Office 2010 To Support Windows 7 Features

Although it has not been confirmed until now it was expected that Microsoft would Postingtake advantage of some of the new features of Windows 7 in upcoming software releases. The first application to take advantage of Jump Lists is Office 2010 according to Robert’s Windows Now blog. Jump Lists provide quick access to program features. In the case of Outlook 2010 those are quick links to write a new email message, create a new appointment, contact or task and to go to various sections in Outlook like the inbox or the calendar.

The other Microsoft Office 2010 programs are also supporting jump lists that provide quick access to the usual assortment of recent files and program quick links.

Office 2010 To Support Windows 7 Features

Although it has not been confirmed until now it was expected that Microsoft would take advantage of some of the new features of Windows 7 in upcoming software releases. The first application to take advantage of Jump Lists is Office 2010 according to Robert’s Windows Now blog. Jump Lists provide quick access to program features. In the case of Outlook 2010 those are quick links to write a new email message, create a new appointment, contact or task and to go to various sections in Outlook like the inbox or the calendar.

The other Microsoft Office 2010 programs are also supporting jump lists that provide quick access to the usual assortment of recent files and program quick links.

Office 2010 – First Look

Well, I’m back at the computer after a well earned break from all things electronic, mobile phones, computers and the like. I’ve been on stress free Norfolk Island, a highly recommended holiday place 2½ hours from Sydney in the Pacific Ocean.

Paradise Found!

Back home, I decided it’s time to have a quick look at Microsoft’s latest creation, Office 2010. Though it’s still in the beta stage, it is available for downloading similar to Microsoft’s scheme they used for Windows 7.

Prior to going away for my break I registered my interest with Microsoft in trying out the Beta version.

Locating the Download Site

To locate the download site I used Bing and typed “Microsoft Office 2010”. In the list I chose, “microsoft office 2010 download”.

You will be presented with two options to download. It doesn’t matter which one you choose as the end result is the same – a downloaded beta of Office 2010.

Tip! Once you select the Download Now button, you can choose “Run” or “Save”. The former option commences the download and, once completed, installs Office 2010. Mostly I choose “Save” as I can then use downloaded applications on another computer. With Office 2010 I intend using it exclusively on my laptop while keeping Office 2007 on the desktop.

The downloading process can be slow depending on the speed of your internet connection. I received an email from Microsoft providing me with a product key which I used once Office was installed. Incidentally, this took several goes before I achieved this. So, if you find this happening don’t give up keep trying!

First Look at Office 2010

What do you get?

I’ve really only looked at two features of Office 2010 so far, Word and PowerPoint. Both look to have some extra features.

To whet your appetite below is a screen shot of Word. You will note the similarity to Word 2007. Keep in mind that Office 21010 is only the beta version so lots of features though listed are unavailable.

From where I sit it, Office 2010 looks like a real “goer”. I would be interested to hear other folk’s opinion on this new creation of Microsoft.

Office 2010 New Features

In this post on Office 2010 (Beta), Microsoft has revamped and renamed the File menu calling it “Backstage”. This feature is now more accessible than previously. It has been re-born with new features added yet it still retains the important commands – Save, Save As, Open, Print and Close.

In Word 2007, the conventional File menu was hidden away. To access it, you had to click the Office Button.

Taking a Closer Look at Backstage

In all applications within Office 2010 (Beta), the File menu or “Backstage” is now easier to access. All iterations of the regular applications within Office contain this modified feature. No matter which application you open, “Backstage” is there.

Once you click the File tab on the Ribbon Bar, “Backstage” opens. Here’s how to access it in Word 2010.

You will note it’s a little different from the File Menu in Word 2007. The new features listed below are worth a closer look.

• Info
• Recent
• Share
• Add-Ins
• Options

Check them out and you will be pleasantly surprised!

In the remainder of this post, we’ll take a look at these new commands. I’ll use Word 2010 as the example. Check out the other applications to see what features are in their Backstage menu.

The Info Window

Open Backstage and click Info.

The Recent Menu

Open Backstage and click Recent.
Not a big change here. All recent documents are listed.

The Share Menu

Open Backstage and click Share. Here there are alternate ways to share documents. The e-mail options are useful.

The Add-Ins Menu

Open Backstage and click Add-Ins. This opens the following screen. It contains two options – Open from Office Live and Save to Office Live.

The first option allows you to open a file from Office live and the second option allows you to save a file to Office Live. As yet haven’t been able to try this feature. Sounds promising!

The Word Options Window

Open Backstage and click Options.
In Word Options, some of the features are similar to those in Word 2007 but there are a few suprises. The notable improvement is the ability to Customize the Ribbon. This is an entirely new feature. While the Ribbon in Word 2007 was set in concrete and inflexible, in Office 2010 (Beta) you have the opportunity to modify it the way you want it.

Let’s hope Microsoft keeps this option available in the final version!

Note: Please keep in mind that Office 2010 is only a beta version and, if Microsoft follows their usual practice, as they did with Windows 7 Beta and Windows RC, some features may be removed or improved upon in the final version.

And another thing! Did Microsoft listen to the complaints about the inflexibility of the Ribbon Bar? I think the answer is Yes! I’ll deal with this exceptional improvement in my next post, Super Customizing Options in Word 2010 (Beta).