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Have you downloaded the coolest application over at Office Labs? Microsoft Office Labs is an official Microsoft website which allow their internal employees to post their application ideas, more like “concept cars”, which can be downloaded by users. These applications are not yet in Microsoft Office product and would not guarantee it’s including. However; users can opt to download and use them while they are available.
As described by Microsoft itself: This site is a proving ground for ideas that come from regular employees and interns who work anywhere in Microsoft. Most of the code prototypes are developed by the Office Labs team in partnership with the teams that make the products. After all, they produce most of the ideas. Some of the things you find here will be web-based, others are downloads. Some will be a combination, something we call “software + services.”
The prototypes you see here are like “Concept Cars”. They aren’t products or features of Microsoft Office. Don’t expect them to work perfectly, or be available here forever. Just as when a concept car is shown at an auto-show, one or two or none of the ideas shown might make it into a future vehicle. Everybody knows it’s unpredictable, so don’t go off thinking this is some kind of preview for future versions of Office, ok? Anyway, we thought it would be interesting to present some ideas we are exploring.
It’s fun to try new stuff, but we also have a reason for putting these ideas out here in public. We want to find out which of these ideas are valuable, how people use them, and generally what you all think. To measure how effective the various ideas are we collect a variety of data about how you use these prototypes. If the thought of us gathering this data bothers you, please don’t use these tools.
The about page is here.
Currently, below are the available applications for download (from Microsoft Office Labs site):
StickySorter
Want a new, easier way to organize information for brainstorm sessions? StickySorter is a community project that offers new idea generation and organizing tools designed to save you time and improve your results.
Touchless
Get multi-touch functionality without touching. How? A webcam is used to track color based markers. This is an Office Labs community and open source project.
Chart Advisor
Want to create charts quickly in Excel? Let Chart Advisor generate graphs appropriate for your data so that you can pick one you like. It’s fun!
Email Prioritizer
Tired of email overload? Email Prioritizer is designed to help you manage email overload with a “do not disturb” feature and email ranking. Works with Outlook 2007 running on Exchange server.
pptPlex
With just a few clicks, transform your PowerPoint presentations into a zoomable canvas. Works with Microsoft PowerPoint 2007.
Speed Launch
Get quick access to all the documents, files, and websites you use most. Speed Launch is Office Labs’ first community prototype.
Search Commands
Search for commands in your own words and get the button to do it, instantly. Works with Microsoft Office 2007 – Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Community Clips
Find “how-to” videos about Microsoft Office products made by users like yourself. Includes a screen recording application to easily create and share your own videos to help others.
Go ahead and download them, enjoy.
