Microsoft Office 2010 new licensing programs

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As we prepare to begin shipping the newest release of Microsoft Office 2010 on our PC’s, we wanted to point out some of the new licensing changes in this version. This does not apply to software assurance customers or volume licensing, only OEM (on Pre-built computers by us or other OEM’s/system builders).

With Office 2010, system builders can offer two different license types: new Product Key Cards (PKCs) and Traditional Discs. Both of these license types are available on all three Office suites.

Office Home and Student 2010:

As the name implies, this suite, which is licensed for noncommercial use, is perfect for everyday household projects, from doing homework to managing home finances. Also, depending on which licensing option is used, this suite can be installed on up to three devices within the same household (Traditional Disc is up to three devices; Product Key Card is one device only).

Office Home and Business 2010:

With Office Home and Business 2010, we are introducing a brand-new, entry-level commercial suite that replaces Office Basic 2007, Office Standard 2007, and Office Small Business Edition 2007 with a single suite. It contains all of our most popular business applications-Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook-along with OneNote.

Office Professional 2010:

Office Professional 2010 provides the best of Office 2010 with premium customer support and top-of-the-line tools that help your customers make the most of their time and business. Power your business with Microsoft Office Professional, comprehensive software and support to help you stay organized, connected, and competitive. As your company grows, so do your needs. The tools in Office Professional help you run your business now and down the road, including powerful e-mail and scheduling tools in Outlook, information and data management with Excel and Access, and the professional-caliber marketing and design tools in Publisher. The package comes complete with one year of technical support that’s there when you need it.

Product Key Cards (PKC):

Product Key Cards are similar in many ways to the Office 2007 Medialess License Kits (MLKs).They are designed for use with new PCs preloaded with Office 2010, and include a 25-character Product Key that can be used by the end user to activate one PC preloaded with Office 2010. Product Key Cards do not include a disc; however, a backup download is available until January 2011 for reinstallation on the same PC. The Product Key Card license type is not transferable to another computer.

Traditional Disc:

This license type, often referred to as Full Packaged Product (FPP) in the past, includes a DVD, a 25-character Product Key, and a Quick Start Guide. Similar to the way Product Key Cards work, the 25-character Product Key will activate an Office 2010 preloaded PC. However, unlike the Product Key Card, the DVD may also be used to install Office on a new PC that has not been preloaded with the Office 2010 or on an existing PC. The number of installations and users depends on the specific Office suite purchased. For example, Office Home and Student 2010 can be used on up to three PCs in a single household, but may not be used for any commercial, nonprofit, or revenue-generating activities. However, Office Home and Business 2010 and Office Professional 2010 are licensed for one user’s PC and on the same user’s portable device. A Traditional Disc product license can be transferred to a different PC if the user upgrades to a new PC.

Complete table of Office versions:

Office 2010 new and improved features

NEW
Co-Authoring
Breakthrough technology that connects team members on a single project.
Allows multiple people to update and share a notebook simultaneously. Each person on the team can see who is working on the document online and start a conversation with that person in real time. And edits are highlighted, so you can see what’s been changed.
NEW
Conversation View
Get control of your e-mail.
Improves the tracking and managing of related e-mails while saving valuable inbox space, letting you manage large amounts of e-mail with ease. It also hides entire conversations you don’t care about and condenses them with just a few clicks.
NEW
Broadcast Slide Show
Instantly broadcast presentations to clients and team members who are not in your office.
Instantly broadcast your slides to a remote audience, who can view your presentation online and on any device that has a Web browser, even if they don’t have Microsoft PowerPoint 2010.
NEW
Video Editing and Formatting
Create professional materials that set you apart.
Allows you to edit videos right in PowerPoint 2010, no additional software required. You can even insert a video link from the Internet into your presentation to create rich, dynamic work but keep your file size manageable. And video controls let you pause, rewind, fast-forward, and stop audio and video content without leaving slide-show mode during your presentation.
NEW
Microsoft Excel 2010 Sparklines
Make quicker and better-informed business decisions.
Sparklines are small charts in a worksheet cell that provide a clear and compact visual representation of your data. You can use them to show trends in a series of values, such as seasonal increases or your monthly expenditures, or to highlight maximum or minimum values.
NEW
Microsoft Office BackstageTM view
Helps you quickly get to the commands you use the most and complete your work more efficiently.
Provides a single location for essential information about your document, such as permissions and version information-and increases sharing options for print, online, and e-mail. And printing is faster and easier than ever with the new Live Preview. Now you can see your document and settings automatically before you print, without multiple clicks.
IMPROVED
Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010
Keep productive on the go with a seamless offline and online experience.
Allows you to work on a document offline in SharePoint Workspace 2010, and when you connect back online, your edits are automatically synchronized so your content remains consistent and you can keep your team up-to-date instantly.
IMPROVED
Microsoft Office Web Applications
Respond faster and better, even when you are away from the office.
Provides high-fidelity browser-based viewing and allows you to do lightweight editing of Microsoft Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, and OneNote 2010 files.
IMPROVED
Microsoft Office Mobile 2010
Do more than just read e-mail on your phone.
Office Mobile 2010 enables coworkers in different locations to share, edit, and comment on documents with their Microsoft Smartphones, without losing content or formatting, all within a familiar Office experience.
IMPROVED
OneNote 2010
Stay organized and on top of your work.
Jump to anywhere in your notebooks with OneNote Search. Improved search navigation provides quick access to your information with a single click. See search results as you type to quickly narrow the selection.
NEW
Linked Notes
No more searching for your notes and important information.
As you take notes, you can automatically link to the application that you referenced, including Windows Internet Explorer 8, Word 2010, or PowerPoint 2010. An icon is placed in-line to indicate the referencing application.
IMPROVED
The Ribbon
All the tasks you need are right at your fingertips for enhanced productivity.
Every application in Office 2010 now has the Ribbon. The Ribbon brings new features such as Microsoft Outlook 2010 Quick Steps to your attention. Through the Options menu in Backstage view, you can easily create new tabs that bring together your favorite commands and groups, or customize existing tabs to fit your needs.

Office now comes in 64 bit as well. To determine which version is appropriate for your installation, refer to http://blogs.technet.com/office_resource_kit/archive/2009/12/10/office-2010-introduces-64-bit-editions.aspx . By default, the 32 bit version is installed for compatibility of 3rd party add-on’s.

If you would like a FREE copy of the Office 2010 Ebook, click here