Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Review
The next incarnation of Microsoft Office, Office 2010, has now gone public in a freely downloadable beta version, meaning anyone can try out time-limited versions of the next generation of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and the rest of the growing Office family.
After a few days of intense testing, I'm deeply impressed by the many ways Microsoft has improved on the solid foundation of Office 2007. The now-familiar Ribbon interface gets a few tweaks in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and is now visible throughout Outlook.
After a few days of intense testing, I'm deeply impressed by the many ways Microsoft has improved on the solid foundation of Office 2007. The now-familiar Ribbon interface gets a few tweaks in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and is now visible throughout Outlook.
Instead of an Office 2007–style major overhaul, Microsoft offers refinements and enhancements. My judgment on the beta version: It's terrific, but it's not essential for anyone already running Office 2007. If you're still using Office 2003 or an earlier version, however, I strongly recommend you upgrade to Office 2010 when it becomes available sometime next year. In the meanwhile, you might want to download Office 2010 Beta here and give it a try.
This does have some thoughtful enhancements that would be expected from an Office upgrade.