The following article contains an overview of Microsoft beta releases that have been made available yesterday. Each item will be introduced with its name, a small summary and a link to the official project page at the Microsoft website which contains additional information and the downloads.

Microsoft Office Web Apps (Beta)

Microsoft Office Web Apps are new web-based tools that extend the Microsoft Office 2010 experience to your browser. Office Web Apps enable you to view, do light editing, and share your Office documents from virtually anywhere. With these online companions to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote you’ll always have the tools you need, wherever you are.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2008 R2; Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Hardware Requirements: Processor – 64-bit; Dual Processor; 3 GHz, RAM – 4 GB for standalone; 8 GB for farm, Hard Disk – 80 GB
Software Requirements: Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Server or Microsoft SharePoint Server
Size: 177.8 MB – 1367.7 MB*

official Microsoft link

Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus Beta

Microsoft Office 2010 gives you powerful new tools to express your ideas, solve problems, and connect with people. Applications include Word, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, InfoPath, Excel, SharePoint Workspace, OneNote, and Communicator.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 3 (32-bit), Windows Vista with SP1 (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 with SP2 (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Hardware Requirements: 500 MHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor or higher, 256 MB of system memory or more, 3 GB of available disk space, 1024×768 or higher resolution monitor, DVD-R/W Drive
Software Requirements: None
Size: 700 MB

official Microsoft link (registration required)

Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2010 Beta

Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2010 provides contact management, sales, marketing and project management for the small business or small team.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7; Windows Server 2008; Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 3
Hardware Requirements: Computer and processor: 500 MHz processor or higher, Memory: 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher, Hard disk: 2.5 GB; a portion of the disk space will be freed after installation if the original download package is removed from the hard drive, Display: 1024×768 or higher resolution monitor; 1024×576 or higher for Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.
Software Requirements: Outlook 2010
Size: 366.9 MB

32-bit download page | 64-bit download page

Microsoft Visio Premium 2010 Beta

Microsoft Visio 2010 Beta takes diagramming to a new level with dynamic, data-driven visualization tools and templates, enhanced process management capabilities, and advanced Web sharing. Bring real-time data together from multiple sources, including Excel and Microsoft SQL Server, in one powerful diagram using vibrant graphics like icons and data bars. Manage processes with sub-processes and rules and logic validation to ensure accuracy and consistency across the organization. Create SharePoint workflows and export them to Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 for real-time execution and monitoring. Share refreshable, data-linked diagrams over the Web with anyone, even those who don’t own Visio.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7; Windows Server 2008; Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 3
Hardware Requirements: Computer and processor: 500 MHz processor or higher, Memory: 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher, Hard disk: 2.5 GB; a portion of the disk space will be freed after installation if the original download package is removed from the hard drive, Display: 1024×768 or higher resolution monitor; 1024×576 or higher for Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.
Software Requirements: Certain inking features require running Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or later. Speech recognition functionality requires a close-talk microphone and audio output device. Information Rights Management features require access to a Windows 2003 Server with SP1 or later running Windows Rights Management Services.

Connectivity to Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 or later is required for certain advanced functionality in Outlook 2007. Instant Search requires Microsoft Windows Desktop Search 3.0. Dynamic Calendars require server connectivity.

Connectivity to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or later running Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services is required for certain advanced collaboration functionality. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is required for certain advanced functionality. PowerPoint Slide Library requires Office SharePoint Server 2007. To share data among multiple computers, the host computer must be running Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows XP Professional with SP2, or later.

Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, 32 bit browser only. Internet functionality requires Internet access (fees may apply).

Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration and operating system.
Size: 296.5 MB

32-bit download page | 64-bit download page (registration required)

Microsoft Project Server 2010 Beta

Project Server 2010 Beta ensures organizations select and deliver the right projects, while gaining greater visibility and control of resources leading to improved productivity and better business performance. Participate in the Microsoft Project Server 2010 Beta and be the first to see how the innovative new capabilities can help organizations to:

• Capture all types of work in a centralized demand management repository
• Select the right project portfolios and maximize resource utilization
• Build and conveniently update project schedules online
• Create powerful dashboards and project reports

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2008 R2; Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Hardware Requirements: Processor: 64-bit, dual processor, 3 GHz, RAM: 4 GB for stand-alone or evaluation installation, 8 GB for single server and multiple server farm installation for production use, Hard Disk: 80 GB.
Software Requirements: SharePoint Server 2010 Beta is a required prerequisite for Project Server installation, SQL Server 2005 SP3 CU4 or SQL Server 2008 SP1 CU3, SQL Server 2008 AMO objects.
Size: 22.1 MB

download link (registration required)

Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 Beta

For organizations looking to help users find information and expertise quickly and easily through a search capability able to address their most challenging needs – includes all the search features and integration capabilities of SharePoint Server 2010, plus a more engaging and conversational search experience, use of context to provide specific search experiences for different needs (such as departments or geographies), advanced content processing capabilities that create metadata and add structure to unstructured content, and deep platform flexibility, scalability, and extensibility. For use with SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise Edition.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2008 R2; Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Hardware Requirements: Processor Minimum: 64-bit, 4 CPU cores, 2.0 GHz, Recommended: 64-bit, 8 CPU cores, 2.0 GHz, RAM Minimum: 4 GB, Recommended: 16 GB, Hard Disk
Minimum: 50 GB, Recommended: 1 TB RAID* across 6 spindles, Other DVD Drive.

In general, RAID5 configurations with 128 KB stripe size provides a good combination of performance and reliability as content storage for FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint. Different RAID controllers have varying sweet spots for operation. SAS disks are recommended over SATA. Within a fixed power and cost budget, performance will be better with a larger number of 10k RPM disks compared to a smaller number of 15k RPM disk.
Software Requirements: Windows Server 2008 SP2 x64 or Windows Server 2008 R2 x64
Size: 651 MB

download link (registration required)

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 Beta

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 Beta gives you powerful, visually enhanced ways to successfully manage and deliver a wide range of projects. Easier and more intuitive, Project Professional 2010 Beta provides flexible choices to simplify planning, collaboration and resource management.

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7; Windows Server 2003; Windows Server 2008; Windows Vista; Windows XP Service Pack 3
Hardware Requirements: Computer and processor: 700 MHz processor or higher, Memory: 512 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher, Hard disk: 1.5 gigabyte (GB); a portion of this disk space will be freed after installation if the original download package is removed from the hard drive, Display: 1024×768 or higher resolution monitor.
Software Requirements: Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2 or later running Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise is required for certain advanced collaboration functionality. Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 SP2 or later required to use the Import Outlook Tasks feature. Visual Reports require Microsoft Office Excel 2003 SP2 or later and Microsoft Office Visio Professional 2007 SP1 or later. Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 is required for Project Professional 2010 Beta task list synchronization.Project Server 2010 Beta is required for enterprise project and resource management capabilities. Exchange 2007 SP1 or later required for importing tasks to the Outlook tasks list.
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise Beta (installed as part of Microsoft Project Server 2010 Beta) is required for publishing projects, Windows Workflow Foundation, and Project Tasks List. Microsoft.Net Framework Version 3.5 is required for the Resource Substitution Wizard.
Size: 651 MB
download link 32-bit | download link 64-bit (registration required)

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Users need to log into a Microsoft Live account and fill out a short form before they are able to download the beta of Microsoft Office 2010. Downloads are available for 32-bit and 64-bit editions and various languages. The product key for the beta will also be displayed on those pages. The key is required to activate the beta.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word 2010 Beta and click on the “File” tab. This will take you to the Backstage view. Next click “Help” in the set of tabs on the left.

Step 2: Click “Change Product Key” on the right side of the screen.

Step 3: Enter the Multiple Activation Key (MAK) displayed above. Please check the box to activate automatically or restart the app to activate using the activation dialog box.

Step 4: That’s all you need to do. Entering the MAK key in Microsoft Word 2010 Beta automatically activates all the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta applications. Click on the “File” tab to return to the Document view.

New features in the beta include:

New features in the beta include:

• Outlook Social Connector (blog)
• Deeper integration between Office client and Web Apps allowing users to save directly to Windows Live Sky Drive or SharePoint 2010
• Improved navigation, visual design and icon update
• New Office logo
• Increased performance and stability

The 32-bit English beta has a size of 700 Megabytes which can take some time to download depending on the Internet connection. Users who want to follow the development of the beta can subscribe to the #officebeta Twitter channel to do so.

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One indicator that this is the case is the Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Download page which is already listing download buttons for the three Microsoft Office editions Office Home and Business 2010 beta, Office Professional 2010 beta and Office Professional Plus 2010 beta. The links are unfortunately not live yet leading to a “The Office 2010 beta will come soon” page instead.

The differences between the three editions are the following:

• Office Home and Business 2010 beta – Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, and Office Web Apps
• Office Professional 2010 beta – Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, Publisher and Office Web Apps
• Office Professional Plus 2010 beta – Volume licensing only – Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook with Business Contact Manager, Access, Publisher, Infopath, Communicator, SharePoint Workspace, and Office Web Apps

In other news: The first group of users who were able to get their hands on the new Office 2010 Beta were Bittorrent users who downloaded a leaked version of Office 2010. It is of course illegal to download the beta this way.

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The eSecure Office add-in has been designed to provide Office users with the means to delete the Microsoft Office history from within the Office suite. To be more precise, it offers that functionality for the Office programs Word, Excel and PowerPoint at this point.

Classified Documents Anyone? No more worries from internet hackers and computer viruses. The eSecure Delete Office Ad-In is the only application of it’s kind that works right from the office application. With 1 easy to use menu in the office Ribbon and the Office Button you can easy delete your computers tracking history without even having to stop and open up a new window.

The Office add-in needs to be installed separately for each supported Office application. It will automatically add a new entry to the ribbon menu with the option to clear the Office history. The same functionality is also available in the Office orb menu.

The eSecure add-in is available for Microsoft Office 2007 and Office 2010 running on Windows Vista or Windows 7. It can be directly downloaded from the developer’s website. (via Addictive Tips)

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Eligible are families, students and small businesses that own 5 PCs or less from the United States. Each selected participant will receive a preview copy of Microsoft Office 2010, access to web versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint plus dedicated support by a program manager and various other sources.

Participants specifically get:

• Microsoft Office 2010 pre-installed on a “loaner” laptop PC – before it ships!
• 24-hour unlimited e-mail support Monday – Friday, with phone support for escalations
• Monthly webcast training and Q&A sessions
• Community site access, so you can connect with other participants and easily use resources like feature videos and announcements
• FREE copy of Microsoft Office 2010 (when available)

This does come at a price. The loaner laptop and Microsoft Office 2010 have to be used on a daily basis and Microsoft expects participants to take part in surveys, trainings and calls with the chance to be invited to share the story on an even broader level by being featured in case studies and videos.

The Microsoft Office 2010 Real Life Stories program is available to US citizens only at this point in time. They can submit an application at the official website until June 30.

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