Crabby Office Lady

Microsoft Office is great on its own; you can accomplish most anything with it. But you can never be too productive, too efficient, or too dolled up with features. Let's get accessorized at the Office Marketplace.

There are some clothes that you have in your closet that stand on their own (figuratively, I hope) in terms of functionality, style, and performance. Example: the little black dress. It's simple, classic, and appropriate for various types of functions.

But you may find that there are times when accessorizing will help you achieve more with your favorite. Example: add a pair of snazzy heels and a string of pearls to that simple dress and you're ready for a night of fine dining. Or, ditch the hose and add some strappy sandals and you're ready for a sunny walk on a sultry beach (or is that a sultry walk on a sunny beach?).

Whatever — you get my point: some things are great on their own, but everyone loves to get something new. So let's slap on a pair of comfy shoes, pile the kids into the minivan, and hit the Office Marketplace for some bargain hunting.

Arriving at the Marketplace

Once we've arrived and parked, you'll notice that unlike the malls you're used to visiting, at this one you don't have to navigate your way through the maze of strollers and gangs of teenage girls. However, you do need to figure out how to get around. This particular Marketplace is divided into categories that define how you work and what you need (rather than by program).

For example, there is a category called Communication and Collaboration which offers such things as fax services and presentation tools. Another category, called Reference, has directory services, language translation tools, and calendars and schedules. All of these categories are available right from the front page, so it's always easy to jump right in and get shopping.

Where the cool kids hang out at the Marketplace

Now that you know how to get here, let's take a peek at some of our most popular services. The three services I've outlined below are just a few examples of the many that are available to you at the Office Marketplace. And for the record: I took all three of these for test drives so I'm not just trying to sell you something I know nothing about. (Frankly, I'm not trying to sell you anything at all; I just want you to get your work done faster so that you can get out for some fresh air.)

Internet Fax Service (from Venali)

Yes, people still fax, and some people do a lot of it. But those clunky old fax machines take up so much space and make weird high-pitched sounds when people call them. And that fax paper! I mean, it's like plastic wrap, only less cooperative. Luckily, Venali has a solution for you!

• What is it and how does it work?  You can send faxes over the Internet from a variety of Microsoft Office 2003 programs without separate fax machines, fax servers, or phone lines. Let's assume you're using an e-mail-enabled device (such as a desktop, laptop, or PDA) and you want to send a fax from Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Excel. Create a new e-mail message, address it with your recipient's fax number, and attach the documents as you would any other e-mail. Or, send the fax directly from your program. It's quite simple actually; you needn't get all worked up about it. On the File menu, point to Send To, and click Recipient using Internet Fax Service.

  Now, when you want to receive faxes, you can get them directly in your Outlook Inbox. When you sign up for the service, you choose an individual inbound fax number from hundreds of locations worldwide where faxes can be electronically delivered as an e-mail attachment. You can also receive multiple faxes simultaneously since your number is never busy. You are now a fax god. Act accordingly.

• How much does it cost?  Rates are from $4.95 a month to $19.95 a month depending on the fax package you choose. Some packages include only outgoing faxes, but some let you both send and receive. You can also choose to get a toll-free incoming fax number but that costs a bit extra.

   Note   Before you pay a dime for this service, you can try it for FREE for a limited time.

• Why would I need it?  By now it's pretty obvious, isn't it? Why fight with those wimpy rolls of fax paper or spend your day waiting to make sure your fax went through when your PC, laptop, or PDA can handle the job? It's convenient, it's quick, and it's paperless (unless you decide to print out the faxes, which, of course, you can do). And the storage story here is also a compelling one: no more wispy fax paper streaming out of folders cluttering your desk or filing cabinets. No! Store all your incoming faxes (or outgoing faxes, for that matter) in a special folder in Outlook or on your computer somewhere, or save them to a disk or CD.
• My findings  When I was installing this service, I ran into some issues that had nothing to do with the software itself and everything to do with the fact that I was trying to do too many things at once and not paying attention to the well-written instructions. Anyway, I popped off an e-mail message to the company's support e-mail address and not five minutes went by before I was called. (Note that this company did NOT know that I work for Microsoft, by the way.) The support technician was so helpful and even stayed on the phone with me as I installed the software and then sent and received my first fax. Great customer service wins the race in my book. Way to to go, Venali.

Stamps.com (from Stamps.com)

Picture, if you will: 4:45 P.M. Friday afternoon, the post office. You are in line behind nine people, six with large packages, three of which have not yet been packed, and whose senders are lazily eyeing the selection of boxes for sale. The one-and-only postal clerk smiles at you wearily. You do not smile back. You have 1,327 mailers to get out before the end of the day or you will lose your job, your house, your spouse, your kids, your car, and then you will end up living the life of a calendar-challenged clown in rural Colorado (true story, actually). How about an alternative?

• What is it and how does it work?  It's buying and printing postage from your computer 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And there's no need for additional hardware. You can print your own stamps, shipping labels, even postage, directly on envelopes with the same tired printer you've been kicking around for years. You can use it for first class and priority mail, packages, any sized envelope (even those dang small, square greeting cards that require extra postage — the nerve!), and more.
• How much does it cost?  $15.99 a month (plus the postage, of course). With the "Power Plan" you get $25.00 free postage to start off, a free digital scale, a free supplies kit, and toll-free customer support.
• Why would I need it?  Unless you actually enjoy standing in large lines behind increasingly agitated people, this service is for you. And for those of you who take part in many mail merges each day, Stamps.com is now your new best friend.
• My findings  I had some trouble getting started but in all honesty, it's not really the fault of Stamps.com. My particular printer wouldn't print a certain size envelope that I was trying to print and because my printer is on a network, there were some issues with that as well. However, once I got started, I couldn't stop sending out invitations to parties I hadn't yet planned, creating labels from nonexistent addresses, and mail merging my way into postal infamy. Now when I drive by the post office and see the postal clerk looking wistfully out the window, I just smile my crabby smile. The postal clerk does not smile back.

Vox Proxy (from Right Seat Software, Inc.)

Yes, another PowerPoint presentation. By now you're more than familiar with it; it's become a staple in the office and even in the classroom. But does it have to be the same old point, click, next slide, point, click, next slide? No, it does not! Grab the attention of your viewers; do something different.

• What is it and how does it work?  Vox Proxy provides talking animated characters for your PowerPoint presentations. You basically create and edit slides and easy-to-use-scripts side-by-side with simple wizards and menus. There are 28 characters  — ranging from a talking airplane to a wizard who doles out "pearls of wisdom" on command  — included with Vox Proxy and hundreds more are available on the Web. Each character can perform dozens of animations, and you can even use your own recorded voice to carry on interactive conversations with the characters. (Okay, this might be an odd touch at the annual shareholders meeting, but it's your presentation so you can do what you darn well want.) Characters also speak multiple languages using text-to-speech engines — — American and British English and nine other languages are delivered with the software.
• How much does it cost?  If you order Vox Proxy online, the cost is $199.00 for the full program. Otherwise it's $249.00. Special educational pricing is available for qualified schools, as are site licenses. You'll need to take a look at the Web site to get the full details.

   Note   You can download or order a fully operational 30-day trial version of Vox Proxy. The download version contains six animated characters and the English language speech engine. You can also get the free and freely distributable Vox Proxy Player to run Vox Proxy macros and presentations. You'll need to include this player with your presentations so users who don't have Vox Proxy can run your scripts.

• Why would I need it?  Sometimes the thought of having to create one more slide presentation can make you want to take a sick day. Sometimes the thought of being trapped in a conference room having to sit through one more presentation gives you that same feeling. I mean, a PowerPoint presentation is a really great way to organize and present ideas and plans, but once you've used (or seen) every slide template, animation, sound, and color scheme that comes with the program (or is available on Office Online) what else can you do?

  Vox Proxy is really for those of you who want to capture the attention of your audience (and keep yourself interested at the same time). Of course, everyone wants to do that, but Vox Proxy guarantees that you can do it without swear words or being naked behind (ha! behind!) the podium. It's a fun way to get your point across and if you tend to drone on (as some of you are wont to do) Vox Proxy can take care of that by using another character's voice. Kids love it because it's fun; grown-ups love it because it's good for them (and because it's fun).

• My findings  You may be a little bit scared of the words "macro" and "script" but I'm here to tell you that Vox Proxy has done a pretty fine job of making it easy to understand how the program works with its five tutorials. My guide for the tutorials was "Paul," one of the six characters that come with the trial version. Paul, a bald, mustachioed, blue serge suit-wearing fellow of indeterminate age, was helpful without being officious. I appreciated that at the start of each tutorial, Paul told me how long it would last. And while it seemed that the tutorials would never end, after I went through them I realized that it was time well spent. I learned how to create a simple script, deal with variables, create interaction between multiple characters, and work with character voices and speech (including how to let a character's speech use my own lilting voice).

  The user interface for the add-in is easy to understand and I had a great deal of fun creating one heck of a goofy presentation. While using animated characters isn't appropriate for every presentation, I can see how this add-in would be really useful for teachers, students, and even some of the more buttoned-down types of organizations (especially if some unbuttoning needs to be accomplished).

A final word on shopping and accessorizing

Like I said before we started out, this column highlighted a mere three of the multitude of Office third-party products and services that complement common tasks you do with Office. So the only way to find out what's available is to drive on over to the Office Marketplace and see for yourself. From providing content management and analysis tools to training and assistance resources, this shopping mall has a whole lot more to offer you than just guilt-laden cinnamon rolls and energy-draining fluorescent lighting.

"It's easy to identify people who can't count to ten. They're in front of you in the supermarket express lane."  — M. Grundler

About the author

Annik Stahl, the Crabby Office Lady columnist, takes all of your complaints, compliments, and knee-jerk reactions to heart. Therefore, she graciously asks that you let her know whether this column was useful to you — or not — by entering your feedback using the Was this information helpful? tool below. And remember: If you don't vote, you can't complain.