Perhaps a synonym for technology should be “ever-changing.” At least, this certainly true for computers, and in particular, of Microsoft. Of course, as each change made at Microsoft brings more improvements and features, the user benefits. One of the most recent changes is Microsoft Office 2010, which was released in its final version on June 28, 2011.

Microsoft Office 2010, like its predecessors, is a suite of programs, which can range in cost from $140 to $500. As a result, many people have asked about a free Microsoft Word 2010. Unfortunately, there is not a free Microsoft Word 2010 program, but should you purchase select new personal computers, you will get a Microsoft Word 2010 Starter Edition and a Microsoft 2010 Excel Starter Edition. The Microsoft Word 2010 starter program includes features like password protection, comment tracking and customizing the Ribbon and the Quick Access toolbar. You can use these free Microsoft Word 2010 programs indefinitely, but when you decide you want the complete Microsoft Word 2010 package, you will need to purchase them. If you want to download a FREE Trial version, please visit Office 2010 download site.

Some of the additional Microsoft 2010 programs and features include: Outlook 2010 for smart emailing and scheduling, OneNote 2010 for organizing projects, notes and more in one place and PowerPoint 2010 which can help you design attention grabbing presentations.

New Features in Microsoft Word 2010

So, what’s new Microsoft Word 2010 that makes it so appealing? Here is a brief overview of some of the Microsoft Word 2010’s plethora of features.

•    Provides the ability to create a customized, consistent look in your documents, regardless of whether you are using Microsoft Word 2010, Excel or PowerPoint 2010.

•    While the Microsoft Word 2010 Ribbon button may look the same as the 2007, now users can customize the Ribbon button on navigation to this option: Office button> Word Option > Customization. Also customizable in Microsoft Word 2010 is the Quick Access Toolbar.

•    Rather than “Control + F” for the Find features, Microsoft Word 2010 now has “find”, “Replace” and “Select” options in the upper right-hand corner of the Navigation Pane.

•    Co-authoring a document can be a challenging, but with Microsoft Word 2010 co-authoring feature, multiple authors can create documents and see what changes have been made and how many authors are involved.

•    The Paste Preview option in Microsoft Word 2010 makes it much easier to copy/cut and paste text, graphics, charts, etc. so  you don’t have to do as much re-organizing within a document.

•    Rather than using a third party to take screen shots, Microsoft Word 2010 has a built in tool; simply go to Insert>Screenshot to use the new screen capturing feature.

•    Don’t have Photoshop? No problem! Microsoft Word 2010 now has a Background Removal Option that takes out the images background. Simply insert the picture into your Word Document, then select the Background Removal Tool.

These are but a smattering of the improvements made in Microsoft Word 2010 that are sure to appeal. But even better than these Microsoft Word 2010 upgrades is that they are easy to use. However, the best way to take advantage of these tools is with the full version of Microsoft Word 2010 rather than the free Microsoft Word 2010.

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