With Microsoft Office 2013 set for release very soon (and after our look at the new mobile excel apps), we thought we’d take a look at some of the new features to be added to its Access software.
The database powerhouse has undergone an overhaul and not just aesthetically. More app-focused, easily shareable and with a revised back-end, Access 2013 is set to build and develop upon the now three year old incumbent, Access 2010.
So what exactly is different about Access 2013 compared to previous versions? And will these differences make the user experience better or worse?
App-Based
The biggest new feature to be brought in with Access 2013 is the focus on a more app-based system.
What with the introduction of Windows 8 and Sharepoint’s development into a realistic competitor to Google Drive and Dropbox, it’s unsurprising that Access 2013 has such a focus.
In Access 2013 you’ll be able to create an app (which can effectively be anything, but we’ll assume an Access file!), upload it to Sharepoint and then allow access to anyone you like.
No extra login details are required; just those of the business’/users’ Sharepoint account.
Rumour has it Microsoft looks set to release a version of Office for iOS and Android devices early next year, and it’s safe to say the preemptive reception is mixed. Whilst there has been no official announcement from Microsoft, The Verge broke the news after receiving various leaks from high-profile sources as well as posting an apparent screenshot of the app in use on an iPad (see pic below).
With the recent release of the Surface Tablet and Windows 8 as a multi-platform operating system, many are questioning the decision to release a flagship product on competitor devices. However, it would appear that the basic free version of Office set to be available on mobile devices will be nothing more than a document reader – editing functions will only come with an Office 365 subscription.
As no official details have been released as yet we can’t go into depth on the functionality of the app, so instead in this article we’ll be taking a general look at the potential impacts and usefulness of Office on iOS and Android.
New course just launched! Learn how to create iPhone apps with no prior coding experience on our iOS App Training for Non Developers course!
If Windows 8 proves to be as popular and widely adopted as Windows 7, it could be huge for apps and responsive web design, taking the formats from mobile to a mainstream desktop market.
The booming mobile industry (dominated by iOS and Android) has seen apps go mainstream in the last few years. It has also prompted a radical change in web design with a desire for responsive design that adapts to browser size.
However, the number of websites with responsive design is still miniscule, and apps are still mostly for personal use on mobile devices. True synchronicity between desktop and mobile, (and between work and home) is still a long way off.
Windows 8 could be the catalyst to take app development and responsive design from mobile to desktop.
Sorry developers, it looks like you’re going to have to learn to make apps for Windows 8 on top of Android and iOS.
Taking Apple’s latest OSX update a step further, Microsoft have unveiled an operating system to work on all devices, desktop and mobile, by focusing on apps. They’re a bit late to the party, with Apple have had an App store on desktop for a long time. But despite Apple’s break into the market, Windows is still by far the global operating system of choice, particularly in workplaces.
Like Apple’s App Store and Google Play, Microsoft is launching its own closed app marketplace and this is expected to become the norm for downloading software as it’s often seen as ‘safer’ than downloading straight off the web, and easier than going into a shop and buying a disk. Read the rest of "Windows 8, Apps and Responsive Web Design"
Every SEO Person Needs This in their Link-Building Toolkit
Link building is the process of trying to manipulate the inbound links that are directly aiming towards a site. It is an essential part of an SEO campaign but a lot of SEO people do not use or have the essential tools to do the job properly and thoroughly. Even so, the people with the right tools still don’t use them to their full potential and are making life difficult for themselves.
If you want to learn more about building your own spreadsheet then take our Excel Training course ( we also offer advanced excel training), also if you want to learn more about Search Engine Optimisation, then try our SEO Training course in Brighton, Sussex.
I have created an Excel document and a Word document to help you with your link building campaign. The Excel document includes different worksheets with different lists in to enter your data as you go along. For data entry, Excel will always be a useful tool to use as it allows you to switch from cell to cell while entering data with ease.
Normally, link building is an on-going practice and from time to time it can get boring and repetitive, but if you keep it all organised then you will find it a lot easier. Also, if you need to get someone else to do the link building for you, with these resources, you can easily pass on what you have done and they can just pick up where you left off.
Google handles 80% of European web searches, according to ComScore, compared to 65% in the US. Does this give Google a Monopoly over search – and more importantly the advertising revenue that search engines attract?
It’s impossible not to consider Google as a marketing professional. Google is the main search engine we look at on our 1-day SEO course and as the most popular paid search tool we only offer AdWords courses.We also run beginners and advanced Google Analytics training for measuring your campaigns.
This week there has been a enquiry by the European Commission into three separate allegations that Google’s ‘so called’ democratic style search is being adapted by Google. They claim that Google are demoting competing websites in favour of their own services in the search results. Google will sometimes insert links into results offering its own specialist services – news, price comparison, maps or book search. Competitors claim this diverts traffic away from rival services.
The commission has sent out questionnaires seeking information about complaints from a British vertical search company called Foundem, a French legal search engine called eJustice and the shopping site, Ciao, which is owned by Microsoft.
Many SEO and Search companies will be rejoicing in the fact that the commission is taking the issue seriously. This enquiry should shake up Google – who will be aware that the commission has previously levied huge financial penalties on Microsoft and Intel in recent years for using tactics to squash competing software.
Google is claiming that the attack has been orchestrated by Microsoft, which recently merged its search business with Yahoo’s in an effort to challenge Google. They have pointed out Microsoft’s interest in Foundem - which is part of a trade grouping sponsored by Microsoft called the “Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace” – and also their ownership of Ciao. Read the rest of "Google Monopoly Questioned By the European Commission"
Excel’s Auto Sum feature is a handy time-saving feature that prevents you having to type out lists of commonly used values like sequences of numbers, days of the week or months. Auto Sum is covered in our Excel Beginners Training Course in Brighton, Sussex.
Watch the video, or read the instructions below:
Written Instructions
Let’s demonstrate this with months. Type “January” in to a cell in your spreadsheet. Highlight the cell and you’ll see that there’s a little black arrow in the bottom right hand corner. Carefully click on this arrow with the mouse (a bit fiddly!) and hold the button. Now drag the box downwards a few cells and release, and Excel will fill in the subsequent months for you. Clever eh! Even better, it will also recognise abbreviations, such as Jan, Feb, Mar etc…
When you have finished dragging you will also see an Auto Fill options box appear.
If you click on this a drop down menu will appear showing you a list of further options. Whatever you press in this drop down menu will affect the series of numbers that you have created. If you would rather not have Excel type out all of the months and want all of the cells to say January, use the “copy cells” option
Once you’ve created a chart, you can change chart type at any time without losing the data. For instance, you can quickly change from a bar-chart to a pie-chart if you think it will display the information more clearly.
First, select your chart to access the chart options heading, and then select the Design tab. Now select the change chart button at the left hand side of the ribbon:
Now you can choose from a range of chart templates, including column, bar, scatter and line charts. You can also set one particular type to become the default chart template that will appear when you create a chart.
In this example, select a 3-D cone chart for the following result:
Once you’re happy with the chart type, you can also change the style so that the colours and fonts fit with the image you want to portray.
Again – select your chart and look at the “design” section of the ribbon. You will find the chart styles section on the right hand side of the ribbon. For more options, click on the “More” arrow as indicated below:
In our example, select layout 42 at the bottom of the list. Excel will then automatically apply this to your chart, like this:
With Microsoft Office 2013 set for release very soon (and after our look at the new mobile excel apps), we thought we’d take a look at some of the new features to be added to its Access software.
