Sometimes, it may seem like Microsoft Office has been around forever, but in reality, it's only been 22 years. That's not long if you consider that consumer PCs started becoming available in the market in the 1970s.

Microsoft Office has undergone considerable transformation since the days of Cheers, R.E.M. and Grunge fashion of the late ‘80s. One thing has remained constant over the years: Office has evolved as customers’ needs and usage patterns have changed.

With the latest version of Office, we embraced three major technology trends that have been evolving over the past few years: the prominence of social networking, mobile computing, and cloud computing, enabling people to connect to others and information from any device, anywhere.

Based on many conversations with customers over the past year, I've noticed that people and companies are continuing to experiment and learn how to use social media at work. Although reports show that the number of people joining social networks keeps going up, it's no secret that many companies remain hesitant to allow social media into the workplace. Will it affect workplace productivity? Is it safe? What are the real benefits?

If you use an iPhone, now you can experience the organizing power of OneNote right there. Starting today, you can download Microsoft OneNote Mobile for iPhone from the iTunes App Store, and it's free for a limited time. 

OneNote Mobile for the iPhone lets you capture and review notes and lists on your phone. Notes are automatically backed up and synced with free Windows Live SkyDrive online storage, so that you can access them from virtually anywhere - your PC, phone, and browser. Collecting thoughts and ideas on the go is what OneNote was made for. Read the full post to learn more.

Starting today, from Facebook you can view Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents via Office Web Apps with just one click. Read on for Takeshi's announcement.

It goes without saying that social networks are definitely becoming an indispensable part of people's lives. People don't just use social networks to connect with their personal and professional contacts, but also to discover new things and great ideas shared by people across their life. What if there were more convenient ways to capture and share my ideas beyond witty status updates and humorous photos? What if....

I've had my Windows Phone 7 for a few weeks. Whether I'm checking e-mail, capturing a video or photo, or taking notes, I'm regularly delighted with how common tasks are easier with Windows Phone 7. A key part of Windows Phone 7 is Office Mobile. Office Mobile is all about getting things done on the go--staying organized, blazing through e-mails, being more productive--and still finding time for a life. The introduction of Office Mobile for Windows Phone 7 brings to life our promise of helping you stay productive whether you are using your PC, browser or mobile phone.

Take a look at this video to see how simple and easy it is to use Office Mobile on your Windows Phone 7, and read the full post for my own real-life scenarios and links to more info.

Office, the way it's meant to be

I love hearing the great stories about people sharing information and collaborating with colleagues, customers, friends and family in new ways with Office 2010.  I'm humbled by the amazing breadth and depth of the great projects our customers drive with Office.

Today, we are announcing Office 365, another significant step forward in the evolution of Office, set to launch in 2011.

Office 365 will bring together the power of Office applications with SharePoint, Exchange and Lync -- delivered as a predictable, monthly subscription service. The beauty of this is that instead of spending valuable time managing and maintaining technologies, people in businesses of all sizes will be able to connect easily to co-workers, partners, customers and information.

 We designed and developed our business productivity applications -- including Office, Exchange, SharePoint and Lync -- to work together. For instance, Exchange enables a great e-mail experience in Outlook; Lync helps you stay connected to others while working in Office apps; and SharePoint allows you to collaborate effectively on Office documents with social networking tools inside your business.

While many customers use Office every day, we want to help more people experience the full power of our 2010 products working in unison. We believe the value of the integrated experience is much greater than the individual parts working alone.

With a services-based approach that takes advantage of the cloud, we are bringing businesses of all sizes the ability to experience the benefits of our 2010 products. This means:

• You can see at-a-glance if a colleague is available, and then in one click call, IM, e-mail, or even start a video conference with that colleague through the 'rich presence' that lights up everywhere in Office.
• You can bring social networking to everyday work tasks, including document sharing and collaboration in Office - with all the security and privacy that business requires.
• You can avoid e-mail faux pas - such as accidentally e-mailing to a big distribution list - with "Mail Tips" in Outlook.
• You can broadcast PowerPoint presentations to colleagues, and everyone on your team can tune in - even those on mobile phones.
• You can work on one Word document with multiple people at the same time, see each other's changes, and collaborate without creating conflicts or losing data and formatting.

 More than ever, I am excited to enter this next stage in the evolution of Office. What do you think? How do you see Office 365 changing the way you work? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Takeshi Numoto

Corporate Vice President, Office Product Management Group

Microsoft Corp.

This week I had a wonderful opportunity to see the competition and to present awards at the Certiport Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office in Park City, Utah.  It was a fantastic experience. I got to see students with a deep passion for Office demonstrate their amazing skills, hear directly from them about how they are using those skills, and how those skills are helping build their confidence and their careers.  While I have never been to the Olympics☺, the amazing atmosphere at the competition felt similar to what you would see there.  While there was a sense of intense competition, there was also a wonderful feeling of community among the best of the best Office users from around the world. It was fascinating to see the passion and skills of these young competitors.

I often talk to press, partners or customers about some of the big numbers around the Office business – the fact that Office is installed on more than 1 billion PCs, the fact that we have over 750 million users,  etc. However, for me personally, an event like this is where it all becomes real.  It was so humbling and energizing to see each of the students in action...

Social networking has quickly become one of the most popular ways for people to connect with their family, friends and colleagues. It has also brought up many new questions about privacy and security.

People ask me all the time: How do you protect your privacy and security, while still enjoying the conveniences of sharing your life online? And what do privacy and security really entail?

First, I'd say that sharing thoughts, photos, and videos with friends and family is fun, but it's always wise to consider what you may be giving up in exchange for the luxury of sharing your news in real-time.

You also have to find your comfort level for sharing personal or business information online. Some people feel comfortable enough to "tell all" for everyone to see, as is the case with Josh Harris and his lifecasting experiments. He uses Internet video to showcase his life, a feat that would be extremely uncomfortable for most people, myself included. On the other end of the spectrum, many people still refuse to use social networks for various reasons, including lack of time, lack of the value they perceive, or privacy concerns.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. For the average user, the concern is about preventing identity theft, bullying, stalking, or a deluge of spam messages.

Privacy and security are even more important for the business user, because social networking needs to consider the privacy requirements of the individual and their employer. For me, not only do I need to protect my identity as an individual, I also need to make sure the intellectual property of Microsoft is kept safe.

The responsibility to protect your privacy and security is not just your own. The providers...