Microsoft Office 2007

Description

The 2007 Office System is by no means just another collection of incremental tweaks to the world's most widely used productivity suite. This is clearly the most compelling Office upgrade we've seen in recent years. Significant revamp provides more applications and many design improvements, though these take time to learn.

The applications sport both a dramatic new look and new underpinnings in the form of XML-based default file formats for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The changes have a collective purpose: The redesigned interface makes finding and using these applications' powerful features much easier, and it is especially useful if you want to make your documents look their best. The XML file formats reduce file size, let corporate users easily transfer information between applications, and automate formatting and other changes across huge libraries of documents.

In Word, the Office's ribbon and live preview features integrate well while some help and document templates are online-only. The redesigned spreadsheet program incorporates beefed-up graphics and harnesses the processing power of dual-core CPUs. The presentaion graphics software looks great and is easy to use, though it could use a bit more multimedia panache.