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<\/p>\nJune 29, 2013<\/b><\/p>\n
The big news for Windows 8 RT tablets this week is that Outlook RT is out as part of the Windows 8.1 Preview that was just released. \u00a0Windows 8.1 Preview is a sneak peek at the next big windows release coming later this year. It fixes things like adding back in a start button (sort of) and allowing boot directly to desktop, and a ton of other improvements.<\/p>\n
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But being the Outlook Productivity Guy, my interest is in the Outlook RT that comes with it. Let\u2019s face it, if you can pick up an iPad-sized tablet that runs a full copy of Outlook for $299<\/a>, with Outlook included free, that\u2019s important for anyone who relies on Outlook and has been yearning for a cheap tablet to run it on. [In case you are new to my blogs, I feel you really need a full copy of Outlook to do serious task and e-mail management (as we do in my MYN system<\/a>). So getting the full Outlook application onto a cheap tablet is a big deal .]<\/p>\n Use Caution Installing Windows 8.1<\/b><\/p>\n If you are thinking about trying this Preview out, it\u2019s important to point this out: \u00a0to get this Outlook onto your Surface RT, you must install the Windows 8.1 preview\u2014and this is just a preview<\/i>\u2014it\u2019s like a beta. In fact, I haven\u2019t loaded it yet as I am a bit leery of what this may do to my Surface RT tablet. Paul Thurrott, in his install instructions<\/a>, points out that once you install it, you cannot easily go back. And if the install goes bad, like his did, your computer is hosed unless you have a restore CD handy. So use caution.<\/p>\n Is Outlook RT Really a Full Copy of Outlook?<\/b><\/p>\n Yes, reportedly the Outlook RT is really a full copy of Outlook, at least almost<\/i>. It is limited a bit, just like all the other Office products on RT are limited a bit. Mary Jo Foley lists the things that don\u2019t work in this copy of Outlook, at this link:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.zdnet.com\/microsofts-outlook-rt-preview-which-features-are-and-arent-supported-7000017426\/<\/a><\/p>\n The only thing in that list that catches my eye as slightly troublesome is that COM add-ins won\u2019t work. So ClearContext will probably not install in this copy of Outlook.\u00a0 But that is really all I see bothering me. But I don\u2019t work on a corporate network\u2014there are a bunch of things also on that list that would negatively impact that as well, so study the list if you hope to plug into your mother ship at work.<\/p>\n If and when I do install this on my Surface RT, I\u2019ll let you know how I like this copy of Outlook RT. But for now, I am trusting the reviews: it works!<\/p>\n By the way, to see the many improvements in Windows 8.1 in the preview released last week, try this link:<\/p>\n http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2013\/06\/26\/microsoft-launches-windows-8-1-preview-with-start-button-deep-skydrive-integration-smarter-search-tool-more\/<\/a><\/p>\n Michael<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June 29, 2013 The big news for Windows 8 RT tablets this week is that Outlook RT is out as part of the Windows 8.1 Preview that was just released. \u00a0Windows 8.1 Preview is a sneak peek at the next … Continue reading