Executive Summary:
Windows Live SkyDrive is a Web-based storage service from Microsoft. Although promising, it doesn’t offer enough storage space, our reviewer feels. And after reviewing Office 2008 for Mac, it appears it’s not necessarily that much better than earlier versions. However, some might have reason to still buy it.
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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/article/showcase/windows-server-2008-release-candidate-1.aspx