Microsoft Office 2010 Launches Tomorrow

The long-anticipated Microsoft 2010 will launch tomorrow, May 12, for corporate users who can download a 60-day free trial. The boxed version will be on store shelves in June. According to PC Mag, if you have Office 2007, you probably don't need the new version, but there are some differences that will make you want it. But that's just for the average user. If you're one who creates a lot of graphics-heavy documents or presentations, someone who buys software for an entire corporation, or you are in need of 64-bit compatibility to create worksheets larger than Excel's 2GB limit, then you might want to look into getting a copy for yourself.

So how much will the new version of Office cost you? Well, the Professional edition will be about $499.99. It includes Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher, Access, and OneNote. If you're looking for something a little more low-key, the Home and Business edition of the program will set you back about $279.99, and includes everything except for Publisher and Access. Finally, the Home and Student version will cost you about $149.99 and excludes Publisher, Access, and Outlook. There are other versions that run higher and include more tools but those are the three that will be the most mainstream.

If you bought Microsoft's Office 2007 on or after March 5 of this year, you'll qualify for a free upgrade to 2010, but otherwise, there will be no upgrades. You must buy the full copy of the product or a Product Key Card that will allow you to unlock the trail version. And of course, if you don't want to pay a dime, you can always try OpenOffice.org. It's not as pretty as Office, but you can pretty much do the same things with it, or Google Docs which is free for personal use and inexpensive for businesses.

Keep in mind that Office 2010 is just an enhanced version of Office, not a completely new version like Office 2007 was. You can create custom tabs with the tools you use most often. The program also has keyboard shortcuts, taking over for tasks that required a mouse in Office 2007.

---

Looking for a Technology Rental to help you GO? Call 800-736-8772 today to reserve a Laptop Rental for your next trip.