Clippy returning? Microsoft adds helper to latest Office version
Users of Microsoft's Office Web Apps are getting a new feature that will guide them through their task - and thankfully, it looks nothing like the much-hated Clippit - a.k.a. Clippy.
Microsoft instead added a new “Tell Me” bar at the top of documents, and lets users type out questions for document help, tech site The Verge reported.
"It’s not quite the animated Clippy of old, but it’s a basic helper that includes similar features and is a lot easier to use than Microsoft's help documentation," it said.
Clippy is the animated helper in earlier versions of Microsoft's Office productivity suite. It would pop out when people were typing and offer to help them.
It got so unpopular Microsoft discontinued it.
But for now, The Verge said the Office Web Apps “Tell Me” feature will be like Clippy only in the sense that it would be a basic helper.
Also, The Verge said Microsoft is changing the look of Office Web Apps, with the interface now more flattened and with additional spacing to make it finger-friendly.
"While this clearly isn’t a fully touch-optimized UI, Microsoft has previously revealed it’s working on a version of Office designed specifically for Windows 8.1 and touch. The Office Web Apps changes may hint at the future direction for those particular apps," it said. — VC, GMA News