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OFFICE XP - TO UPGRADE OR NOT TO UPGRADE

QUESTION: With Windows XP just around the corner, I have been thinking about upgrading. But I find myself asking the following questions about the one application I use most, Microsoft Office 2000. Must I have Windows XP to use Office XP? Will Office 2000 work in Windows XP or must I upgrade? Will files I've created using Office 2000, and others using earlier versions such as Office 97 be compatible with Office XP? Also, in your opinion, what are some of the new features in Office XP that would make it worth while upgrading?

ANSWER:

To get the definitive answers to your questions, I posed them directly to David Jaffe, the lead product manager for Office XP at Microsoft. You do not need Windows XP to run Office XP. That's a good thing since Office XP is available now and Windows XP won't be released until October 25. Office XP will run just fine in Windows 98, Me, 2000 and NT. Your copy of Office 2000 will also work just fine with Windows XP when released. Office XP does not alter any of the Office file format standards therefore any work produced with XP is totally backwards compatible with earlier versions of Office. Of course certain features used in XP might not be visible in older Office versions but you'll still be able to view and change the files. For example, creating an animated border in XP will not animate when viewed by someone using Office 97.

As for some of the new "worth while" features to be found in Office XP, I'd say that the integration of speech should make many take notice. The speech engine developed by Microsoft, lets your spoken words be directly transcribed into the Office XP word processor. Spoken commands such as opening, saving and closing a document let you control Office XP without having to use the keyboard or mouse.

The other main enhancements making it worth the upgrade come under the heading of "collaboration." If you find yourself constantly submitting documents to several people for revisions and feedback, SharePoint Team Services will make things happen more efficiently. Users can set up a Web site for collaborators to store, find and share information, documents and even Web pages. Office XP will automatically keep track of changes, notations in margins and more in layers so you can see who made what changes at all times. And SmartTags automatically creates context sensitive buttons that allow you to make changes with a click of the mouse rather than by time consuming manual changes.

Microsoft offers several versions of Office XP from Standard to Developer versions. Upgrades from older Office products are available as well. It's best to check the Microsoft web site for details.

www.microsoft.com/office

Call up some mp3

These days, I'm always on the lookout for a cool mp3 player and Audiovox will be releasing a new cell phone set to debut in the fall. Confused? Don't be. This cell phone has an mp3 player built in! If you carry a cell phone, now you don't have to lug around a separate mp3 player. The CMP-3 is a dual-mode CDMA phone making it compatible with several of the popular cell services in the area. Along with the usual digital cell phone features such as Caller-ID, web browser and voice mail, the 3.9 oz phone easily fits in the palm of your hand. The integrated mp3 player lets you enjoy the tunes via the included stereo earphone microphone with remote button. Also included is a 16 mb removable multimedia card to hold your music. An optional 32 mb card is available. Included mp3 software and cable lets you select what you want to download from your computer into the phone. The phone's LCD screen displays all of the pertinent mp3 info such as the song title and artist.

At least with this phone, there's always someone worth listening to.

Price has not yet been set.

www.audiovox.com