The first release was limited to a group of about 10,000 customers and
partners, and the final product is slated for release in early 2007.
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The beta is available as a download to the general public, but will expire on
31 January 2007.
Office 2007's most visible new feature is a user interface that will change
according to the task that a user is performing.
The interface replaces current menus and toolbars with a 'ribbon' that will
change according to the task. It aims to better advertise features that are
available as part of the products.
"We think this is a great way to drive new productivity for users," said Kirk
Koenigsbauer, general manager for Office Servers at Microsoft, during a
presentation for press and analysts in San Francisco earlier this month.
"We are recognising that people aren't getting the full value out of the
products. We want to do more with this results-oriented user interface to expose
more of the functionality in the products that people can take advantage of."
Microsoft has also focused on increasing the suite's collaboration and
integration features through Microsoft SharePoint and improved search
capabilities for enterprises.
Individual applications offer a slew of feature enhancements. Word, for
instance, will let bloggers publish posts directly from the application, and a
new graphics engine for PowerPoint, dubbed Smart Art, provides templates and
automatic layout tools.
The Outlook personal information management application has been expanded
with a 'to do' bar that lists all upcoming tasks and appointments.
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