In this session, we learned about some of the new features of Office 2007. This release of Office is very different from previous versions. If you are thinking of upgrading, there are some things you will want to know.

MS Office 2007 has what is termed a “fluent user interface.” It uses new terminology, such as: ribbons, Office button, mini toolbar, contextual tabs, fluent galleries and live preview. There are lots of ways to learn about Office 2007. Office Online offers support, of course, but Atomic Learning also has very good tutorials. There are some great Getting Started plug-ins available for download, too. These integrate with Office 2007 and put a Get Started tab right within the software.

There are some issues with Office 2007. For example, it is not backwards compatible – meaning that you cannot open documents made with 2007 with previous versions of the software, unless they have been saved for versions 97-2003. Another problem presented by the speaker is that the program uses quite a bit of memory on your computer.

There are some neat, new features as well. The live preview allows you to see font, color, and style changes immediately. PowerPoint features a Smart Art gallery that lets users create art for their slides that look like they were professionally created.