Microsoft Office 2010 Expected for June

Are you a PC? Then you may be excited to know that Microsoft Office 2010 is set to hit the shelves this June, bringing with it a slew of enhanced programs and new apps to keep you better connected, productive, and creative.

PC users are soon to receive new tools to help them express their ideas, solve problems, and connect with people. The latest version of Microsoft’s suite of office applications has already been distributed to manufacturing sites to be prepared for nation-wide release, according to a report on ZDNet.

Users will find many of the familiar features and programs they’ve come to enjoy; only they’ll be visually enhanced and easier to use, according to Microsoft. More importantly, a number of new programs are on the way that promote interconnectivity and are in line with users’ increased mobile work flow habits.

Among Microsoft 2010’s top features are its Microsoft Office Web Apps, which allows users to store their work — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files – online and access it at any time from a computer with an internet connection or a similar device, like a Smartphone. The Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 program is also new and can be used on a windows-compatible Smartphone to allow users to work on projects on the go.

Working in groups may just get a little easier with the new co-authoring tool for programs like Word 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Excel Web App, and OneNote. Group members will be able to work on the same files from different locations.

By using OneNote to work on a project, a user can store all their notes, pictures, and more in one place. OneNote serves as a digital notebook, with tabs and labels for better organization, and searchability. The digital notebooks can be shared by a group and edited by group members from any location as well.

In PowerPoint, videos are now embedded by default and users have access to new editing tools for video and photos to help create sharper presentations. It should be easier to upload presentations too and access them from the web or a smartphone.

Outlook has received some changes including the conversations feature, which allows users to group an email chain as a conversation. From there, a user can simply clean up a conversation, which leaves only relevant information, ignore a conversation, which deletes the conversation and any future replies, or flag it for organizational purposes.

Have you ever sent an important email to the wrong person? Outlook’s email tips let you know whether you’re about to send an email to a member of the group or someone outside the organization.

The boxed version of Office Home and Student will cost $149; Office Home and Business will cost $279; and Office Professional will cost $499. (According to a Microsoft report released January 2010)