Office 2010 vs. Office 2013 vs. Office 365 for meeting notes?

[Dude]

Corporate policy is to push Office 2010 out to all endpoints. Corporate policy is also to use Windows 7 endpoints, so with the SP3 we are already past that and doing a one-off. Office 2013 is available but the organization decided to not move from Office 2013. I log into the SP3 with a domain user account which makes installing/using my personal O365 either not viable at all or a pain in the rear.

My question is; am I putting myself at a disadvantage by using Office 2010 when it comes to operating Office with a stylus at times? Are there features in Office 2013 and/or O365 that make it a much better experience when using the SP3?

Is using the stylus to hand-write meeting notes (OneNote) realistic? This is primarily a question of whether the SP3 can hold its own vs. a pen & paper solution?

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

 

[jnjroach]

Office365 and Office 2013 are functionally identical, the benefits of Office 365 are in Licensing....

 

[ptrkhh]

My question is; am I putting myself at a disadvantage by using Office 2010 when it comes to operating Office with a stylus at times? Are there features in Office 2013 and/or O365 that make it a much better experience when using the SP3?

Office 2013 has 'touch mode' that makes (some part of) the UI larger. Office 2010 lacks that feature.
There are some features new to the 2013 like recommended charts and conditional formatting, but theyre hardly dealbreakers. Otherwise, I cant think of any difference between them.

Quick tip: Set the menus font size larger to make the whole UI, including Office 2010, look like 2013's touch mode.
Right click on the desktop, click Screen Resolution, click "Make text and other items larger or smaller", then select "Menus" from the drop down box and change the size

EDIT
Office 2010 lacks scrolling gesture, so it would be incredibly annoying to use the scrollbar everytime. For this sole reason, I would recommend 365/2013 (theyre practically the same thing, as what jnjroach mentioned above)

Is using the stylus to hand-write meeting notes (OneNote) realistic? This is primarily a question of whether the SP3 can hold its own vs. a pen & paper solution?

For me, yes, but to each of his/her own.
The biggest issue IMO is how slippery the screen is. Its like writing on glass, well, it is writing on glass.
The second biggest issue is the palm rejection which is not reliable due to the short hover distance.
I think you will get used to both issues in a few weeks.


Dont forget that you can always try the trial version of Office 2013 built in the SP3.

 

[ctitanic]

Is using the stylus to hand-write meeting notes (OneNote) realistic? This is primarily a question of whether the SP3 can hold its own vs. a pen & paper solution?
.

Realistic is a very narrow concept to describe it. It's the best experience. Period.

 

[daniielrp]

Realistic is a very narrow concept to describe it. It's the best experience. Period.

Well, no it's not.

A stylus would only be useful if:
1. You are able to use it as good or better than a normal pen and paper.
2. Given 1, that this is a meaningful way to store notes in a meeting. If after a meeting you have to type them up to be sent to your boss/colleague etc. then you might as well just type in the meeting and save the time.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Realistic is a very narrow concept to describe it. It's the best experience. Period.

Equally, "best" is a vague and very personal measure!

 

[ctitanic]

Well, no it's not.

A stylus would only be useful if:
1. You are able to use it as good or better than a normal pen and paper.
2. Given 1, that this is a meaningful way to store notes in a meeting. If after a meeting you have to type them up to be sent to your boss/colleague etc. then you might as well just type in the meeting and save the time.

1- To me is better than a regular Pen
2- The possibilities are endless. You can convert your notes into print text, you can send them by email, etc.

 

[ctitanic]

Equally, "best" is a vague and very personal measure!

Taking in consideration that every thing is relative and nothing is absolute, we can conclude that you are right.

 

[Dude]

Thanks for the O2010 vs O2013 info. As far as using the stylus goes, I guess I will just need to give it a shot and see how it goes.

 

[silkrooster]

I think for me, the difference between a pen and the surface pen is the glass, with no drag it alters how I write.

 

[kristalsoldier]

1- To me is better than a regular Pen
2- The possibilities are endless. You can convert your notes into print text, you can send them by email, etc.

While acknowledging your point about everything - in the abstract - being relative, I agree with your assessment of the utility of the Pen. To me, it is a key differentiator and makes the SP3 a very versatile device. Of course, much depends on the individual needs of users, but the fact remains that the Pen is more of an enabler.

 

[hughlle]

I think for me, the difference between a pen and the surface pen is the glass, with no drag it alters how I write.

I've found that my writing is a lot more curvy and feminine when writing on the surface.

And with regard to the point about why would you write it if you're going to have to type it up for the boss afterwards, well that's very much a non-question, why would you go out of your way to knowingly double your workload? Of course you'd just type in the meeting. Keyboards and pens each have their uses, they are not completely interchangeable.