A workflow in Word that converts text to audio and transfers that audio to your iPod is a commonly cited example. The problem is that you have to hunt for the more advanced features.If you spend sufficient time with Office 2008, you begin to enjoy the Automator Actions for Workflows feature, which consists of 70 predefined actions intended to simplify your work.The idea stems from the Automator, a feature first available in Mac OS X 10.4 that helps automate commonly performed or repetitive tasks. OfficeArt can simulate effects such as shadows, reflections, glows and 3-D.Despite the Floating Palettes, the Elements Gallery does place the most commonly used tools and templates close to the user. ![]() According to Microsoft, XML file formats are as much as 75 percent smaller than comparable binary documents.Microsoft boosted the visual and graphic effects of Office 2008 for Mac in a way similar to its Windows-based counterpart by incorporating OfficeArt, the engine that runs all the graphics and image manipulation in the Office suite. Microsoft continues its commitment to the Extensible Markup Language format by using the Open XML File Format compatible with the Windowsbased 2007 Microsoft Office counterpart.This reduces the risk of losing information because of damaged or corrupted files and helps reduce file sizes. There just are not enough of the ones we ' like so many ' were hoping for.However, there are glimpses of what could have been a great upgrade. ![]() That's not a good deal given the interface and navigational issues.That isn't to say that the new version of Office for Mac doesn't have some good features. So why make it foreign to them with hardto- find tools and floating icons?The full version of Office 2008 ' at $499 ' is also a little pricey. Traditional Mac users often don't use Office because it's a Microsoft product.So why did Microsoft keep the retro look of the Office environment for a Classic version of Mac OS, such as Mac OS 9.x? Microsoft users who for one reason or another have started to get into the Mac experience want a familiar application to fall back on, especially one as warm and homey as an Office application. They make finding tools and program services a nuisance and clutter your desktop.It's almost as if Microsoft isn't sure who its audience is ' traditional Mac users or Microsoft users who have recently migrated to Mac. The palettes aren't new to 2008 ' Version 2004 had something similar, and I was hoping Microsoft had stopped using them by now. Office 2008 does not provide the user with the fresh look that could improve the user interface or take advantage of Leopard's new spots.Office still uses those pesky Floating Palettes, program options and tools that hover as a detached set of icons rather than remaining on a centralized toolbar. Although the difference for any function seems marginal, it adds up if you use Office applications as much as I do.The answer to the second question is no. I did see a slight improvement in speed, particularly on my MacBook, which sports a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1G of memory and an 80G hard drive. There are two questions I plan to answer in this review of Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition.First: Will Microsoft's new Office suite for Mac run faster than the older versions, including Office 2004, which ran natively on Power PC Macs and had to use Apple's Rosetta emulation technology to run on Intel Macs? That technology made the old versions operate relatively slowly.Second: Will Office 2008 take advantage of the unique user interface features in Leopard, Mac's latest operating system?The answer to the first question is yes.
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