REDMOND, Wa. – Microsoft recently provided a “Technical Preview” of Office 2010 highlighting new capabilities such as lightweight, Web-based versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote, all accessible via desktop, mobile device, and through Web browsers Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.
Other standout improvements include new cut-and-paste features for Word and new ways to broadcast PowerPoint presentations online. Drag and drop functionality too has taken precedence in 2010.
Jason Brommet, senior product manager, Microsoft Canada, said Office has always been about simplifying processes for people. Office 2010 and related products (SharePoint Server 2010, Visio 2010, and Project 2010) would deliver innovative capabilities and provide new levels of flexibility, he said.
“SharePoint and Project Server will be a 64-bit only environment, the Office client will be delivered at both a 32- and 64-bit environment,” he said. “We focused on the core authoring applications, so Word, Excel and PowerPoint. One of the big things is . . . we’ve taken that fluid UI and expanded it across the entire platform.”
Among the improvements:
*Work anywhere with Office Web applications — the lightweight Web browser versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote — that provide access to documents from virtually anywhere and preserve the look and feel of a document regardless of device.
*Collaborate better with co-authoring in Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 and Microsoft OneNote 2010, and advanced e-mail management and calendaring capabilities in Microsoft Outlook 2010, including the option for users to “ignore” unwanted threads.
*Bring ideas to life with video and picture editing, broadcast capability in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, easy document preparation through the new Microsoft Office Backstage view, and new Sparklines in Microsoft Excel 2010 to visualize data and spot trends more quickly.
Office 2010 also has a revamped Ribbon. Brommet said Microsoft responded to complaints over how hard it was to find basic commands with the Ribbon’s UI. Video has also become a primary consideration and will be embedded into each app.
“Look at YouTube today, a video is uploaded every six minutes. Video has become a very powerful way for people to tell their stories,” he said.
Microsoft also announced that it is streamlining the number of Office editions from eight to five and enhancing each edition with additional applications and features.
The company also announced that Office Web applications will be available in three ways: through Windows Live, where more than 400 million consumers will have access to Office Web applications at no cost; on-premises for all Office volume licensing customers including more than 90 million Office annuity customers; and via Microsoft Online Services, where customers will be able to purchase a subscription as part of a hosted offering.
There’s no word yet on pricing, only that Microsoft will sell five variations on the suite, two for big corporations and three to consumers and small businesses.
Microsoft also is preparing partners for the release of Office 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 through a number of new and refreshed readiness tools and training programs. These include the Ignite program for SharePoint, Office and Exchange; Business Productivity Infrastructure Optimization (BPIO) University; Masters and Architect Certification for SharePoint; new Partner Business Productivity Online Services features and distributor model; and Exchange 2010 Readiness Webcast Series and Demo Showcase.
More information on these programs can be found at Partner.Microsoft.Com
This column was written by Liam Lahey of ConnectIT, an IntegratedMarCompany
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