The presenter mode in PowerPoint 2013 got a much needed overhaul. The interface has been updated with the same Windows 8 look and feel as PowerPoint. Microsoft takes the Metro style design one step further by making the default color much darker, so that the light from your presentation screen won’t distract your viewers. 

If you are having trouble reading your presentation notes, you can increase the size of the note text with one simple click. Now you can step out from behind the presenting computer and your notes can be easily read from a distance.

A new slide navigation grid allows you to move to any slide in the presentation. You can use it to skip to any part of a presentation without scrolling through the entire thing. This feature will allow you to have optional slides that you can use only if needed, such as slides that answer specific questions from viewers.  

One of the best new features is the Zoom function. Presenter mode will allow you to select an element of any slide to showcase. For example: A slide contains an important chart you wish to go over in detail. Simply click the Zoom icon, select the chart, and PowerPoint will zoom in and show just the chart. Click again to return seamlessly to the slide and continue your presentation.

Excel has always had a variety of data analysis features, but they were sometimes hard to find or not easily understandable. Quick Analysis takes all those features and brings them together in an easy to use format.

Whenever you select data the Quick Analysis button appears near the bottom right of the selection.  Clicking the button brings up a gallery of options. By default the Formatting gallery is visible, but the tab bar will allow you to navigate to the Charts, Totals, Tables, and Sparkline’s galleries. Just hover your mouse over any option to see exactly what your data will look like.

The new Quick Analysis feature allows fear-free exploration of Excel’s analytical capabilities. It lets you experiment with new ways to showcase your data without reaching for the undo button. 

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big impression, Outlook’s sneak peek is one of those small details that can make a big impression.

Outlook 2013 offers a sneak peek of your calendar, people, and tasks. To view a sneak peek, hover your mouse pointer over the Calendar, People or Tasks shortcut on the Navigation Bar. Hovering over the Calendar shortcut will show you a preview of your appointments for the day. Hovering over Tasks will show you the tasks that are scheduled. Hovering over people will show you people that you have added to your favorites.

You can also dock a sneak peek of your calendar and tasks to the Outlook window so that they are always visible. To dock the sneak peek, just click the Dock button in the upper right corner of the peek. This will dock the peek to right side of the current view.

Microsoft Word 2013 has greatly enhanced ability to insert, edit and format all sorts of media. Word can now insert media from your computer, from your Skydrive or Flickr accounts, or directly from the web. It can even take a screenshot of any open program without needing to have that program on screen at the time.  

When you are working with a picture or a clip art image, the Layout Options button will appear next to the picture. These options allow you to quickly and easily integrate the media with the text in your document.

Selecting or inserting an image automatically brings up the Picture tools Format tab. Here you can edit the image. You can change the size, color, apply effects and styles, or even remove the background.

Regardless of your level of photo-editing ability, the Word 2013 Picture tools are accessible and easy to use. You can add professional quality graphics to your Word documents without having to download additional software or even leaving your document window.