Microsoft Office 2010 - the New Version of Office!!

Office 2010 is the New Version of Microsoft Office that has been scheduled for release next year. Microsoft has done it again, thanks to pressure from Google.

Facing potential challenges from Google’s browser-based Apps products and its new Chrome OS, Microsoft has been touting its 'three screens strategy' which is the ability for products to synchronize across the phone, browser, and desktop.

As a direct response to Google Apps, Microsoft is rolling out a LITE, FREE, Web browser versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. The web-based versions of these products have fewer features than their desktop cousins but still give users basic tools to edit and change documents, and collaborate.

Innovation is back, and there are things that are just plain cool in this suite. Watch how Microsoft has improved copy and paste features. In Outlook 2010, watch how Microsoft has added so many new features. (Office 2010 movies)

The Backstage View in Microsoft Office 2010 applications is accessed when you click the Office Button. Each application in Office 2010 has a different coloured Backstage View. Microsoft included Backstage to help people use more of the Tools available outside their documents. This includes tasks such as printing, and saving files.

PowerPoint 2010, has several new features added to it, including the ability to edit images and video from within PowerPoint. The image editing tool is similar to a simple basic version of Photoshop, and the video editing tool is similar to a basic version of iMovie. Also Microsoft has added a Web-Ex like live sharing feature with other users.

Word 2010 has enhanced features to create professional quality documents, and some excellent collaboration features. The Web Version of Word 2010, maintains the exact fidelity of the document in a Browser. This feat was accomplished with JavaScript. In the browser, documents retain the same look and feel as in the desktop. The browser version still has the “ribbon user interface,” where you can change fonts, size, formatting, styles etc.

Excel 2010, can now run in the browser, and just like PowerPoint you can publish your spread sheets to the browser. The browser version has less features than the desktop version, but has more features than Google spread sheets.

Outlook 2010, has some nifty new features, including the Ribbon Interface, which has now been extended to all Microsoft Office 2010 products including OneNote. I will be discussing more details of all Office 2010 product at a later date.