Finally a new version of Microsoft Office is coming out for the Mac in a couple of months. If you buy the current Office package now you can upgrade to this new version for free. The prices are quite reasonable as compared to what they used to charge for Office but still way more than iWork, Open Office and Google Docs.

So if you or your company lives within Microsoft and the only way you can use a Mac is if you succumb to using Office, we can think of worse deaths but we’re interested to find out which office suite you use and if these new features for Office: Mac 2011 will get you to buy it?

We here at the ‘Punch love iWork – all 3 programs look and work better than the Office suite does for us, and actually makes it feel fun to work in. While we’re not doing huge spreadsheets and multi-document files, its ease of use and price (HK$650) makes it a winner.

Sure we also use Google Docs when we are collaborating with others but for all the money Google has you’d think they could hire some nice UI designers even if it can be argued that its a free and fast fully-featured Office substitute.

Here are some videos from Microsoft (yes we know, 2 posts in 2 days) about their new Office suite and we think its interesting enough to watch:

New features include:

• Compatibility: Microsoft has focused on making Office for Mac 2011 more compatible with the Windows version than ever before, ensuring that users and documents can move seamlessly between platforms.
• Graphing: Office for Mac 2011 brings a number of new tools to help users display data in graphical formats, including the Sparklines feature that debuted in Office for Windows 2010. Sparklines allows users to display simple data in small graphs that fit right into the cells of Excel spreadsheets to provide a significant amount of information at just a quick glance.
• Photo Editing: Available throughout the suite, photo editing tools will allow users to perform a number of tasks such as filter application, background removal, and color correction without having to leave the document on which they are working.

Editions and pricing include:

• Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011: Includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Messenger and is priced at $119 for a single install or $149 for a Family Pack allowing up to three installs in a single household.
• Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011: Includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Messenger and is priced at $199 for a single install or $279 for a Multi-Pack that allows a user to install Office on two of their Macs.
• Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011: Includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Messenger and is available for higher education students, staff, and faculty, with a single install priced at $99. This academic version may only be purchased from authorized academic stores or direct from Microsoft.

Office 2011 will be available in 13 languages, including Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish. Sorry, looks like the Chinese version availability will be announced in October.

via Macrumors.com

With all the digital photos you take from your point-and-shoot, DLSR and cameraphone you probably should get some good photo editing software to tweak some of those photos and add some dramatic effects.

We’ve been playing with Apple’s Aperture 3 for about a month and its a great piece of software for managing and doing touch-ups to your digital photos.

Here is a quick point-form rundown of some of the cool features we like in Aperture 3:

• Faces: lets Aperture scan your photo collection and try and label photos with names that you set for it. Its not 100% accurate but it should speed up the labelling for large groups of photos.
• Places: This one is very cool especially if you import your iPhone photos because it uses the GPS data and geotags the photo so when you look at the map within Aperture you can see exactly where you took the photo. Not 100% accurate but pretty close.
• Polarize brush
• Adjustment presets
• Advanced slideshows
• Add music, sound export to movie and prepare for DVD or put on YouTube with 1-click.
• Export to iphone
• Work in full screen
• Create smart albums based on groups of faces that will grow when you add new photos and tag the people.
• Drag the photo onto the Google map and it will Geotag the photos.
• In the photo you can see you the AF point in the photos.
• Vignette brush in effects – apply the filter but can have more control on the final image.
• Quick brushes to add effects and filters without harming the entire photo and to achieve the results you want.
• Detect Edges for more accurate brush application
• Presets can quickly add lighting effects like lighting and color.
• Slideshows can add in file names as well as location names into the slideshow
• Hit return key to make the time settings for display in slideshow.
• Drag a video clip to the slideshow timeline and you can pull audio and have a mixer to control the sound.
• 2 audio sources can go on top of the slideshow – one background music, one sound clip maximum.
• Exporting photos is good – into specifics projects – batch application of presets too.
• Third party book printing is available as well.
• Geotag data can be created in book.
• iPhoto is for the simple user, Aperture is more powerful to use and better to manage larger libraries.
• Differences from the similar Adobe Lightroom: brushes more controllable, Faces, Places

So with all these cool new features we recommend this for the medium-level photographer who doesn’t want to spend the big bucks for Adobe Photoshop and probably doesn’t need that level of features but still wants something stronger than iPhoto.

If you have a new MacBook, Aperture will scream on it in terms of speed. But it is a resource hog on older Mac’s so if you are wondering if it will run good fast enough you can test it out with the 30-day free trial.

If you use iPhoto and you are thinking of upgrading have a look at this video:

Aperture 3 is available now in Hong Kong for  HK$1588. You can get it at the Apple Online Store or any of the authorized resellers like Ultimate Mac in the city.

True to their regular release cycles, Adobe Hong Kong kicked off the debut of Creative Suite 5 to the media yesterday in Hong Kong. The new CS5 is the upgrade for 2010 with new features to core software packages like Photoshop, illustrator, InDesign and more. Shipping at the end of April in Hong Kong there will be 5 editions to choose from.

One of the best things in Photoshop Cs4 was Content Aware Scale allowing you to elongate photos without distortion – so with CS5, Adobe continues on that theme with Content Aware Fill. So after making a selection in your image you can alllow Photoshop to fill in and area based on it’s surroundings.

A panorama photo can also use content aware fill to take out those weird white space areas your camera creates.

Puppet warp, which we were shown when Russell Brown was in HK back in November, is in fact part of CS5 and the demo of adding a “skeleton” to a flower and being able to distort it to how the designers wants it to be posed  was pretty cool.

Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop all have a new Mini-Bridge built into it for better finding of files on your computer.

And being Adobe they continue to promote and integrate Flash into the whole range of products. In InDesign can create Flash files for use on websites that incorpoete video and photos, without having to know Flash.You can create animations inside of InDesign with simple animation presets built in.They really want to turn print designers into web designers don’t they?

Strong additions of multimedia elements seems to be the gameplan for this CS5 version of InDesign as it now exports not only to Flash SWF files but also to PDF – Interactive PDF –  that is!

The 800-pound gorilla in the room – the recent changes to the iPhone’s SDK by Apple – was noticibly absent from the presentation and better left for the Adobe head office to determine – but even with Apple out of the picture there was no mention of being able to create for other mobile phone platforms which we see as a big missing piece to Adobe’s future.

On May 28th, 2010, Adobe Hong Kong will be having their ususal CS launch event for the public, this year at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium where they will bring in a team of CS5 experts from the Adobe home office to showcase some of the new features to Hong Kong’s digital artists and designers – Click here to sign up now!

For more videos than you can ever watch about CS5 head over to www.adobe.tv that showcases tons of new features, tip and tricks!

The last time Russell Brown was in Hong Kong was 7 years ago, and the version of Photoshop he showcased then must seem like Jurassic Park compared to what the current Photoshop Creative Suite 4 (CS4) can do for image editing.

In a packed hall at the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre, where Adobe Hong Kong traditionally holds these types of user events (like Cut and Paste), yesterday’s Photoshop World 2009 Hong Kong brought out the eccentric and mad-in-a-good-way Emmy-Award winning Russell Brown to demo some of Photoshop CS4′s capabilities. Hong Kong students, graphic designers and photographers came in their hoards for an onslaught of crazy jokes, free T-shirts and signed CDs and, of course, lots of tips and tricks that would make even the most hardcore user blush (and if you did, Doctor Brown would give you an Adobe T-Shirt!)

Brown has been with Adobe and the Photoshop team for over 25 years, so it was probably no mistake that he let slip some of the “experimental” features that the Adobe technical teams are building. So, what we’re about to share with you are features that we believe will appear in the next version of Photoshop.

While most of what Doctor Brown demoed for the 300+ member audience was already pretty amazing, this new feature (that we’re betting makes it into CS5) will blow most users away. It allows you to take an image – like the one above of the man with extended arms – and build a skeleton inside of the image (on an isolated layer). You will then be able to select just the arms and move them 360-degrees in any direction, allowing for amazing freedom. Perfect for those times your models just aren’t doing what you want, as well as being able to create simple animations within Photoshop.

Adobe’s product lifecycle revolves every 18-24 months, so seeings as CS4 was released in October 2008 it might be a while yet before Photoshop users get their hands on it, at the earliest by Summer 2010. This version of the Design Suite is especially important with the new Flash CS5 that allows Flash developers access to tools to create animations for the iPhone.

Didn’t have time to come down yesterday to see Russell Brown live? Well, thanks to the internet, a lot of the lessons he did are online at Adobe.tv on the apt-titled The Russell Brown Show – so you can really study his advice, as well as all the other Adobe evangelists.

One day to see Photoshop guru Russell Brown live in Hong Kong.

Mark down November 5th on your calendar as the day to get creative! PhotoshopWorld 2009 is coming to Hong Kong and with it brings one of the legends of Photoshop itself, as Adobe Creative Director/Evangelist/Mad Scientist Russell Brown will be live on stage showing off his mad PSD skillz for the 1-day event.

Register here for the event that will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai for the early bird price of HK$150 (or else its HK$200 at the door) and get see Dr. Brown cover some of the newest features in Photoshop CS4 and some of his legacy favorites, while revealing amazing ways to use them. Special emphasis will be given to Adobe Bridge workflow, new Adobe Camera Raw controls, targeted color adjustment tools, and new 3D support – and much more. This edition of the Russell Brown Show will give you a glimpse into of the future of digital imaging with tips and techniques that you’ve never seen before. Will we get him to spill some of the beans on CS5?

Its an all-day event from 10:30am-6:30pm and will no doubt be as cool and funky as this live version of the Photoshop interface itself:

It looks like the release of Windows 7 is closing in on us. Microsoft recently confirmed that they will release their first Release Candidate of Windows 7 in the beginning of May. If you’re a MSDN or Technet subscriber, you’ll be able to get in on a early download now. The public will be able to download it starting today.

Well, what does the new Windows offer? From the video below, you could probably tell that Windows 7 will offer a lot of graphical improvements to the user interface. However, there are a lot more important new features worth mentioning.

A new cool feature implemented in Windows 7 is the remote media streaming ability. All you have to do is add your Windows Live ID to your Windows Media Library, and you’ll be able to stream all your media across different computers! This can definitely save you a LOT of disks, and time.

If you’re used to the XP interface, you won’t have to fear transitioning to Windows 7. Microsoft says that the new Windows 7 will have a XP Mode, to guarantee that all your programs will run without compatibility issues.

From what we think, it looks like Microsoft really learned a lesson from Windows Vista. It seems like Windows 7 won’t come out till every little thing is tweaked to perfection. Let’s hope it does! Take a look at Microsoft’s Windows 7 page if you want to get some detailed information on the latest features.

Due to the not-so-great previous versions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft finally put a lot of work into their newest web browser. The recently released Internet Explorer 8 offers many new improvements in both scripting support and user interface.

The most important improvements of Internet Explorer 8 were the improvements in the support of web scripts such as CSS, and AJAX. Previously, certain advanced web pages will not load properly/load slowly when viewed with Internet Explorer. However, with this new release, most people would agree that browsing speeds and script support are close to that of Firefox and Opera.

Of course, there have been many additions to the browsing interface itself. One cool thing added is called Web Slices. This new feature allows you to view updated information directly within your favorites bar. With this, you can easily view updated information such as weather information and Facebook status updates. This is how it looks:

One other cool feature in this new browser is called Accelerators. It’s basically a selection-based search feature that allows you to look up information from other websites without having to open up a new browsing tab. For example, if you found the word Guinea, and you want to know where Guinea is, you can simply select the word and click on a button that will allow you to pull up a map of the place:

If you currently use Mozilla Firefox, you might be too lazy to try out the new IE 8. However, if you currently use IE 7, it’s definitely worth downloading! Download it now on Microsoft’s website!

In preparation for our iPhanatics event next Tuesday, March 17th (sign up for free here!) here is a rundown on one of the topics we’ll be presenting: Must-Have Apps! Thanks to the release of Apple’s App Store, there is now an app for almost every single thing you could possibly think of! If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, take a look below to see the Top 5 apps we recommend you to get that will help you in your day to day Hong Kong lifestyle that are in English!

1. Evernote

This app, hands down, is Neonpunch’s #1 application for the iPhone. As the name suggests, it’s an app for note-taking. Evernote is a must-get for anyone that owns an iPhone and actually uses its amazing applications. With this app, you can jot down plain text notes, clip entire websites, take pictures with the camera, and even make audio recordings. When you’re done, this app will automatically save it for later use. When you get home, you can sync everything into other devices like your computer. You can then tag your pictures, and organize all your notes in any way you want! If you ever need to find a note you took earlier, just use the built-in search and filter features! Overall, we were very pleased with this app!

Best of all, this app is free from the App Store! You can visit the Evernote home page here.

2. Google Mobile

Everyone is familiar with Google, and everyone uses it. But why would you want an app to Google for things when you can just visit Google’s website? Well, this amazing little app is very clever. Unlike Google’s website, results start popping up as soon as you start typing. This can save you a lot of time! The best part of this app is probably it’s voice search feature. Now, you don’t even have to type anymore! All you have to do is say what you’re looking for, and Google results will quickly come up on the screen! With this app, you can also search for businesses near you. Once Google Mobile finds your location, it will show the business you’re looking for on Google Maps, saving you the hassle of having to look for store locations.

This useful app is also free in the App Store. You can take a look at it here.

3. Fring

If you use Instant Messaging, this app is a must-get. Fring is feature-rich, and is amazingly simple to use. With this app, you can sign onto almost every single Instant Messaging service out there– MSN, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo, and many more… In addition to Instant Messaging, Fring also allows you to sign onto your Facebook or Twitter account to see what others are up to. Furthermore, Fring can also save you a lot of money with its VOIP calling feature! You can sign onto your Skype account and make local/long-distance calls at a far more affordable rate than the rate your cell phone company gives you! All of these features make Fring one of the most useful apps out there!

Fring is also available for free. Check it out here!

4. Hong Kong Weather

Yes the iPhone comes with a built-in Weather app, but we don’t trust Yahoo USA to feed us the proper feed on local Hong Kong weather. So a local developer came up with this dedicated Hong Kong Weather app in Chinese and English for free, that we find is more exact on the actual weather up-to-the-minute as well as a weekly forecast. We’ve gone so far as to move the built-in Weather app to the last page and brought this one front and center. The New Generation of speed-dial!

5. Facebook for iPhone

Ok, if you have an iPhone in Hong Kong and you don’t have the Facebook app on it, what are you doing? hands down Facebook is the most popular social network in Hong Kong and we see tons of people that only have this app on their iPhone. So if you don’t have it, you probably need to get it so that your high school friends know that you are cool and hip.

While the app is not as fully featured as the site, you can get the basic friend updates, email, chat, notifications and chat under a pretty easy to use interface. So get to it.

OK this is actually only 1 of many Top 5 lists we can make on iPhone apps, so use this as a first guide and download the apps and let us know what you think. We’ll feature the Top 5 Games, Utilities and Entertainment in the near future.

Again don’t miss our first iPhanatics event next Tuesday the 17th – sign-up and details are all here.

Depending where you live, checking the time can be quite exciting and dangerous, and now more so than ever with the Evangelion Clock for your iPhone. Appliya, a Japanese iPhone application maker, released two new apps based on the revolutionary anime Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The clock app’s theme represents the NERV Headquarters timer screens. Talking about the timer, the clock app also comes with a very exciting timer mode. When the timer reaches the last 10 seconds, the timer will switch to an emergency red countdown stage. Optional sound effects are also available to be turned on!

The other new app is the Evangelion Picture Stamp. With this app, anime fans can bring things from Evangelion into their photos! You can add NERV military vehicles to a photo with a calm background. Or, if you prefer, you can see how your friend looks with Rei’s blue hair. Whatever you do, you can add some fun into your photos with the Evangelion Picture Stamp Application!

Interested in these two apps? You can find them on Appliya’s website! The clock app is available for US$2.99 (HK$23) while the picture stamp app is available for only $1.99 (HK$15) on iTunes!

Evangelion Clock

Evangelion Picture Stamp

Oh and if you haven’t heard it in awhile, ladies and gentlemen, the Evemagelion theme by Yoko Takahash:

Apple‘s amazing iLife software suite had their announcement back at Macworld. Now its ready to ship in Hong Kong. You can buy a copy at an Apple Authoried Reseller or through Apple’s Hong Kong website for HK$650 a copy.

Just in case you missed it, iLife helps you organize your digital assets like photos, music and movies:

iPhoto ’09 builds on the ability to automatically organize photos into Events by adding Faces and Places as innovative new ways to easily organize and manage your photos using face detection, face recognition and GPS geo-tagging technologies. iMovie ’09 expands on the revolutionary super fast movie creation introduced in iMovie ’08 by adding the depth users want through powerful easy-to-use new features such as the incredible new Precision Editor, video stabilization, advanced drag and drop, and animated travel maps. GarageBand ’09 introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar with 18 basic lessons and optional lessons from top artists such as Sara Bareilles, John Fogerty, Norah Jones and Sting.

Watch the iPhoto demo here. Watch the iMovie demo here. There are a few reviews here, here and here.