However, it also falls short in key areas. Office 2007 does offer complex features that you can't yet find elsewhere. But take heed: The new era of Office affects even those who don't upgrade, and a conversion tool is needed to let older Office versions open Office 2007's default, Open XML files. We imagine that power users who have mastered the nooks and crannies of the older versions will curse the steep learning curve. However, if you only use a small fraction of what Office offers or you felt that getting the hang of Office 2003 was painful enough, then you might want to leave Office 2007 on the shelf or try it free for two months first. First-time Office users may have an easier time than veteran users getting their bearings. Professionals who want to impress clients and co-workers with attractive reports, charts, and slide shows will find this a worthy upgrade.

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 can produce more-polished documents and presentations, and Outlook's new scheduling abilities make it a handier communications hub. This upgrade isn't for everyone: If you're patient, eager to try the latest tools, and willing to relearn most of what you already know about Office, then you may relish the challenge of Microsoft Office 2007. The new Office looks so unlike its predecessors, it's likely to spark intense love-hate responses from users.

The ambitious, ground-up rebuild of Microsoft Office Standard 2007 presents drastically different interfaces and new file formats.

How to use office word 2007 as email