Microsoft has launched an online preview of its Office
2007 suite that users can try without downloading the beta
version.
The software company said 2.5 million people had already
downloaded the beta 2 version of Office 2007 since its release last
month, which makes it the most popular Office beta ever.
The preview, offered by Microsoft as a taster in a bid to drive
sales, provides sample data so that users can test document
editing, e-mailing and other functions.
The "test drive" version lets users post to Office Sharepoint
sites to demonstrate real-time collaboration. It is also set up to
let users experience server functionality, and a series of
product-specific tutorials is included.
As well as the English original, the online test version will be
made available in French, German, Japanese and Spanish later this
week.
Last month analysts urged IT directors to assess how Office 2007
would affect their internal business processes. The new version of
the suite would have a different user interface and other changes
could also require staff training, they warned.
