It's hard to imagine exactly what new capabilities Microsoft has added to its Office productivity suite, in the new version Office 2010. After all, it's got so much to offer already.
The productivity suite gets even better
However Office 2010 does in fact have a lot of new capabilities to offer. Let me show you 25 features in Office 2010 you may not know about yet - but should.
Across the Office suite
Universal ribbon
The ribbon interface is now a part of every single Office application. First released in Office 2007 in some of its applications, the ribbon interface was an artistic leap, and as we all know, only moments after the ribbon was born, its first 'art critic' came along. The critics have trashed the ribbon interface, but serious Office users have embraced it happily. The fact is, the ribbon works: It's futuristic in design, has a polished feel, can be collapsed and tucked out of the way when necessary, and - now -- it can be customised.
Customisable ribbon
Many users never tweaked their toolbars in previous Office editions, while others tweaked it extensively. With a customisable ribbon, users can regroup various tools and tabs, and administrators can create and distribute customised ribbons to users for a tailored approach or a more simplistic one as desired.
Backstage view
Love it or hate it, this new approach for all the behind-the-scenes document work is a necessary addition. By clicking the new File button (which replaces the Office 2007 orb), you have access to all your normal Save, Save As, Open, and Close operations. In addition, you can see and customise the document properties, manage versions, check for compatibility issues, and scrub the document of hidden metadata for sharing purposes.
Paste preview
Included in all suites is a new live preview paste feature that lets you hover your mouse over an option and see what your clipboard item will look like. From the Home ribbon, just click the Paste drop-down menu and hover over your options.
Office Web Apps
Office 2010 now includes a set of web-based applications - online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote - that work through Windows Live and/or with SharePoint. Outlook Web App (a new name but not a new feature) continues to be offered through Exchange 2010.
Protected view
When you open documents, workbooks, presentations, and Outlook attachments that have downloaded from the internet or fail validation in some way, they open as read-only in the new protected view. This means the application runs in a 'sandbox' mode to protect you from malicious code unless you enable editing for the document - similar to how Excel has handled macro code for several versions.
More themes
Themes can now be used across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to ensure a consistent look for your various documents. Microsoft has also upped the number of built-in themes from 20 in Office 2007 to 40 in Office 2010.
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Comments
Kate Lowe said: I agree with review that PowerPoint 2010 has much to offer and is easier to use than previous their previously released PowerPoint software However for someone with fairly inexperienced with designing PowerPoint presentations and requiring a PPT for a high-profile marketing event I found it useful to use a professional PowerPoint design agency called Article 10 who are based in London If you are short on time or want to add some extra attention-grabbing detail to a PowerPoint presentation then I definitely recommend them Their website is wwwarticle10com Kate
Corey Christiansen said: Thanks for posting these highlights Im currently working for M80 a social media marketing firm hired by Microsoft on a Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 advertising campaign that I thought you and your readers might be interested in The Allure Bays Corp microsite wwwallurebayscom celebrates the rich history of easter eggs in Microsoft products from the fun the flight simulator in Excel 97 to the odd Hall of Tortured Souls in Excel 95 and has several humorous videos Take a look at the site and feel free to share it and let us know what you think on Twitter Facebook or YouTube
Corey Christiansen said: Thanks for posting these highlights Im currently working for M80 a social media marketing firm hired by Microsoft on a Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 advertising campaign that I thought you and your readers might be interested in The Allure Bays Corp microsite wwwallurebayscom celebrates the rich history of easter eggs in Microsoft products from the fun the flight simulator in Excel 97 to the odd Hall of Tortured Souls in Excel 95 and has several humorous videos Take a look at the site and feel free to share it and let us know what you think on Twitter Facebook or YouTube