Shawn Keene

Radial Menu in OneNote MX [Video]

November 19, 2012

OneNote, Surface, tips, video, Windows 8, Windows RT

The OneNote radial menu provides finger-friendly access to common commands. When you’re familiar with the layout of the menu, you can use it without opening it first: just swipe in the direction of the command you want to select.
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More Commands in the Quick Access Toolbar [Video]

November 5, 2012

Excel, tips, video, Windows

Pinning submenu commands to the toolbar not only provides more direct access, but also serves as a status indicator to a state that may otherwise be hidden. For example, now I can tell at a glance the status of my Excel workbook calculations, and change it if necessary before I make an edit that would trigger a lengthy calculation.
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Using Gmail in Windows 8 Mail App [Video]

October 14, 2012

tips, video, Windows 8

Gmail’s use of labels instead of folders typically means that using the service with most mail clients can be tricky. If you know how Gmail archives instead of deletes messages though, you can more easily triage and archive mail from Windows 8.
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Deep Pinning on the Windows 8 Start Screen [Video]

October 2, 2012

start, tips, video, Windows 8

Your Start screen tiles can link deeper into your apps, providing a one-touch shortcut to the content you care about most. Whether it’s people, email, news, or content from a variety of other apps, you can deep pin it on your Start screen easily.
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Use Quick Access from the Keyboard [Video]

September 18, 2012

Office, tips, video, Windows

Did you know that you can add your own commands to the toolbar at the top of Microsoft Office programs? This also applies to several apps in Windows 7, and has even been expanded to the File Explorer in Windows 8!
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Custom OS Blueprint Wallpapers

September 6, 2012

themes

Quite a few years ago now, I saw a really awesome wallpaper created by a Mac user. Designed in a blueprint pattern, it labeled all the standard interface elements on the screen, even the Mighty Blue Apple.
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Apply Folder Styles to All Subfolders [Video]

September 1, 2012

File Explorer, tips, video, Windows

Have you ever wondered why different folders have different layouts in Windows, or how to apply your preferred layout to all folders? Windows actually allows you to push a folder view down to all subfolders using Folder Types (templates), but it’s not very discoverable.
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Enable Full File Search in Non-Indexed Folders [Video]

August 17, 2012

search, tips, video, Windows

Enable deep searching inside files in all folders, even if the search system hasn’t indexed the location. Searches in these places might take longer because they haven’t been scanned ahead of time, but this will provide consistent search experience everywhere.
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Sync Your Libraries to SkyDrive [Video]

August 12, 2012

SkyDrive, tips, video, Windows

With this tip, you can tell your Libraries to save to SkyDrive for seamlessly enabling any app to save to the cloud. SkyDrive lets you keep your files in the cloud and your computer in constant sync, and allows for access anywhere from your smart phone or any browser. You can even remotely fetch files that you didn’t sync as long as the remote computer is powered up.
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Changing the Xbox Keyboard Layout [Video]

August 8, 2012

tips, video, Xbox

Did you know the Xbox on-screen keyboard can be placed in different orders to suit your preference? If you’re a touch typist that already knows the positions of keys as they exist on a standard keyboard, you might be slowed down when typing on the default Xbox keyboard that places keys in alphabetical order. Or you might be the opposite entirely. Here’s how to switch it up. On your Xbox home screen, go to Settings, System Settings, choose Language and Locale, and then finally select the Language option. To use a standard keyboard layout, choose English (QWERTY), or just plain…
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