14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is wasting little time with the development process of Windows 7. The Redmond-based company is on the verge of giving green light to the first Beta development milestone of Office 2010, and in fact has already started sending out invitations to test-drive the Starter edition of the next iteration of the Office System. In the first half of October 2009, Microsoft revamped its Stock Keeping Unit strategy for Office 2010, adding a free edition to the lineup of product SKUs. A select pool of testers is already receiving invitations to test Office 2010 Starter Beta, according to IThinkDiff.
“Be one of the first to explore the new Microsoft Office Starter 2010” reads a message posted by Microsoft on the invite page hosted on office Live Workspace. “Want to try out a brand new Microsoft product? Microsoft is looking for individuals to help us share out latest offering, Microsoft Office Starter 2010.”
When it introduced Office 2010 Starter, the software giant revealed that the edition would be offered for free to customers, and that the product would be monetized through advertising. The ad-supported SKU of Office 2010 designed to offer basic functionality will be available exclusively preinstalled on new OEM computers. However, because it is free, Office 2010 Starter is also stripped down almost to the bone. In fact, what users will get with starter is only the absolute basic functionality associated with the main end user components of the Office System.
“All you need to do is use Office Starter 2010 Beta at home over the next few months, and let us know what you think. Office Starter 2010 includes Microsoft Word Starter 2010 and Microsoft Excel Starter 2010, which are great for basic tasks like writing letters, editing your resume, or creating a family budget,” reads the invitation from Microsoft. At the time of writing this article, the Redmond-based company had not shared the official launch date for the public Beta Build of the fully-fledged Office 2010.