Scott Sheppard takes a lighthearted look at what's new and exciting in the world of the Macintosh computer in this one-hour weekly radio show. From the digital hub to the den of the Panther operating system, Scott is always on top of what is happening in the world of Macintosh and has his finger on the pulse of the industry. With a tasty serving of news, reviews, information, and interviews, Inside Mac is all Mac, all the time, and one of the unique tech shows on radio today.

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Inside Mac - June 12th 2004

Listen / Download the June 12th, 2004 Show

Jessica Sommer - Product Manager - Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit

Jessica Sommer serves as a product manager for the Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) at Microsoft Corp. Her responsibilities include managing public relations efforts for the Microsoft Office for Mac productivity suite and Virtual PC for Mac.

Additionally, she leads the charge for creative development and production of all print and online advertising for global Mac BU campaigns. Sommer also plays an important role in influencing the development of current and future versions of Mac BU products.

Among other projects, Sommer oversaw the design process for the Office v. X for Mac packaging, which won the Silver Award at the Seattle Show 2002. In addition, she led the team responsible for the recent Office 2004 for Mac advertising campaign and the previous Office v. X campaign that portrays Macs and PCs sharing a meaningful, compatible friendship.

Before joining the Mac BU in 2000, Sommer was a product manager for the FrontPage Web site creation and management tool, managing retail relationships including those for promotions, merchandising and point-of-sale displays. Sommer also oversaw the creation and design of promotional collateral, Web content, direct mailing, advertisements and newsletters for FrontPage.

Previously Sommer was a program manager for Microsoft's U.S. events and trade shows such as Internet World, COMDEX and PC Expo. In this role she was instrumental in the creative design and production of graphics, signage, and event and keynote themes.

Sommer joined Microsoft in 1997 as an event technical manager, where she oversaw the technical aspects of Microsoft conferences and trade shows.

A true Macintosh enthusiast, Sommer fell in love with the Macintosh platform's ease of use and engaging aesthetics when she began using a PowerPC 9600 at Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in business management.

Office:Mac 2004

New For Office:Mac 2004

Office

• Project Center. This provides one simple way to view and stay on top of all e-mail messages, files, contacts, meetings and tasks related to a particular project. Users can share project information with others to keep them just as organized. A Mac first!
• Compatibility Reports. Users can share information and ideas seamlessly with nearly anyone on any platform. These reports detail issues that may be problematic on another platform or with older versions of Office, giving users the option of fixing them. A Mac first!
• Scrapbook. This allows storage, advanced searching and direct input into a document. Through cut and paste or drag-and-drop, the Scrapbook offers easy access to the most-often-used information --including bits of text, logos and pictures -- and can be accessed from all four Office programs. A Mac first!
• Project Palette. This section of the Toolbox offers at-a-glance access to key project information, much like the Overview tab in Project Center. With sections for e-mail, meetings, tasks, comments and files, the Project Palette is likely to be the primary way users access project information when they are not in Entourage.
• Save as Picture. This feature allows users to save objects drawn in Office as separate graphics files.
• Soft Shadows. New, fully adjustable Soft Shadows add a measure of elegance to every document.
• Project Gallery. This feature now includes easy-to-use tabs that divide the gallery into distinct sections. The new Recent tab displays up to 100 recently used files that can be opened regardless of physical location. Integration with the Project Center means users can use the Project Gallery to open any file -- Office or not -- within a project and create new documents for a given project.
• Formatting Palette. This becomes transparent so it's there when users need it, but fades to the background when they don't.
• Unicode support. Office 2004 now supports input and display of more than 30 languages.
• Long-file name support. File names are no longer limited to 31 characters.
• Microsoft AutoUpdate. Office will be automatically updated when new patches or service releases are available.
• Error Reporting. Users can now immediately report crashes to Microsoft for analysis and potential fixes.
• AppleScripting. The AppleScript dictionary has been improved and expanded to allow better AppleScript programmability.

Word

• Notebook Layout View. Designed to look like ruled notebook paper, this tool allows users to quickly take notes, search and flag relevant information, and even record audio directly into a Word document. A Mac first!
• Smart Buttons. Smart Buttons give users control of automatic correction, paste recovery, and auto bulleting and numbering.
• Track Changes. With comment balloons, easy acceptance or rejection of changes, and Messenger integration, tracking changes has never been this easy.
• Reference tools. The dictionary and thesaurus and a link to the online Microsoft Encarta( encyclopedia are now conveniently centralized in the Office toolbox.
• Navigation Pane. Users will easily find their way through long documents with a full Navigation Pane that includes thumbnail page views.
• Styles improvements. Document consistency is easier than ever with dramatic enhancements to Styles, found in the Formatting Palette.

Excel

• Page Layout View. This allows users to view and manipulate directly in the spreadsheet exactly what they will see on paper, including margins, headers, footers and page layout. A Mac first!
• Charting improvements. New charting tools make quantum leaps in helping create amazing charts and graphs.
• Smart Buttons. AutoFill buttons allow users to adjust how cells are quickly filled. Paste Recovery allows users to change or maintain the formatting of copied and pasted information. And Error Reporting buttons identify and explain potential formula errors.
• Function ScreenTips. The latest addition to the Excel error-checking safety net, Function ScreenTips will instantly display correct syntax for more than 140 functions.
• Rangefinder. This improvement offers a quick and colorful way to find and change formulas. Users can easily see what spreadsheet cells are being referenced in a formula and change those ranges by simply clicking and dragging new ranges.
• XML support. Excel now supports XML files using the Excel Spreadsheet Schema, so sharing complex data is a breeze.
• Preference improvements. These improvements help guide a user's application customization by providing a helpful description of the feature and a clear indication of whether it affects any open spreadsheets.

Entourage

• Three-Column View. This situates the reading pane to the right of the e-mail list, allowing users to view up to 40 percent more of the message on screen.
• Junk E-mail Protection. With an updated junk e-mail detection algorithm, Entourage helps less junk e-mail get through.
• Archiving. Users can now export PIM data -- such as e-mail messages, contacts or schedule -- into an Entourage archive package.
• Improved setup. Entourage now automatically detects the server information and can import from Mail.app, making a user's life that much easier.
• Exchange support. Exchange client functionality now uses WebDAV to receive and send Exchange e-mail. Users will experience better performance in a low-bandwidth environment, and support for core Delegate Access to Exchange calendars and e-mail.
• Calendar printing. Improvements to printing offer users better layouts and more control.

PowerPoint

• New design templates, animations and transitions. There are more than 100 brand-new design templates and new, smoother transitions and animations.
• Presenter Tools. PowerPoint 2004 Presenter Tools have an on-screen clock, notes pane and thumbnails of the entire presentation -- all viewable only by the presenter.
• Font formatting improvements. This feature now includes transparency and sliding size control, giving users more power over their presentations.
• ClipArt Gallery. The updated and expanded ClipArt Gallery adds an easy shot of creativity.

MSN Messenger

• Improved alerts. Users will receive alerts from Office and MSN Messenger so they can instantly act on information.
• Better file sharing. MSN Messenger has improved file sharing, so users can easily send and receive files, even through a corporate firewall.
• New emoticons. More emoticons give users even more great ways to express themselves.
• Spam filter. MSN Messenger has added a spam filter to reduce the amount of unwanted instant messages users may receive from strangers.
• Integration with Word. MSN Messenger is integrated with the Track Changes feature in Word 2004, so users can have real-time conversations with others regarding a Word document without leaving Word. A Mac first!
• Integration with Project Center. Project team members can use MSN Messenger to stay in closer contact through real-time messaging and stay organized by saving conversations related to their projects.
• Integration with Entourage. Users can now open MSN Messenger from any contact card in the Office Address Book. By simply clicking on the Messenger icon on the contact card, they can either start a conversation with that person or view recent instant message conversations.

Scott Sheppard - Executive Producer / Host

Scott Sheppard is the founder and editor of the popular Macintosh Web Site, http://www.OSXFAQ.com He is also a monthly Contributing Editor to Macworld UK magazine and produces a daily audio broadcast of Mac news and information Inside Mac Radio.

Scott Sheppard previously hosted the Inside Mac Show broadcast by CNET radio.

Scott has been using Apple computers for more than 25 years, as well as spending many years as a Wintel user, giving him the unique perspective of having spent a lot of time on both sides of the computer fence.

Greg Douglas - Director of Network Operations

Gregory Douglas has fifteen years of experience in the radio, television and computer- related areas. He was the Director of Network Operations for Personal Achievement Radio, which included responsibilities for the production, operation and distribution of the "PAR" format. As the primary individual in charge of the on-air sound for "PAR", Mr. Douglas interacted with the motivational authors, Nightingale-Conant, ABC Radio Networks, PAR O & O's and affiliates and the broadcast talent. He pioneered the transition to digital for the flagship PAR studios. In addition, Mr. Douglas was M.I.S. Manager for Douglas Broadcasting Inc. where he was responsible for the traffic and business computer functions as well as the computer networking of DBI/PAR radio outlets.

Previously, he was the General Manager of DBI's Seattle operation and Station Manager at WBPS-AM in Boston. Also, Mr. Douglas has been involved in almost all areas of broadcasting, including traffic, business, engineering, production and sales.