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.

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MightyMeeting: Conduct Presentations On The Go

MightyMeeting is an application that will host your PowerPoint presentation or allow you to manage your PDF or Office files, while on the go, from your smartphone.

The process is pretty simple and quite handy if you're constantly on the go and not quite sure when you'll have to give that ever important presentation. You essentially upload your PDF or PowerPoint file to the service using a special Email address or directly from the web interface. You can then share the presentation with anyone you choose via email or SMS text message.

Once your audience has received your "link" they're ready for you to proceed. They can watch the presentation on the web or on their smartphones. When you flip the page on your smartphone, the change will be made on every "attendee's" computer screen or smartphone. You can use an integrated chat feature or use a simultaneous voice call to communicate with everyone.

To use the service you will need a 3G or WiFi connection. And to avoid any major network disruptions, you should be in an area with a strong connection. Another great feature is that you can choose to share your presentation with anyone and everyone with the Facebook and Twitter options.

I'm not entirely sold on the fact that this app will be the newest thing to hit your presentations. It is pretty handy and easy to use and could make traveling to meetings much less necessary, especially since you can operate it all from your iPhone.

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