At last Microsoft have made significant `internal' improvements to their office package as well as changed the look of it. This is both good and bad.
On the plus side there are a lot of new things - Word gets to behave even more like a desk top publishing package with `flash-like' zooming, 3D effects and other nice features. There are more templates, fonts, and handy things like the floating `ghost' tool bar that appears if you leave your pointer over text - saves highlighting then going to the main tool bar to change size or font etc. There is more use of smart tag technology - type an address and there is now the functionality to get a map, driving instructions, or add to contact etc automatically.
On the minus side there are some drawbacks to this major overhaul - files are saved as .docx files and are not compatible with previous versions of Word. You can turn this off to make it compatible but some of the good stuff is also disabled.
The tool bars have gone! They are replaced by one bar with more options - Insert bar, Page layout bar etc - the Menu bar has gone too and is replaced by a large button in the top left of the screen that gives access to Word options (lots), save and publish options including blog and the file search window.
It takes a while to find things that have been in the same place through several versions of Word - some are now grouped with other functions and some have been renamed. Additionally a lot of previously built-in resources are now accessed via a link to the Microsoft support site. If you need a template for example the choices are shown as a mix of installed and online resources, the online content requires that your version of office is legal before you get the template. The software will stop working after fifteen days if not registered online.
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Reliability
Excellent
Range of extra features / functions
Good
Manufacturer Support
Good
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