suggest a radical redesign from 7, which is never a good thing coming from Microsoft. Compels me to think of the company's speedy release of Vista, as a replacement for Windows XP.

As you may recall, XP was (and is) a relatively stable and useful operating system. In fact it is still in wide use. Then came Vista. An absolute piece of junk. Not properly written. Not properly tested. Definitely not ready for prime time. Fortunately M released Windows 7, and order was restored.

Now comes Windows 8. Lots of shiny, new graphics. Touch pad capability. "Revolutionary" new features. Hmmnn. Sounds a lot like Vista.... However, in the spirit of full disclosure I direct your attention to a sneak peek preview of 8 from How To Geek.com. You can read about all of the great stuff Microsoft is promising, like:

• Metro Interface – the new default interface in Windows 8, keep reading for everything about this.
• Faster Boot Times – Windows 8 will boot much faster than Windows 7, thanks to a partial hibernation mode and a lot of improvements in the loading process. On my old Dell laptop, it boots in less than 10 seconds – on new machines, it’s crazy fast.
• Less Memory Usage than Windows 7. That’s right. Microsoft is saying that not only will this version use less RAM than Win7, it also uses less running processes.
• Windows Explorer overhauled, now has the Ribbon UI, Revamped File Copying, and ISO mounting.
• In-Place PC Refresh will reload Windows in just a couple of clicks, keeping your files intact.
• ARM processors are now supported, which will lead to an entirely new class of low-power, battery-efficient tablets.
• Hyper-V is now part of Windows – so now you can create virtual machines easily without installing anything extra.
• Taskbar can now span multiple monitors – this very simple feature has finally made it into Windows.
• Wallpaper can now span multiple monitors – yet another feature that should have been around 10 years ago.
• Universal Spell Check across Metro applications.
• Windows Live Integration for Sync, Mail, Skydrive lets you sync all your settings across your PCs, including your files, mail, and photos. The sync is available in the preview, but the Skydrive and Mail are not yet.
• Windows Store will let you purchase Windows apps all in a single place.
• New Task Manager is completely revamped with much better tools, including a way to disable startup applications, track application resource usage over time, and even easily restart Windows Explorer.

Please click here to read the entire review.

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Adobe Acrobat X and Microsoft Office 2010

I was visiting Rick Borstein's Acrobat For Legal Professionals blog, as I often do, and I came across another great post. According to Rick, Acrobat X is the only version of Acrobat that is fully compatible with Office 2010. I also learned that my old school was of creating pdf's is not the bet way. What I have always done is to go to file>print>Adobe. According to Rick my old habit needs to be broken, and instead I should be using the create Adobe icons that X installs on to the Office toolbars. Only by this process are my Office files fully converted to pdf.

There is much more to learn. Click here to read the entire article.

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Double Your Monitors with Windows 7

You have one monitor, and two applications open. You have two monitors, and four applications open. How can you have all of the applications open and equally viewable, i.e., how do you eliminate one application laying on top of another?

If you are running Windows 7, there is a utility called Snap that solves this problem for you. Simply click on one of the applications and drag it to the left or right edge of your screen. Shazam! It resizes to fit half the screen. Then drag the second app to the opposite edge of the screen. Shazam! It resizes to fit the opposite half of the screen. Then you are running both apps side by side, and you eliminate the need to go back and forth minimizing and maximizing the applications.

For users with multiple monitors the Snap dragging option can sometimes malfunction. Not to worry. There is a keyboard shortcut that solves the problem. Simply click on the field of one application, then click the Windows button and the right or left arrow. Shazam! The application moves to the right or left half of the screen. Do it for your other applications and you can be viewing four open applications simultaneously on your two monitors.

Snap is a great utility, and the ability to fully see multiple screens will dramatically increase your productivity. Good stuff!

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There's A New, Free Office Suite Out There

Thanks to Rick Georges at Futurelawyer for turning me on to LibreOffice, a new, free Office Suite of products.

LibreOffice Productivity Suite Download � LibreOffice. Microsoft Word is expensive, whether a license is purchased alone, or in a suite. However, there are plenty of free or inexpensive alternatives out there. I use WordPerfect, in its current incarnation, WordPerfect X5. It reads and writes Word documents just fine, and I get to keep all of my decades old WordPerfect goodness. OpenOffice is a great free alternative, which reads and writes Word documents as well. However, after Oracle acquired Sun in 2009, a third of the OpenOffice developers decided that they didn't want to be part of the empire, and they formed the Document Foundation. You can read about its members and its plans here. In the meantime, they have put out a free version of OpenOffice, that is lean and mean, and will continue to get better. Try it out, and see if you still need to give Microsoft more of your hard earned money.

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