The productivity suite gets even better
Even after 20 years, Microsoft is finding useful capabilities to add to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. We look at the 25 best features in the latest version of the productivity suite.
Word 2010
Insert a screenshot
Now you don't have to take a screenshot using a tool such as the Windows Snipping Tool and then paste it into your document. Instead, you can use the Insert ribbon and click Screenshot to grab an image you want to insert.
Crop images to a shape
You can now select an image, go to the Format contextual ribbon, and under the Crop option, choose Crop to Shape.
New photo-editing options
Word 2010 has a variety of new photo-editing tools that you can find by inserting a picture and selecting it, then going to the Format contextual ribbon and looking at its options, which include Remove Background and Artistic Effects.
Navigation pane
Locate anything in your document by going to the View ribbon, and under Show, click Navigation Pane (or press Ctrl+F). It's like the document map where you can search for text, graphics, tables, equations, and/or comments, but it's better in that you can drag and drop sections of your document to rearrange it quickly.
Excel 2010
Sparklines
Chart your data visually in a single cell. Highly configurable and available in Line, Column, or Win/Loss styles, these mini-charts are a great way to show trends in data without manually poring over every number. Locate sparklines in the Insert tab in the Sparklines group. Use autofill to add sparklines to your entire worksheet.
Slicers
Take the power of PivotTables and narrow down what you see based on a slice of that data, either from the PivotTable itself or from the original data source. Created via the Insert ribbon, slicers let you review your data without having to manipulate the PivotTable.
64bit support
Although all Office 2010 applications support 64-bit Windows, this support especially benefits Excel users because it allows for workbooks larger than 2GB. Do note that there are some issues using the 64bit version of Office. Office 2010 ships with both the 32 and 64bit versions; if you're using 64bit Windows and have trouble with 64bit Office, you can reinstall Office as a 32bit app, though you'll lose the 64bit-specific capabilities.
NEXT PAGE: PowerPoint 2010
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