REDMOND, Wash., May 21, 1996 — Time for the 2 p.m. project status meeting? Check the sundial. Need to run some numbers for the monthly sales report? Get out the abacus. While today’s business worker is more likely to send an e-mail message via the Internet than fire off a telegram from the local mercantile, continuous innovations like these have made it possible for today’s business person to get his or her work done faster and more easily than ever before. Today, Microsoft Corp. launches a fun online contest to pay tribute to these significant innovations and to thank the 22 million users of Microsoft®
Office for helping make productivity software suites one of the most significant innovations in modern business.
Contest participants are invited to explore a world of office innovation and enter a drawing to win innovative computer accessories. Along the way, entrants will learn about recent software innovations in Microsoft Office applications and have an opportunity to download the latest Internet tools for Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, the PowerPoint® presentation graphics program and Schedule+. The contest can be accessed from the Microsoft Office home page at http://microsoft.com/msoffice/contest/innovation/. The contest will run until noon on June 6, the last day of the Windows®
World trade show in Chicago. Show attendees will have the opportunity to enter the contest at several hands-on computer stations in the Microsoft Windows World booth.
In addition to the contest, Microsoft will host a celebration during Windows World to thank customers for the success of Microsoft Office and for the role they have played in the advancement of innovations in Microsoft productivity applications. The celebration will be held on Tuesday, June 4, at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Invitations to the event will be distributed on Monday, June 3, and Tuesday, June 4, at Windows World during theater presentations to be given in the Microsoft trade-show booth. This reception will feature entertainment, food, additional prize drawings and several hands-on computer stations where attendees can experience the latest innovations in Microsoft Office, such as the Office Internet Assistants – tools that allow users of Office to create documents for the Internet using the software they know and use every day.
Microsoft’s desktop innovations are the result of a rich history of working closely with customers to develop tools that address their needs.
“The type of solutions we have implemented at United Way would not have been possible without the innovative advancements of Office for Windows 95,”
said Jim Ball, president, United Way of Benton and Franklin counties, Wash.
As the first software company to offer a complete suite of business productivity applications, Microsoft has continued to provide software innovations in Microsoft Office for millions of customers around the world. Key innovations in the history of Office include the following:
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Answer Wizard, which accepts a user’s questions, interprets those questions, and then takes the user to the appropriate Help topics
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Desktop application suite, the first to offer an integrated collection of full-featured applications to make it easier to buy, install and use the applications together
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Microsoft Office Binders, a new file type that allows users to consolidate into one file documents from various Office applications (including Office Compatible) that support DocObject technology
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, PowerPoint and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
