Microsoft Office 2010: An Enthralling Beta

The emancipated release of Microsoft Office 2010 Beta version finally opens its door to public assessment. The 2010 beta declares the deliverance of an amended forerunner productivity suite. These amendments include close integration with lightweight Web versions of core applications, improved multimedia support, a cunning interface refresh and added features intended to make effortless creation and allocation of documents. Another addition to these developments is that it can now track feeds from social websites by means of Outlook, a notable support system of 2010 Office.

What’s new?

A remarkable change that you will notice in Microsoft Office 2010 is the elimination of the rounded buttons which was previously used for the save option, print command and change application settings. Rather than using the usual buttons, Microsoft preferred an accustomed menu with controls and commands. The menu can be viewed in a full screen menu mode named Backstage View.

The controls such as edit, autosave, file size and thumbnail options are now located in the left navigation bar of the menu. A really nice option intended for business-minded people is the ability to customize their Backstage View according to their preference. With MS Office 2010, you can also review your unsaved document while your original file turns to a thumbnail. Although this can be confusing for new user, the integration is still considered an excellent feature.

Another nice feature is the implementation of paste-preview. Due to instances that users tend to undo their action after pasting or cutting a text, you can now just use the option to view the changes that will occur before executing it. There are also many previews available for formatting options such as maintain source, merge files or remove all text format.

An added development is the picture editor with improved option to preview and add effects, adjustments or crop images in your File.

Changes are also made to the ribbon interface of MS Office 2007. In MS Office 2010 icons are now bigger and with only one letter symbols but can be disconcerting especially in Publisher and Powerpoint or OneNote and Outlook.

MS Office 2010 also applied color scheme transformation. The blue color of the past versions is now placed with muted gray color while the multicolored logo is currently orange.

Web Application

Microsoft announced that the Office Web Application for Microsoft 2010 will be completed upon its release on the first half of the year 2010. Although Microsoft launched technical previews of the collection in the 2010 Beta version, they honestly informed the public that they are still awaiting decision from Zoho, Google Docs and among other Web-based productivity tools. Still, the company is positive that all of these applications will be available to consumers and other businesses by means of SkyDrive and SharePoint2010 software when it launches on 2010.

Microsoft allowed reviewers to test the collection through SharePoint and Skydrive in spite of the fact that the technical previews of the Office Web Application are still incomplete. I personally tested the applications and as of now there are still some features missing in the application like commands for creating spreadsheet in Excel and some slide tools in Powerpoint.

On the Beta version, files should still be uploaded on your desktop application instead of creating it directly on the Web. Moreover, only files in XML format such as .xlsx or .docx will operate effectively on Microsoft Office Web Applications. Albeit all the insufficiencies in the Beta version, the Web Applications still deliver files accurately. And though you can not create a file online, you can be sure that the properties of the document do not changed when transferred to you desktop. Presently, the Office Web Application is only partially finished but Microsoft promised that before the launch date it will be completed.

Starter Edition

The release of Microsoft Office 2010 aroused questions on how it will be posed on new computers.    Microsoft answers this by providing free Office Starter Edition for computer manufacturers aside from the limited trial period that the company offers to the public.

Even then, the Starter Edition is still insufficient because it only provides testers with an old version of Excel and Word. The starter edition was missing three main menu options which were already included in Office 2010. In this version, Word lacks View, Review and Reference tabs while Excel excluded Review, Reference and Data tabs. Furthermore, both Word and Excel display a right side taskbar which includes advertisements.

The Starter Edition is truly bothersome because it does not support a revision mode. The user is unable to delete, reject or accept changes in the file created by the Office. The shortfalls of Microsoft office 2010 make it impractical.

Available Packages

Microsoft Office 2010 is introduced in a 64-bit and 32-bit version. Users are able to decide what they prefer during the installation process. The 64-bit version includes additional memory and support which is advantageous for consumers that use large size spreadsheet.

The new version of Microsoft Office contains improvements associated with design and usability of the product. Even though the new version does not conform to individual preferences, I believe that the said edition will definitely be welcomed. As of now, the price of the package is not yet revealed. The 2010 package includes: Office Home and Student (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote), Office Home and Business (including the above applications plus Outlook), Office Professional (including the above applications plus Publisher and Access) and the other licensing editions such as Office Standard with complete set of applications: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher, OneNote and Outlook and Office Professional Plus which includes the standard applications plus Business Contact Manager CRM, InfoPath, Access, SharePoint Workspace, Communicator and some enterprise-specific add-ons.

Word 2010

In the older version of MS Word, the Advance font pane focused on highlighting OpenType errors which includes font management options like adding font styles and ligatures. Now, the new version delivers a Text Effect pane which allows users to choose what kind of effect they want to apply in the text. While doing this, the user can still access editing options to apply on any text. This feature is not available in the previous version of Word Art.

Another addition to these improvements is the Navigation bar on the left side where you can easily search for a file. The results from the search are provided in a highlighted form on the main screen which is better that using the Next option for viewing results.

Excel 2010

Microsoft Excel 2010 contains improved visualization options for spreadsheet users. An added feature in the program is the called the Sparklines, an option allowing an individual to create small charts inside a single cell which is one way of showing various trends on a set of data. There are also the PivotCharts and PivotTables that permit users to customize their charts or tables with simple options.

PowerPoint 2010

A notable innovation in PowerPoint 2010 is the Broadcast Service. The option permits the maker to display the presentation and still be able to make changes or improvements on it. It is a really impressive addition to the program. The program can be used by using the Slide Show Ribbon. Microsoft automatically uploads the presentation and distribute it to the persons you want to send it. The person can now access the presentation by clicking the link. While your audience is viewing your display, you can still manage and control it.

Another addition to the program is the easy option to embed videos. With a few clicks, you can now make your personal video whether it is from another site or your own desktop. It also includes warning system whenever you need internet connection and it also allows the maker to make changes on his videos by providing options such as edit length, add effects and many more editing commands.

Furthermore, game addicts will be happy with the inclusion of added programs like Shred, Vortex and Ferris wheel.

OneNote 2010

The application OneNote is now improved in the 2010 Microsoft Office. With the use of the program, you can now easily send files by means of Office print command. OneNote can be used instead of PDF creators and printers.

OneNote also allow users to make notes even while navigating with PowerPoint, Word or even the Internet. When used, the option Linked Notes will open the file interacted with your source document. This is the same feature seen in Internet Explorer version 8.

Outlook 2010

The Microsoft Outlook in Office 2010 is tweaked with several options. The add-ons include voicemail support transcription and calendar preview. Other improvements can be noticed in the Business Contact Manager. The option has added features for managing works. But the most pronounced development in Outlook is the Social Connector which allows the user to view updates from other networks and also provides feed by means of Microsoft APIs.

Access 2010

Access 2010 is an application to help you form a database. In Office 2010, the program is more attainable and practical to use. It has new templates especially made for beginners who need help to get started. The program includes Quick Start options and Application Parts for database creation. It can help a user by selecting the appropriate components depending on his needs.

The application also permits you to create an internet database by making it originally or importing one from the web. This option is maintained on a SharePoint support.