Resolutions that promise increased productivity and all-around happiness. Happy New Year.

In that spirit, we’re publishing our list of what you should focus on in 2012. We’ve separated it into two sections: one for IT leaders and one for employees. It’s not just a smattering of unattainable goals; these are resolutions you can keep. Get crackin’.

For IT Leaders

1. Formulate a social media policy. Yammer‘s Maria Ogneva wrote a comprehensive guide for Mashable, and in it she offers practical tips and sensible advice: “The best way to ensure buy-in to your social media policy is not through threat of disciplinary action. Rather, it’s by providing education and resources, and building the right processes.” We like how she thinks. Read it here.
2. Change is good. Embrace the mobility megatrend. See TechTarget’s big picture article here, and its how-to for CIOs here.
3. Help your folks help themselves – offer software support and training (read an old PC Helps Blog post, “Designing Graceful, Not Godawful, Solutions” – its message is still applicable).

For Employees

1. Use Excel formulas more, manually vet less. (See our repository of Excel tips here.)
2. Change your password when prompted, without the added griping.
3. Hoard mail less, archive more. Your email program will run faster, and you’ll find old mail easier. (Find email tips here.)
4. Save constantly (on a PC, Ctrl+S; Mac, Command+S), and, while you are at it, learn more keyboard shortcuts. (Get Windows keyboard shortcuts here; Mac shortcuts here.)

Happy 2012!

By Joe Puckett, director of recruiting and training at PC Helps

The Rave:
It’s a well-known fact that who you know can be just as important as what you know. For example, the right person from your organization being a member of the
right golf club can make a huge difference.

Part 5 in the series: 
Are You a Member of the Club?

Personal links made on the golf links can drive business. In the location-independent global village we now live in, having the right people as followers or friends can be much like belonging to the right golf club. The increased integration of social media in iOS 5 makes it easier to be everywhere at once.

Below are some tips for creating presentations that will survive the trip from the PC to the iPad.

Tips for creating presentations that will survive the trip from the PC to the iPad.

Choosing Fonts and Bullets That Will Display Properly on the iPad

Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, 2007, 2010

The iPad is a natural choice for running presentations without having to carry a bulky laptop, but sometimes fonts and bullets do not display properly on the device. Consider the following tips before sending your PowerPoint file to someone who will run it from a tablet. In all cases, allow enough time to review and tweak the presentation on the iPad, as some translation issues are likely.

Fonts:

The following list of fonts (or a close substitute) are available in many installations of Microsoft Office on the PC and in Keynote on the iPad. When working in PowerPoint, choose from these fonts if you want your text to look the same in both PowerPoint and Keynote. While you still may get a warning about missing fonts when the presentation is opened in Keynote, the font will most likely appear unchanged:

Arial, Arial Rounded MT Bold, Courier, Courier New, Georgia, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Papyrus.

NOTE: Calibri, the default font used by Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010, is not available on the iPad and Helvetica will be substituted. If you choose Calibri (or any other unsupported font) when creating your presentation in PowerPoint, Helvetica may be substituted on the iPad.

Bullets:

Only the first two bullet types from the default Bullets and Numbering dialog in PowerPoint will appear correctly on the iPad. If you want to use a bullet other than Filled Round or Hollow Round, follow these steps:

PowerPoint 2003:

1. Select the text that requires a custom bullet.
2. Right-click on the text and choose Bullets and Numbering in the context menu.
3. Choose any of the gallery positions in the second row of the dialog box, and click either the Picture or Customize button. For the Picture button, select a Picture Bullet, then click OK. For the Customize button, click the Font drop-down list in the Symbol dialog box that appears and choose one of the fonts available on the iPad as listed in the Fonts section above. Scroll through the characters available for that font and choose one to use for your bullet. Click OK in both open dialogs.

PowerPoint 2007 and 2010:

1. Select the text that requires a custom bullet.
2. Right-click on the text and choose Bullets and then Bullets and Numbering in the context menu.
3. Choose any of the gallery positions in the second row of the dialog box, and click either the Picture or Customize button. For the Picture button, select a Picture Bullet, then click OK. For the Customize button, click the Font drop-down list in the Symbol dialog box that appears and choose one of the fonts available on the iPad as listed in the Fonts section above. Scroll through the characters available for that font and choose one to use for your bullet. Click OK in both open dialogs.

How to Minimize Text and Objects Moving on Slides Designed in PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, 2007, 2010

The easiest way to make sure a presentation looks good on the iPad is to design it from the ground up on the device itself using your favorite app. But if you do not want to work exclusively on the iPad, you can make some changes to settings in PowerPoint that will reduce the amount of fine tuning needed when moving the presentation to your iPad.

TIP: Prevent objects from disappearing off the screen.

Setting the Slide Show resolution to the same dimensions as the iPad screen can reduce some formatting problems.

PowerPoint 2003:

1. Click the Slide Show menu and choose Set Up Show.
2. Change the Slide show resolution drop-down box at the bottom of the dialog box to 1024×768.
3. Click OK.
4. Save changes to the presentation before exiting.

PowerPoint 2007 and 2010:

1. Click the Slide Show tab on the Ribbon.
2. In the Monitors group, change the Resolution drop-down box to 1024×768.
3. Save changes to the presentation before exiting.

TIP: Reduce the amount of AutoShape shifting.

On the iPad, sometimes lines and other objects created in PowerPoint 2007 or 2010 will shift position. Reduce this problem by saving your file to the PowerPoint 2003 file format.

PowerPoint 2007:

1. Click the Office button and choose Save As.
2. Click the Save as type drop-down arrow and choose PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (*.ppt).
3. Choose your folder location and change the filename, if desired.
4. Click Save.

PowerPoint 2010:

1. Click the File tab and choose Save As.
2. Click the Save as type drop-down arrow and choose PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (*.ppt).
3. Choose your folder location and change the filename, if desired.
4. Click Save.

TIP: Prevent text from getting cut off at the bottom of the page when previewing presentation attachments in the Mail app on the iPad.

PowerPoint has a feature that will fit text within a placeholder without the user manually altering the font size or line spacing. When this is enabled (as it is by default), PowerPoint slides with a large amount of text may not preview correctly on the iPad. Before creating presentations that will be viewed on an iPad, turn off this feature by following these steps.

PowerPoint 2003:

1. Click the Tools menu and choose AutoCorrect Options.
2. In the AutoCorrect dialog box, click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
3. In the “Apply as you type” section, uncheck “AutoFit body text to placeholder.”
4. Click OK.
5. Save changes to the presentation before exiting.

PowerPoint 2007:

1. Click the Office button and choose PowerPoint Options.
2. Choose Proofing from the categories on the left.
3. Click the AutoCorrect Options button.
4. Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
5. In the “Apply as you type section,” uncheck “AutoFit body text to placeholder.”
6. Click OK twice to close both dialog boxes.
7. Save changes to the presentation before exiting.

PowerPoint 2010:

1. Click the File tab and choose Options.
2. Choose Proofing from the categories on the left.
3. Click the AutoCorrect Options button.
4. Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
5. In the “Apply as you type section,” uncheck “AutoFit body text to placeholder.”
6. Click OK twice to close both dialogs boxes.
7. Save changes to the presentation before exiting.

Preventing Unwanted Font Substitutions and Layout Shifts When Viewing Presentations on an iPad

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, 2010

Sometimes fonts in PowerPoint presentations will not display properly on the iPad. Also, some objects such as AutoShapes or pictures may not align correctly when viewed on the device. If you don’t have animations in your presentation and don’t anticipate editing it on the iPad, PowerPoint 2007 and 2010 offer built-in ways to save presentations in a format that will display correctly on the iPad.

NOTE: These methods will not allow you to edit individual slides of the presentation from the iPad. Because of this, perform the following steps only after you have completed your edits and are ready to email the file to someone who will view or run the presentation using an iPad.

Saving as PDF:

PowerPoint 2007

1. Click the Office button and choose Save As.
2. In the Save as type drop-down choose PDF.
3. Browse to the desired folder location and change the file name if you wish. Click Save.
4. Using your email program, attach the PDF file to a message and send it to the iPad recipient.
5. PDF files can be previewed from the Mail app on the iPad or opened in many third-party apps that support the file type. However, PDFs cannot be opened in Keynote.

PowerPoint 2010

1. Click on the File tab and choose Save and Send.
2. Choose Create PDF/XPS Document, and click the Create PDF/XPS button.
3. Browse to the desired folder location and change the file name if desired. Click Publish.
4. Using your email program, attach the PDF file to an e-mail and send to the iPad recipient.
5. PDF files can be previewed from the Mail app on the iPad or opened in many third-party apps that support the file type. However, PDFs cannot be opened in Keynote.

Saving as a Picture Presentation with PowerPoint 2010:

1. Click the File tab and choose Save As.
2. In the Save as type drop-down choose PowerPoint Picture Presentation, which is near the bottom of the list.
3. Browse to the desired folder location and add something like “pictures” to the file name so you can differentiate from the standard version. Click Save.
4. Using your email program, attach the file to a message and send to the iPad recipient.
5. This type of file can be previewed from the Mail app on the iPad or opened in the Keynote app or any other third-party app that supports the PPTX file type.

Tips were researched and written by Brian Choplick.

We think the FAQ is a wonderful thing. But a FAQ cannot stand on its own.

As reported on recently by CIO.com’s Shane O’Neill, the Forrester report outlines four pitfalls to avoid during upgrades: underestimating compatibility issues, leaving workers to figure out the migration with no assistance, assuming workers will use the software’s new features, and neglecting to emphasize peer-to-peer learning.

Here’s what we’ve been saying:

On compatibility issues

We couldn’t agree more. Your company needs to have a plan in place before the migration begins to handle compatibility issues.

As with any new or changed software, incompatibility with prior versions may require users to manually rework documents. Compatibility of versions has been a focus for Microsoft over the years, and improves with every new release, but users don’t always follow the best practices when creating documents, and end up with versions which are not automatically converted with an upgrade.

Files received from outside the organization in older formats may not open properly and need some rework or, sometimes, may need to be resent. Files with links, Access databases (especially if they integrate with other systems or use extensive code), and custom animations in older PowerPoint versions may be corrupted or impacted by compatibility issues. In cases where users have documents they regularly use, often containing complex formulas or formatting, and which need to be updated to the new versions, there can be a significant amount of time spent on reformatting and recreating documents.

On making workers handle the migration with no support

The “ribbon” and other new aspects of the Office 2007 interface reflect major changes in the look and feel of the core Office applications. In Office 2010, these differences carry forward and are coupled with the incorporation of the ribbon into Outlook, impacting usability of this critical communications application.

We think the FAQ is a wonderful thing. It tells your employees what to expect from a migration, and answers the most commonly asked questions. But a FAQ cannot stand on its own.

User confusion and frustration is almost guaranteed when attempting to learn and work with the ribbon for the first time. Basic functions that were performed without effort in the past, such as opening and closing files, managing day-to-day calendar and meeting entries, and applying formats, require a relearning process with the new application versions. For some users, relearning these basic functions is fairly straightforward, and for others it takes a more effort and help. More complex tasks in PowerPoint, Excel, Word or Access often require a combination of training and support in the migration process.

Bolster it with a dedicated migration staff to help workers through a migration/upgrade.

On assuming employees will find and know how to use enhanced or new features in Office 2010

Don’t make assumptions. You know the old saying.

For example, if someone using Excel 2010 for the first time doesn’t know about the new functions, he will not necessarily seek them out. A good how-to tech can show him a SUMIFS formula, for example, which is one of the newbies. Sure beats the 2003 alternative of using arrays or helper columns.

On not emphasizing peer-to-peer learning

Finally, Forrester’s fourth pitfall, not emphasizing peer-to-peer learning, is one we’re split on. CIO’s O’Neill suggests using wikis and discussion groups to share best practices. It’s a great idea, but we know from experience what happens often with peer-to-peer: it’s called shadow support, or tapping the “office guru,” and it turns the downtime of one worker into downtime for two, which can cost a company dearly. A better alternative is to outsource to a company that specializes in Office 2010. The cost savings and downtime avoidance are significant. (See a previous blog post, “Efficiency Redux.”)

How-To: Quick Launch, Shortcuts, Save As and Jump Lists.

1. Adding Items to the Quick Launch Toolbar
Microsoft Windows (2000, XP, Vista, 7)

This feature gives users one-click access to favorite applications without cluttering the desktop. And because it is always visible at the bottom of the screen, it saves them the hassle of having to close every open window to find an application shortcut.

To turn on the Quick Launch bar:

• Click anywhere on a blank area of the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
• Hover over Toolbars to see all the toolbars available and choose Quick Launch.

To create a shortcut in your Quick Launch bar:

• The easiest way is to drag and drop shortcuts into the Quick Launch area, which is located to the right of the Start button.
• Another way is to navigate to the Quick Launch folder and add items there. To find the folder, right-click in the Quick Launch area, being careful to not click on any application icons that are there, and choose Open Folder. You can add items to the opened folder.
• You can also create a shortcut on your desktop (see steps above), then click and drag the shortcut onto the Quick Launch bar. If Windows does not allow you to drag and drop it, the bar may be locked. Right-click anywhere on a blank area of the Taskbar and uncheck Lock the Taskbar.

How to use the Quick Launch bar:

• It is easy; click once on any icon on the Quick Launch bar to open the program, file, or folder.

2. Using the Shortcut Wizard
Microsoft Windows (2000, XP, Vista, 7)

The placement of files and folders is rarely a choice we get to make. Whether it is a network drive or even files on your local computer, they can be a pain to access. By using the Shortcut Wizard to create icons on the desktop (or any other convenient location), productivity can be increased and frustration decreased.

To begin, start by right-clicking any blank space in a folder or on the desktop where you would like the shortcut placed. Point to New and choose Shortcut, which is typically the second item in the list. The Shortcut Wizard will then appear and offer a box to type in the location of the item, as well as a Browse button to allow you to search for the item. You can select any item — a file, folder, or program. Once you have chosen the item, hit the Next button to specify a name for the shortcut. Press Finish to complete the process.

3. How to Open Files from Jump Lists
Microsoft Windows 7

Windows 7’s Jump Lists save you time and frustration by keeping the things you use the most right at your fingertips and eliminating the need to remember where they are stored. Whether you are looking for files, common commands, or a favorite URL, the Jump List is the place to look first.

Jump Lists show 10 items by default. To adjust the number of items, right-click on the Start menu, select Properties, click on the Start menu tab, click the Customize button, and adjust the number of items to display in Jump Lists or the number of recent programs to show on the Start menu.

Open files with Jump Lists:

• Right-click on a program icon on the Taskbar.
• Select a file and click on it to open the file.
• Or click on an action to perform a common task in the application.
• The Start menu also acts as a Jump List for applications retaining the last 10 things you opened.

4. Accessing Folders Faster within the Open and Save As Dialogs
Microsoft Office (2003, 2007, 2010)

If you tend to save files deep within a set of folders, you may quickly tire of navigating through many nested layers to find the one you need. You can add shortcuts to frequently accessed folders in the Save As and Open dialogs to save you from clicking through folders to get to the one you want.

Office 2003 and earlier:

• Click the File menu and choose Open.
• Navigate to the folder you want to create a shortcut for and open it.
• Go to the Tools menu in the top-right corner and click Add to My Places (Office 2000: click Add to My Favorites).
• This will add that folder to the shortcuts on the left hand side of both the Save As and Open dialogs.

Note: You only have to do this in one Office program for it to be available in all Office programs. Also, you cannot delete default shortcuts from the Save As or Open dialogs, but you can reorder the icons and remove any you may have added. Right-click on the icon you want to reposition and choose Move Up or Move Down.

Office 2007:

• Click the Office button and choose Open.
• Navigate to the folder you want to create a shortcut for and open it.
• Right-click in the blank space on the left-hand side of the Save As or Open dialog and choose Add ‘<name of folder>.’
• This will add that folder to the shortcuts on the left-hand side of both the Save As and Open dialogs.

Note: You only have to do this in one Office program for it to be available in all Office programs. Also, you cannot delete default shortcuts from the Save As or Open dialogs, but you can reorder the icons and remove any you may have added. Right-click on the icon you want to reposition and choose Move Up or Move Down.

Office 2010:

• Click the File tab and choose Recent.
• Review the list of Recent Places on the right half of the screen.
• Click the Pin icon to the right of the name to keep it in the list as long as you want.
• If the folder is not listed, open a file directly in the folder and repeat steps above.
• This will add that folder to the top of the Recent Places list. Recent Places is available in the Favorite group in the Save As and Open dialogs.

Note: The pinned folders are unique to each application.

Three-plus years later, why is the ribbon still an issue?

“[One] way we use the data is by looking for frequently used features that are hard to get to today. Any time we see this, it represents people overcoming the user interface to use a buried feature because it’s so important.

“A great example of this is ‘superscript’ in Word. In Word 2003, it must be added to the toolbar manually through customization. Yet, even as a non-default toolbar button, it gets more clicks than 30% of the buttons on the Formatting toolbar. The opportunity here is to discover the things that people love and that even more people would use if they knew they could.”

Harris makes oodles of sense. (So much so, it makes me want to uninstall my copy of OpenOffice.) Still, almost four years after it was unveiled, Microsoft’s ribbon continues to confound end users and IT departments.

And “confound” is not an exaggeration: According to a recent report sponsored by Dell KACE and conducted by Dimensional Research, of those IT leaders surveyed, 45 percent said their greatest concern in upgrading to 2010 is the ribbon.

So, three-plus years later, why is the ribbon still an issue?

It could be that, despite the fact that it has been around since 2007, the ribbon is relatively new to the majority of end-users. After hearing horror stories, many companies chose to skip the Office 2007/Vista upgrade and wait for the next version.

That version is here: Office 2010, complete with ribbon, and Windows 7.

So the old concerns are new again. Features workers have used for years are suddenly somewhere else. The interface changes in Office 2007 and 2010 are substantial enough that without training and support before and throughout a migration, even the most experienced users will be lost.

Here’s an interesting metaphor from one of our readers: It’s as if Office was an automobile, and the manufacturer put the steering wheel in the trunk and the gas and brake pedals on the ceiling.

In the Dell KACE study, participants were asked if migrating to Windows 7 and Office 2010 would be combined in a single effort. Thirty-eight percent reported that they were combining an upgrade to the productivity suite and operating system either to reduce training costs, reduce deployment costs or both.

An operating system upgrade is onerous enough. Throw in a new Office interface, and you have a recipe for productivity meltdown.

I read in a piece recently about one age-old way to increase productivity, one that does not require smile police or a morale militia.

So I understand how the employees of Japan’s Keihin Electric Express Railway Company feel. In the past year or so, the company installed cameras with special scanners at 15 of its stations to measure its workers’ smiles. The scanners, which are made by Japanese company Omron, analyze facial characteristics and rate them on a scale from 0-100 based on “eye movements, lip curves and wrinkles,” according to reports.

It may be a little over-the-top (there were plenty of Orwellian references when it was first reported in July), but it’s just an example of the lengths to which businesses are going to ensure that their workers are doing what they’re told and not slacking on productivity.

New technology measures workers' smiles.

Meanwhile, at France Télécom, they’re taking a different tack. The third largest telecom company in Europe and the main provider for Gauls will begin doling out bonuses for top management based on morale. Yes, morale.

It’s a response to the recent rash of employee suicides, and the company is hoping a new emphasis on worker satisfaction will turn things around. (According to Wikipedia, between early 2008 and early 2010, 34 France Télécom employees committed suicide, some of whom left behind notes blaming “stress and misery” at work.)

It seems that the recession — with all its furloughing, salary-freezing, cost-cutting, downsizing, et. al. — is finally getting to the world’s workforce. Sadly, cutting costs blindly can have unfortunate consequences.

I read in a piece recently about one age-old way to increase productivity, one that doesn’t require smile police or a morale militia. It’s called giving them the tools to get their jobs done, and giving them advancement and learning opportunities. That’s an idea worth smiling about.♦

For more info about smile scanners and other musings about Big Brother, read this piece from the Economist magazine.

MORE INFO IN: Desktop Application Support | Contact PC Helps

Choosing the right migration partner could mean the difference between the championship or an epic loss.

As with any major investment, IT leaders are responsible for proving the value behind the purchase — no matter the economic climate. In an economic dip like the one we are riding out now, the focus on ROI is doubled.

Most IT leaders realize that a Windows 7 & Office 2007 deployment requires coordination, planning and oversight, and they know which areas need to be assessed and addressed. As a result, most bring in a third party for migration assistance.

Champion your migration and prove ROI with these eight service practices:

1. First-Level Analyst Certification: Providing certified computer consultants (Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows 7 launch partners) results in higher first-call resolution rates based on their core competencies. Information workers are less likely to be placed on hold or passed through a tiered-level support structure. Applying a simple analogy, it is probable that the golfer playing five to six times a week will outperform someone who hits the links a few Sundays a month.
2. Domestic vs. Offshore Staff: The ribbon and overall look of the Office 2007 interface compared to previous versions will test IT staff and information workers. Adding potential language barriers will no doubt raise the challenges.
3. Maintain 24-7 and After-Hours Coverage: Forgo skeleton crews or lower-level support during off-hours and deliver constant, world-class Office 2007 and Windows 7 support and training outlets throughout the entirety of deployment. Many organizations employ staff globally or remotely, in addition to a nine-to-five crew. Don’t penalize employees for working in a different time zone or after hours by providing less-than-stellar service.
4. Deliver Advanced Level Office 2007 & Windows 7 Support: As IT leaders begin to see ROI during the early phases of the migration, information workers will have begun navigating their way around the ribbon and will begin finding additional and more advanced time-saving features. Support avenues should mirror these advanced-level requests and should not be treated with any less urgency than basic-level requests made during the initial migration phase. Avoid tier-structured support models to keep service levels high and reduce worker frustration and downtime.
5. Number of Software and Mobile Device Applications Supported: Requiring a migration partner that is familiar with applications and mobile devices outside the Office suite can be critical to the complexity of Office 2007 calls. Based on statistics collected over the past 18 months, many information workers begin their support requests by referring to what they could do in previous versions and want to see those same steps applied to this new version.* Additionally, Office 2007 and Windows 7 is just as often expected to work in correlation with other applications including BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.
6. Training: Instruction before, during and after a migration is a key element in measuring ROI. Everyone learns at a different pace, so having a multitude of training options is best, i.e., self-service, on-demand, web-based, individual and customized. Being able to identify and deliver targeted training needs, solution-based metrics and measurable productivity gains can justify several portions of an Office 2007 and Windows 7 investment.
7. Planning and Education: Many IT leaders admittedly lack the knowledge that encompasses an Office 2007 and Windows 7 migration assurance plan, hence the reach and popularity of migration partners. With this support and training investment and other day-to-day infrastructure responsibilities IT leaders are tasked with, a migration partner should be expected to deliver a simple, successful solution. Anticipated migration assurance plans should include a readiness checklist, a project and deployment timeline, an information worker education awareness campaign, and excellent support and training — all of which can be easily integrated into the existing IT infrastructure.
8. Call Metrics: Downtime and productivity are key factors in proving ROI for any software or IT-related investment. The question to ask is: If IT leaders commit to purchasing new or updated hardware, servers, software, etc., how will the investment affect business units and add value to the organization’s bottom line? Downtime and productivity levels are two areas that easily can be quantified. With little effort, simple call statistics like response time, abandonment rate, hold times, and average first-call overall resolution percentages can be measured and delivered.

*Knowledge workers at 10 Fortune 1000 organizations (clients of PC Helps) were surveyed November 2008 through April 2009, and were asked to quantify the amount of time they would have spent resolving issues such as importing data into a file from another source in Access 2007, tracking changes in a Word 2007 document, repairing a damaged Excel 2007 file, and hundreds of other Office 2007-related software questions without the services of PC Helps Support, LLC.

MORE INFO: March Migration Madness — click here for a top-seeded team and strategic game plan | PC Helps Info Center | Contact PC Helps

The papers are saying that productivity is on the rise, that the fat officially has been cut from corporate America. Good news, right?

Depends on what you do next, says Gartner Blog Network’s Mark McDonald in a recent post. Productivity gains are “… a mathematical phantom, particularly if people remain on their current course and speed,” he writes.

“It is the equivalent of losing water weight at the start of a diet.”

That current course he’s talking about is the way many companies made it through the recession – by removing the costs (employees) without changing the underlying process or operation.

Says McDonald: “It is the equivalent of losing water weight at the start of a diet.” And, as any yo-yo dieter knows, you will gain that weight back quickly if you don’t change the habits that got you fat in the first place.

Read his post here.

2. What Recession?

Then there’s that whole other realm, the business of haute couture, which seems to be a barometer of nothing really, especially considering the latest reports. Following the cue of other luxury brands like Christian Dior and Tag Heuer, Versace is jumping into the cell phone game. It will unveil its very own mobile at Paris Fashion Week.

The made-to-order (leather!) gadget will retail for more than $5,500, and will initially be sold only to Versace’s VIP customers. It will debut at Paris’ fashion week, and will be available for purchase in May. According to the gadget reviewers at ZDNet, no word yet on which operating system it will run.

Do you think IT will support it?

MORE INFO IN: Desktop Application Support | Contact PC Helps

Accessing your e-mail using keyboard shortcuts takes productivity one step further.

In preparation for the holiday, here are some tips to help you keep your mobile work time to a minimum while you’re enjoying the family feast:

For the BlackBerry

Filter Incoming Mail

Say, for example, you receive a daily report that you will not read or deal with on your phone and would prefer to just handle it back at the office. Can you create a filter for that?

Of course you can. Here’s how:

1. Click on the Messages icon to open your messages, then click the trackwheel or Menu button and select Options.

2. Select E-mail Filters.

3. Click your trackwheel or Menu button, select New and then type a filter name.

4. You have several fields you can filter on: From; Sent To; Subject; Message; Sent directly to me; CC to me; BCC to me; Importance; Sensitivity. You can choose more than one option here. For example, to take care of your daily report problem, create the following filter:

From: coworker@domain.com
Subject: Daily Report
Action: Do not forward

This will affect any e-mails from colleagues with “daily report” in the subject.

5. Click your trackwheel or Menu button and save the filter. By default, it is enabled and will function immediately with any new incoming messages.

If you want to temporarily allow filtered messages, simply click on the filter name to uncheck in the filter list. Take note, however, that filtering works only if your BlackBerry is activated on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server; to access filters with BlackBerry Internet Service you must check with your wireless carrier.

High-Priority E-Mail Notifications

You want to make sure you know when high-priority e-mails come in, and the standard notification doesn’t quite command your attention. To set up special notices, start at the home screen, go to Profiles, then Advanced. Here you can create a new profile or modify your current one. Set the desired notification for Level 1 Messages and save. Note: High-priority message notices will work even if you have disabled those for other types of messages.

Shortcuts

BlackBerry offers a boatload of useful shortcut keys, most of which are only available on a device that has a full keyboard. They are performed by simply pressing the key or combination of keys listed below.

Open a message that was sent to you and try the following shortcuts:

R: Reply to message
L: Reply to all
F: Forward message
I: File highlighted message into a folder
Q: Toggle the display name and full e-mail address of a contact in an e-mail address field
G: Move to the last cursor position in a received message after closing and re-opening it

Outlook on Windows Mobile

Having your Outlook e-mail available from a Windows Mobile device allows you to stay connected and lets you get more work done while not at the office. Accessing your e-mail using keyboard shortcuts takes productivity one step further. Here are some of the more useful shortcuts for Outlook on a Windows Mobile device, which are performed by pressing and holding the particular key. For example, to reply to a message that is selected or opened, press and hold the R key. The following keyboard shortcuts are also available:

A: Starts a new message replying to all (Reply All)
R: Starts a new message replying to sender (Reply)
K: Toggles between marking a selected message(s) as Read or Unread
F: Used to Flag a message
M: Moves the selected message(s) to a folder
O: Starts a new message with the selected message as an attachment to be forwarded
D: Deletes the selected message(s)
S: Performs a Send/Receive

For a quick reference to the available keyboard shortcuts, press and hold the H key.

iPhone

The iPhone has graduated from dawdling device to legitimate business tool. Respected research firm Forrester issued a report earlier this year which found that workers who use iPhones are “happier and more productive.” Who knew a gadget could have such power? Here are some shortcuts to make you even happier and more productive with your iPhone.

Easy punctuation

Inserting a period from the symbols box can become tedious. You want to send messages with proper punctuation, but deadlines get in the way. Here’s a quicker way: Double-tap the spacebar. Problem solved. Reputation saved.

Copy Web images

Do you often come across images in your Web travels that you’d like to save for later use? Try this shortcut: Press and hold your finger on the photo and you’ll be prompted to “Save Image.” Now it’s in your Camera Roll.

Making sense of time zones and meetings

Sometimes technology’s intuitive functionality can get the better of you, especially when traveling across time zones. Case in point: the Time Zone Support feature, which shows event dates and times in the zone you selected for your calendar. For example, if you scheduled a 10 a.m. conference call while at the home office in Philadelphia, and you are currently visiting Los Angeles, your meeting will still show up as scheduled for 10 a.m. Turning off the Time Zone Support feature can make your schedule a little clearer by automatically adjusting your calendar to the time zone you are in. To do so, go to Settings | Mail | Contacts | Calendar and toggle off Time Zone Support.

Scrolling is fun again

Mobile devices are practical, yes, but not when it comes to screen size. Scrolling, in particular, can become tiresome on an iPhone, or any smartphone for that matter. Whichever screen you are on – your contacts, a Web site – you can quickly return to the top by tapping the status bar (at the very top of every iPhone screen).

Tips were compiled by PC Helps staff. If you have any mobile tricks you cannot live without, tell us about them in comments or send a mail to: jen.darr@pchelps.com.

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