Microsoft opens early testing on Office 2010

Microsoft Corp is giving a select group of technology-savvy testers an early peek at Office 2010, but it is still keeping Web-based versions of Word, Excel and its other go-to programmes under wraps.

Office 2010 is due out in the early part of next year. Microsoft is adding more ways for people to work simultaneously on documents, organize their e-mail and edit videos and photos, among other changes.

Microsoft Office is by far the most popular software package for making presentations, spreadsheets and other documents. But the company has been slow to offer programmes that run online and are accessible in Web browsers. Meanwhile Google Inc. Has been pushing its own free versions for more than two years.

When Office 2010 arrives, consumers will be able to go online to view and create new files for free. Companies that have long-term licensing agreements for Office software can run the Web software on their own servers, or buy subscriptions to access the programmes through Microsoft-operated data centres.