OneNote, one of the apps in Office 365 Home Premium, is a digital note-taking app designed to keep you organized. Put all of your party planning ideas, recipes and guest lists in your OneNote notebook and access it all from almost any device via SkyDrive. $99
Cook like renowned chef Tom Colicchio and create the perfect dinner menu for your holiday party, easily build a shopping list, and even navigate step-by-step recipes hands-free on your Windows 8.1 tablet – no touching the screen with messy hands!
This mini Ultrabook provides ultimate flexibility between work and play. Get your planning done using laptop or tablet mode and then keep your notes and recipes visible, and close at hand using tent or stand mode. Advanced gesture controls allow you to flip through photos and pages or rewind and fast-forward music and videos using simple hand motions. Starting at $699.
Sip eggnog to your custom Xbox Music playlist, find a classic holiday film on-demand with Xbox Video, or host a family game night with “Forza Motorsport 5” or “Zoo Tycoon.” The all-in-one games and entertainment system, Xbox One will make your holidays merrier with instant access to live TV, games, music, movies, sports and Skype, all in one place. (Advanced TV hardware required. Games and media content sold separately. Initial setup and some games and features require broadband Internet. Additional subscriptions and/or requirements apply for some features including Xbox Music. See xbox.com/xboxone.) ESRB Rating: EVERYONE Sold at Microsoft retail locations and Microsoftstore.com, $499.99
Reunite the gang for a Christmas carol singalong or throw a virtual holiday happy hour. Upgrade to Skype Premium to unlock more features such as group video calls, group screen sharing and unlimited calling to a country/region of your choice. A Fair Usage Policy applies. Depending on the country/region you choose, may include calls to mobiles and landlines, or include landlines only. From $4.99/month based on 12-month subscription; normally $9.99/month.
People who love to entertain are always on the hunt for new tricks to help them become an even more spectacular host. We’ve gathered some tech tools and tips that will help anyone pull off their next event with finesse and ease.
Learn how to use OneNote to organize details for all of your holiday parties, find the perfect appetizer and cocktail recipes with the Bing Food and Drink app, pipe in music with Xbox One – you can even throw a global holiday reunion using Skype. It’s easy to up your party game with these tools on your side.
Check out the slideshow above, and see other ways technology helps make life a little easier, and more interesting, at Made Possible by Microsoft. Bon appetite and cheers!
