eWeek: ‘Changes in Office 2007 Beta 2 make an upgrade worthwhile

eWeek has given Microsoft Office 2007 Beta2 a good look and put forward a very positive conclusion :

… eWEEK Labs finds that changes in Office 2007 Beta 2, including new collaboration features, make an upgrade worthwhile. eWEEK Labs’ evaluation of Microsoft’s Office 2007 Beta 2 unearthed compelling features and tools, and reminded us why enterprises continue to rely on the productivity suite.

As I have highlighted in several posts before, the focus of Microsoft is not on creating the ultimate personal productivity suite, simply because this has been achieved years ago. The focus today is a the broader context of work: collaboration.

During tests of the second beta of Office 2007, we were impressed with the suite’s collaboration features. In fact, we believe they will be the impetus for dedicated Windows shops to upgrade when Office 2007 ships later in 2006. The suitewide attention to collaboration will enable users and enterprises as a whole to work with information in new and more creative ways.

Also the learning curve of the new UI is worthwhile, but it may take a bit more than just playing around with it. Give it a serious shot …

… Office 2007 introduces a new interface, including a ribbon comprising a combination of toolbars that changes depending on the task a user is working on and the Office button, which replaces the old File menu. It may be difficult for end users to get used to the new elements, but we found the interface intuitive and eventually grew comfortable working with it. …

Read the whole test over on: eWeek.com