11/11/2017

Microsoft Sculpt Mobile Mouse

I can finally say that I have found the right work mouse for me and my small hands. There is a reason why I love Microsoft mice, and the Sculpt Mobile is the perfect example that you don't have to buy the latest super-duper flashy expensive mouse to have a great work mouse.

The Sculpt Mobile, obviously, is designed for people who are on the move and travel frequently, but it is also a  mouse perfect for people with small hands.

This mouse is a pleasure to use. It runs softly and smoothly on a gaming mat, the rugged fabric surface of my sofa, and on the bare surface of my desk. It's quite ergonomic, at least for my hands' shape and size. It is simple,  nothing fancy,  two click buttons, a scroll wheel, and a  Windows button. It's very responsive and accurate, with an excellent tracking system, so I don't have to move my hand much to get the mouse to move on the screen. Clicking is soft and incredibly low pitched, and therefore not noisy at all. Highlighting is quite intuitive and fast. The Sculpt Mobile is not heavy, but not as light as other small mice I own, mostly because the materials are better  quality and less plastic-ish.

Although the instructions on the packaging recommend downloading installing software from Microsoft, I didn't need to do that as my mouse was immediately recognised by my laptop as soon as I plugged the dongle.

The dongle has a storage place on the mouse belly to keep it safely away when moving or travelling.

The main downside of this mouse is the scrolling wheel, not as smooth or sensitive as other mice I own.

Overall, I love this mouse. It is not the flashy type that doesn't work, but the 'normal' does-the-job-to-perfection type. After trying and returning two flashy mice for not being good enough, I am happy to have this normal mouse as more than good.

11/06/2017

Microsoft Arc Mouse


I was expecting a lot from this mouse because Microsoft is my favourite brand of mice, and also because I have one of the first Arc mice to ever come out to the market, many years old, and it's still working and in a very good condition.  

THE THUMBS UP

The newest Arc Mouse is very minimalist in design, bends and unbends incredibly easy, and is amazingly flat; in fact, the flattest mouse I've ever seen. It's a bit heavier than other flattish mice, but the quality of the materials is way superior as well.   

The size is good for people with small hands, like me, as would allow them to have two or three fingers resting comfortably on the mouse (I doubt most men would be able to do so, though). The surface is soft and velvety, pleasurable to touch, and easy to handle because the rubbery material allows the hand to stay in place without slipping out even when it is sweaty. The arch of the mouse is also good, not too high not too low, at least for my hands. Although my thumb and pinkie are left out of the resting area,  the round smooth sides and the hight of the arch make it comfortable for the fingers to hang around or underneath the edges. 

The working area has been intuitively built and designed and, at least in my case, I had not problems moving, clicking and using the scroll,  as my fingers sat and moved in the same way they would sit on a normal mouse. 

One can customise the speed and functionality of the click buttons, the sensitivity and speed of the scroll, and also activate or deactivate the multi-finger use. 

 I tried the mouse on different surfaces (my desk, a gaming mat, my fabric sofa) and it worked perfectly on all of them. 

Once installed, the connectivity was good. The mouse worked well, no drops during work time, except once when I left the computer to sleep. It was responsive to touch, easy to handle, but it was not especially fast or fluid as my simpler mice are.

This mouse is perfect for travelling or if you are on the go quite often, as it can be fit anywhere.


THE LET DOWNS

The main letdown of the mouse is the clicking, because one has to click really hard, almost push down the click, and that makes something as simple as clicking a pain, slowing down work. Besides, the noise is metallic and noticeable. Unfortunately, after an hour or so of use, my finger joints were noticing the effects, my forearm was saying hello-hello, tired of so much hammering. This tightness of the clicking might ease with time and use, but not everybody has the time or willingness to spend futile time trying to love something that cannot be fully loved.  If you have strong hands or stronger hands than mine, this won't be an issue, but it is an issue for me.   

I expected the set-up to be easier than it was. I followed the basic set-up instructions in the leaflet inside the packing case. I tried it in my two computers, both running on Windows 10, but one of them quite old and the other brand new. I expected the device to be automatically recognised by my laptops' in-built bluetooth, but that was not the case in either despite the bluetooth being on. I had to download the drivers and do a bit of troubleshooting for the device to be found and paired in my brand new laptop, but the bluetooth connectivity wasn't good in my old laptop and I cannot use it with that.  

One of the most annoying things about this mouse is the battery holder. It is so tight that it is really difficult to do something as simple as getting a battery out.  

The worst thing about this mouse is that after a day of use ruined the whole bluetooth system of my computer, simply destroyed it. I don't know if a sort of drivers incompatibility or what, but my brand new computer switched off the bluetooth, then kept it hidden, then it would not allow me to turn it on, and I couldn't uninstall the Arc Mouse, and I had to totally uninstall everything bluetooth related to be able to uninstall the mouse driver. Even after that, after reinstalling all drivers, following Microsoft's and my laptop maker's instructions, my bluetooth has been destroyed. My bluetooth worked perfectly until I started to use this mouse! 




I SUGGEST

If I were Microsoft's mice master mind, I would work on improving this mouse clicking and work flow to make it soft, mute and fluid, and, consequently, enjoyable.

I personally like dongles as, until now, they work faster than any bluetooth connection,  they would work even if the bluetooth fails, and it would be a way of having a two-way mouse that can face any adversity and adapt to any eventuality. 

And since this mouse's drivers and my bluetooth did not get well along, I suggest Microsoft dudes to work together so nobody experiences the mess I have after installing this mouse. 
 

IN SHORT

The mouse's shape and surface are great, as well as the overall design and thinness. This mouse is perfect for travellers or if you are on the go quite often, as it can be stored anywhere. However, the hardness of the clicking and the resulting lack of flow in the use  aren't good unless your fingers hammer the click a la typewriter. And in my case, the mouse messed up my whole bluetooth system in a laptop that is less than a year old, something unforgivable. 

I got this as a gift for my birthday, but really, knowing as I know how expensive this mouse is and having used it for such a short time and having such a big problem with my laptop bluetooth, I can bluntly say that it is not worth the money or the hassle. 

REMINDER

A work mouse is like a pair of shoes, one needs the right size and fit to be able to move properly; otherwise, one will be in pain. If the shoes are expensive but good, that is an investment; but if hey are expensive but mediocre, then it is a waste of one's money and and one is walking barefoot. 

Think about that dear mouse designers. 

11/04/2017

Garuda Indonesia


I've travelled twice with Garuda Indonesia for international flights so far, and it is a good airline. 

The planes were modern and clean. Seating in Economy Class was decent and not as tight as in other airlines. 

My last flight with them was comfortable and punctual. The entertainment program was decent, but not as good as that offered by other international airlines for similar distances, and not as as good as Qantas Domestic for long flights. 

In my last flight, only five and a half hours long, they provided travellers with a snack at night and a full breakfast in the morning. Food was all right regarding taste and variety. 

The flight attendants were lovely both in the airport and on the plane, but the in-flight communications in English were a pain to listen to. 

In short, a good airline to fly with, but nothing one would be looking forward to unless the ticket includes a part of the route with them. 

Transavia Airlines


I flew with this airline as they did part of the European continental route I had with my KLM ticket. 

I had never heard of or travelled with this airline, so I had no expectations. This is a low-cost airline, similar to Jestar in Australia. 

The plane was pretty good, very nice colour scheme and very clean, but the plane had small leg room in Economy Class, no free meals, and no entertainment program whatsoever.

The flight attendants were most helpful and friendly.

If you want a cheap friendly flight this is your airline. If you want a bit of comfort I would go elsewhere. 

To be fair, I had a good flight with them.

Etihad Airlines


I was extremely excited when my last intercontinental ticket had a part of the route, a long flight, with Etihad. The airline is at the top of any list of best airlines in the world these days, how not to be excited? Yet, Etihad was the biggest disappointment ever. 

Etihad might be a super-duper airline for Business Class and First Class, but it is average regarding Economy Class. It certainly, does not match the service and comfort I've experienced in Economy for similar flights with Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, KLM and other airlines. 

The plane was very pretty and looking very new and spotless clean. 

Leg room was very little, less than in other airlines, cattle travel, if you know what I mean. To me that ruins anything when you have a 14 hour travel and generates me plenty of physical trouble. 

Food and snacks were decent, but not as good or abundant as with other airlines.

The entertainment program was good enough, but not really excellent, or as vast and varied as that of similarly rated airlines. 

The crew were lovely, polite and smiley and worn a very classy glamour uniform. 

Overall, nothing in my long flight made me think that I was travelling with one of the best airlines in the world, honestly. 

Homomonument, westermarkt, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)


Photo by Adam Carr, Public Domain, Link  

In my humble opinion, doing nothing is always better than doing something bad or mediocre. If you want to honour the gay community, great,  do so in a way that is clear that you are doing so; do it in a way that the monument is visible and everybody can easily identify it and photograph it. Instead, this supposed homage is unnoticeable and nothing you would stop by unless you know this is a monument.

I was there, looking for this 'monument', I expected a lovely sculpture or visible thing you can call monument, not this. This is a triangle on the floor that leads to a triangled set of stairs that ends on the canal. For a second, I thought that the deco smoking booth by the canal was the monument, until I realised that there was a set of stairs leading to the canal, and a bunch of flowers there. 

Amsterdam is a beautiful city and this was one of the most disappointing sights I've ever seen!

Lagoon Spa (Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia)


I found this place through Tripadvisor, to whom the photo is credited. 

I was staying in another hotel in the area and I book my preferred package the day before. I booked by email and, just in case, also by phone. Afterwards, I received a clear email with information about price of the package, without taxes and with taxes included, length of the treatment, and pick up hour, as they offered me a free lift to their place. 

I had the Lagoon Delight Package, two hours and a half of pure bliss with rain shower (ohmy!), full facial with Pevonia cosmetics, full body massage and traditional coconut scrub. 

The lady at reception and the therapist were really friendly, caring and helpful. The therapist was very attentive to my needs and did a fabulous job. 

The premises are inside the Seminak Villas hotel, and the treatment rooms are beautiful, and have a bath and mini-pool in the attached garden area. 

I was sorry not to leave a decent tip, as I was leaving Bali a few hours later and I had got rid of most of my Indonesian money, but I thought they deserved it. Pricing was very good for such a long and good quality treatment. 

I wanted to go to a nearby Post Office walking, and no way, they didn't let me do that and asked the hotel caddy driver to drop me there. 

I really enjoyed my visit and I would certainly go back there if I happen to visit Bali again. Terima Kasih!

Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse

  I have many mice at home, and Microsoft's are the best for work purposes; I have had some of them for over a decade and they are still working.  In my quest for the perfect elusive work mouse, I came across the Microsoft Ergonomic Mouse, and I had to have it.

Overall, this is a great mouse. It looks beautiful, it is made of good quality materials, and feels luxurious and even sensual in the hand. The mouse is very responsive and sensitive to movement, and provides a smooth fast mousing experience. It has a very soft pleasurable not-noisy clicking.  My hand rests naturally on it, and the thumb rest area is very comfortable; the angled positioning of the wheel and clicking buttons really work for me. The side blue button allow you to open Microsoft start menu and it is really easy to use in the position where it is.

I tested the mouse on a Windows 10 computer and run without a problem.

Unfortunately if you, like me, have small hands, you are going to return this mouse because it is too high, too bulky and too heavy for small hands, and not a keeper if you work in front of a computer the whole day and want to have a health hand and arm posture.

I hope Microsoft sees the light and makes a mini version of this one, because I would love to have this keeper in my hand size.  

Lenovo Yoga Mouse


7/10
I travel quite often so any flattish mouse is going to grab my attention instantly, especially if it is as cool as this one. The Lenovo Yoga Mouse can be folded and unfolded at ease and has the USB dongle conveniently stored within the same mouse. An internal pivot allows the lower part of the mouse to rotate and get into mouse position, or go back to flat and use it as a mini-remote with slides or media players to adjust the volume, move back and forward, and rewind. When the mouse if flat, the clicker feature is activated, and the contrary happens when the mouse is on.

I found the mouse lovely, very good looking, lightweight, and sober in looks. It is easy to charge through the provided USB cable, it charges fast and the power lasts for a long time if you don't use it as work mouse. It has no scrolling wheel but a touch central strip that does the job and has a Microsoft button that activates by clicking on.

On the down side, the clicking is a bit hard and metallic in noise, which can be hard on my hands at the end of the day. The touch area seems less responsive to touch than other touch mice, and the bluetooth tracker seems also less sensitive or accurate than other mice I have.

The mouse is comfortable in general, but not for long periods of time or for full-time work. I noticed that my hand and arm were getting tired and stifg. My thumb and pinkie finger hang from the sides like two outcasts, and for whatever reason it feels unnatural because, once the mouse if bent and in mouse position, the angle on is a bit sharp, not rounder, on the sides. To be fair, I have small hands, so a person with bigger hands and fingers might have no issue at all. For me, however, it makes it perfect as a secondary mouse, to use it with my entertainment and travel computers, and as an alternative mouse for work when I want to give a rest to my hands from my usual mouse.

The packaging is very flashy, but it has a lot of unnecessary plastic waste. I would rather have a fabric pouch provided to protect the mouse than a bulky hard plastic case, difficult to store, and totally impractical.

The mouse does not have removable batteries; it charges by using the provided USB cable from any power source.

The main virtue I see in this mouse is its versatility, it is an overall nice mouse, perfect for travelling and a good price for the fanciness in it.

I have used the mouse in two different computers running on Windows 10, a new one and a very old one, the latter with less touch and connectivity capabilities, and the mouse works perfectly in both.   

10/29/2017

Grocer & Grind (Seminyak, Indonesia)

https://www.grocerandgrind.com 

Nice all-round Cafe. 

 This place is a quiet corner in the busy heart of Seminyak. It has a modern spacious layout, and a menu of Western food favorite dishes and drinks with a bit of Indonesian flare. They had young fresh coconut, and that always makes me happy and is my fav Indonesian drink. 

I had a veggie burger, which comes with fries. The fries were excellent, crunchy, golden, delicious. The burger was lovely but a bit dry; I think a bit of mayo would have solved the problem! Also the patty was too big or the bun too small, so the patty kept sliding out of the bun all the time. 

Staff were lovely, very friendly and talkative. 

Pricing is similar to what we pay in Australia for the same thing.

Sisterfields (Seminyak, Indonesia)

Sisterfields could be anywhere in Melbourne. It has very good creative food, trendy decor, spacious premises, different seating areas, and a great vibe from early in the morning. 

Most visitors are Australians and foreigners. 

Service was fast, attentive and very friendly. 

Coffee was excellent. 

My Shashuka breaky was delicious and satisfying. 

I paid 23 dollars or so for my breakfast and a coffee, the same I would pay in Oz for a similar thing.

A very enjoyable visit. 

4/21/2017

Crown Promenade Perth (Western Australia)

Great Eastern Highway, Burswood, Perth, Western Australia 6100, Australia Phone: (08) 9126 7118 
Photo courtesy of the Hotel website.  

I've been to a few hotels in Perth along the years, mostly for work purposes, and paid similar prices in some; comparing value for money, level of service, level of comfort, and styling of the rooms, the Promenade is in my list of happy and repeat, something that none of the others has achieved. You get the posh treatment without blowing up your budget. Here a wrap up of my experience

THINGS I LOVED
+ Very helpful polite staff at reception, concierge and cleaning. Some of them extremely friendly.
+ Great bedroom! Quiet, spacious, trendy, beautiful and very comfortable. I was upgraded to a room with spa-bath and Nestpresso machine, and I was in heaven!
+ Very good comfy mattress. Firm but not hard on the back.
+ The plush robes are fabulous!
+ Kettle and tea/coffee facilities in the room.
+ TV with plenty of national and international channels.
+ Great variety of quality toiletries and very good quality towels.
+ Very comfy table and chairs to work in my room.
+ Buffet breakfast at the in-house café. Pricey, but really good. They don't prepare coffee for you, but there is a decent coffee machine that prepares it for customers for free. A guy called Scott at the eggs cooking area went the long mile to please me and every other customer there!
+ The 200$ bond turned out to come handy. I ended dining and coffeing in the complex a lot, so I diverted all my expenditure in the complex to the Promenade. I got the remaining unused bond back before my departure.
+ Free general Crown Internet worked great, fast and no limit for browsing and general emailing and photo uploading. It demands re-login every hour or so, though.

THE SO-SO
> Location is a bit out of town. Nothing beside the Crown Complex, so if you want to shop around or have a coffee in a proper café, there is none but those of the different hotels in the complex. I had to take a taxi to the city, and Perth is not a cheap place for taxis.
> The pillows. Huge and soft, but not the best if you have neck and shoulder problems.
> The wardrobe is perhaps the biggest let down in the room. Not much space inside for a person, even less so for two, and not even a horse to put a big suitcase on in the corridor either.
> Small OK outdoor pool.
> Small crowded lobby and not specially charming, comfy or inviting.
> Ugly view from my room.
> The in-hotel café doesn't have breakfast a la carte. Proper coffee is paid separately.
> The guests' Internet didn't accept the correct login data I was giving. So I used the general Internet in the complex and was great. I took my own portable Wi-Fi hotspot for work and used that for work-related Interneting and mailing.
> Just one café in the building.
> No spa, beauty or hair salon. They are in the other Crown hotels, at a five-minute walk. At least the spa in the Twin Towers is overpriced for the services they offer; you will be paying mostly for the fab premises. Go elsewhere.

OVERALL
I loved this hotel!

Broadwater Resort Apartments (Como, Western Australia)

137 Melville Pde, Como, Western Australia 6152, Australia 
Phone: +61 (08) 9474 4222
Photo courtesy of the hotel.

I have a very good experience in this aparthotel. Not posh, but really comfortable, great service and well located. Here a wrap up of my experience at this hotel:

THINGS I LOVED
+ The staff were very welcoming, friendly and helpful, one of the best team I've found in my visits to Perth. Truly delightful. It makes the whole difference to me. They go out of the way to help you with anything.
+ The apartment was good sized for a couple or a person travelling alone, and had a full kitchen and basic cooking and table serving tools. Washing machine, drier, dishwasher, microwave, everything. I felt at home.
+ Good firm king mattress!
+ Huge flat TV in the living room and also in bedroom, with a great selection of channels.
+ Wi-Fi was fast and reliable and the line didn't drop at all despite me being online all day.
+ Jacuzzi in bathroom! Good quality towels. Plenty of decent toiletries and hair dryer.
+ Huge balcony facing the pool, with two chairs and a table.
+ Air-conditioned apt. My room was in a shady corner and quite cool so I didn't need to use it but for a couple of hours.
+ 5 minutes away from an IGA supermarket and several cafes, some of them very cool..

THE SO-SOS
- No business desk or chair in my apt even though I booked as a business traveller.
- No lift and two sets of stairs. The girl at reception helped me with my heavy bag (so sweet!).
- The apt would need of a lift me up regarding style, as it feels a updated and chunky. Too much brown! I would start by replacing those horrible photos they have hanging from the walls.
- The bathroom was a bit outdated. The bath a bit too high for a short person like me. Also, the water mixing somewhat flaked after five minutes under the shower, so I had to open the taps more to get a decent flow of water.
-Not many power points in the living room.
Room Tip: If you are bringing heavy suitcases ask for lower ground rooms, as some of the rooms are only access...
See more room tips

Comfort Hotel Boersparken (Oslo, Norway)

Comfort Hotel Boersparken
Tollbugata 4, Oslo 0152, Norway
Phone: +47 22 47 17 17
Fax: +47 22 47 17 18
E-mail co.borsparken@choice.no
Photo courtesy of the Hotel

This hotel is basic simple hotel, an upgraded backpacker hotel for adults if you want, but it has everything you need in the heart of Oslo.

GOOD
> Location. It faces the National Opera House and the docks, and its a short walk from the train station and the some of the main sights, cafes and restaurants in the city centre.
> I found here one the most welcoming warmest staff in Norway. Always ready to help with a smile, and go the extra-mile to assist you.
> The reception has a small mini-shop with snacks and heatable pre-prepared boxed food if you just want a sandwich or something simple.
> The lounge, is also the dining room and offers free coffee and chocolate to customers, for free, all day long. You just use the self-serving machines.
> The lounge is large and with many different seating areas.
> Lifts are secure, and function with your key card.
> Wi-fi was good, fast and reliable.

SO SO
Breakfast was varied, buffet like, and had a bit of everything, but nothing exciting. I have had better breakfast buffet in similar hotels in Norway.

NO NOS
> The place is hectic, crowded and quite noisy. Lifts are always crowded.
> Our room was at the bottom end of a corridor and had two single beds, single as in my size, if you are tall, it is not good. One of them was underneath a staircase space, tiny space, no bedside table; the other bed was upstairs, very steep stairs, also very basic. Just a stool in each space. Two steep stairs to the bathroom, which was OK. A metallic bar with three hangers.
> The key card MUST be used to lock the door when you leave the room. Otherwise, the door stays open. I haven't found that sort of system anywhere in the world! The instructions were at the back of the card, but most hotels have self-locking doors on exit.
> No curtains, just roller blinds. No problem with that except, if they are up, you have to go upstairs to bring them down, or do team work with the person upstairs to bring them to your level thought it was ridiculous!

MY RECOMMENDATION
There are other hotels 5 minutes walking distance from this, as central as this is, at a fraction of the price. Personally, I would stay in one of those. Like the Citybox Hotel for example. 

Scandic Park Helsinki (Finland)

Scandic Park Helsinki
Mannerheimintie 46, Helsinki 00260, Finland 
Phone: +358 9 47371
Fax: +358 9 47372211
Email: parkhelsinki@scandichotels.com
Photo courtesy of the hotel website

This is one of my favourite hotels of the Scandic chain. Loved loved this hotel!

Location if good, central but in the outskirts of the CBD, so you have both a good location minus the crowds.

The common areas, lounges, eating areas, corridors and rooms are luxurious without being flashy; they are elegant, but modern, trendy and with plenty of very posh design elements.

Our room was like one of those you see in the movies. Wonderfully elegant, spacious, great design armchairs, comfortable beds, marbled bathroom with heated floor and bathtub, good set of toiletries, wonderful palette of colours, everything you need. Very comfortable and very pleasing to the eye.

The hotel has great facilities, pool and what's not, but I didn't use any of those.

The staff were very friendly and helpful.

Breakfast buffet was wonderful, lots of variety and was very good. I found the Asian specialities a bit limited, which is not a problem for me, but if you eat mostly Asian food it might be.

The hotel is great for both travellers and business people. It was very busy when we visited, however, it never felt crowded.

We had free Internet, and worked well and fast.

A bit pricey, but well-spent money. I truly enjoyed my stay.

TIPS
> The Finnair Airport Bus stops 150 metres from the hotel. You ask the driver and he will call you when you are there. Unless you want to waste your money in taxis or transfers, or you are carrying a huge amount of luggage, this is the cheapest way to get there, 6 euro the ticket, bus with Wi-Fi and you walk for four minutes.
> There are a few fast food outlets around the hotel if you just want a quick cheap bite..

Flytoget Airport Express (Oslo, Norway)

Photo courtesy of the Visit Oslo Website

 Flytoget is one of the cheapest, fastest comfortable means to get to the airport. Cheap for Norway, of course. There are other ways to get to the airport, cheaper, but not as convenient.

The train is located on the station's ground area, and you can buy the tickets through their website, through their app, or just at the station by using their ticket vending machines (using cash or credit card). At working hours there are different staff members helping customers with the machines.

Trains run very frequently, so if you miss one, another will be there in about 10-15 minutes. And the train being a specific service to the airport, it is very punctual.

The train is fast, has short stops in different places between the airport and the central station, and is very comfortable. There is a screen with scheduled flights arrivals and departures and some tourist info.

Taking into account the prices of everything in Norway, the ticket is OK. Children under 16 travel for free if accompanied by an adult; half price for kids from 16 and 20, students from 21-31yoa and retires over 67, and full price for adults without a concession.

The only thing I disliked is that the carriages have no ramps to the platforms, so you have to move your suitcase inside by using your muscles, which is not great if your suitcase if very heavy. Also the space devoted to the luggage has not barrier or stopping bar, so the suitcases with wheels tend to move in and out the compartments.

Overall, very good. I will take it again if I return to Oslo.

Microsoft Office 365 Personal 1-year 1 user, PC Key Card

I have several computers at home. I have been using the MS Office Suit for decades and most happy with the programs. The version I'm using in my 'old' laptop is the MS Office 2010, which I bought in CD format, installed in my computer, and works very well. I decided to buy this key subscription for this 2013 version to install it in my brand new laptop two months ago. Since then, I have regretted getting this key subscription, paying for it, and downloading this version of the Suit. 

SOME OF MY ISSUES WITH THIS SUBSCRIPTION 
> Despite getting this Suit at a discounted priced because I bought it with a new laptop, the price is still a rip off. 
> According to my shop, there is no physical CD of the Office Suit any more, at least in my country. This means, that I had to pay for the downloading myself, and I say pay because I have capped Internet. 
> Since downloading and installing this Suit from the MS website, and activating it, the program constantly demands me to be online, which is not a problem because I'm online most of the day for work anyway. But a bother if I don't feel like it. 
> Even when I am connected, I get constant messages from MS, sort of "Microsoft doesn't recognise your subscription, please check your Internet connection or activate it". Well, really, they recognised my activation online as soon as I introduced the codes, and it appears as activated in my online account, and in the emails they sent me, so it's the stupid program misbehaving. 
> The interface of Word 2013 (the program I use the most), is not as user-friendly as previous ones, not much more customizable than versions launched a decade ago, and it offers little substantial improvement with regard to the 2010 version that I'm using in my old laptop. 
> This suit works really slow, slower than the old suit in my old computer, even though I'm using it in a brand new laptop. It takes ages for Word docos to be saved if they are "large". My old MS Office 2010 does not have a problem to save them in a microsecond. 

I find unethical launching Suits like this, for which I'm charged yearly, not having a physical way of installing or backing up the program, and finding little improvement if any. This Office Suit and this subscription are really annoying, and I am glad that I bought it just for one year and one computer, because, as soon as it expires, I will uninstall it and install my old MS Office 2010 instead. 

MY RECOMMENDATION 
> If you don't really need MS Office for work, use any of the Open-Source Office suits out there, which are fab these days, and are fully compatible at least for Word. 
> If you need this MS Office for work and have a fully-functional older version, keep the latter, you won't find much improvement or a better experience by replacing it with this one. > If you can buy a physical format of the program, do so, instead of downloading the program and activating it with this key. 
> If you need this MS Office for work and have no previous suit, try this version, one person one computer. If it works for you, great; otherwise, the nightmare will last only for a year. 
> If you need a reliable email program without having to pay subscriptions of any type, get one of the excellent open-source email suits out there. I stopped using MS Outlook about 3 years ago, and never regretted it or gone back. This is my experience with this annoying subscription. I hope the 2016 program comes in a fully functional version, that CD versions are for sale, and that real improvements are added.