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| From: Microsoft Software
List Price: $329.95
Buy New: $199.95
You Save: $130.00 (39%)
New (48) Used (4) from $199.95
Rating:  99 reviews
Sales Rank: 67
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Xp, Windows Vista
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Professional - Upgrade
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Operating System: Windows Vista
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 26911093
Model: 269-11093
UPC: 882224263603
EAN: 0882224263603
ASIN: B000HCXKJY
Release Date: January 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 99
 Worthwhile upgrade April 5, 2007
D. Smith
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
If you use Office for basic word processing, an upgrade might not be worthwhile for you (although real-time word count and contextual spell check are pretty nifty). On the other hand, if you use Office for more than typing documents, this product is definitely a must.
Pros:
-- more user friendly
-- Ribbon interface provides quicker and more efficient access to icons that were previously difficult to find (if you don't like the ribbon, F1 will make it disappear)
-- Excel offers millions of colors now (instead of just 53); transparency in bars and lines for charts/graphs; WAY more rows and columns.
-- Numerous new collaboration features. Seemless integration with Sharepoint and improved document-sharing capabilities.
-- improved search features in Outlook.
Cons:
-- steep learning curve. The ribbon interface is cool and a major improvement, but it is very different from the old menu interface.
--You probalby would not be researching a Microsoft product if you prefer open-source or less expensive alternatives like StarOffice or OpenOffice. Cost, openness, and potential security flaws (probably just a matter of time) could be potential drawbacks.
 Upgrade to Office 2007 June 7, 2007
Gaw (CA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Had a questionable office 2003 installation I had goten through an Ebay vendor and wanted to get firmly legit. It is actually cheaper to upgrade to 2007 then go and get 2003 - especially if you go the upgrade route as I did.
The upgrade on Microsoft says any old package (includeing Works 6 and forward) will qualify. Someone in India said it would not, but pre-sales in the US said yes. They were right, you simply need the qualifying application on you machine OR an old Works or other qualifying disk will do. You simply point to it during the install.
So far, it is all working good (including contact manager). Have not really tested many of the new features yet.
As other reviewers have mentioned, Word and Excel create a new file format that cannot be accessed by older versions (2003 and earlier) unless the would-be user downloads a microsoft downloaded conversion program. It is easier to just save in the old format if you are going to share the worksheet or document.
 Dumbed-down, slower, and harder to use July 29, 2007
Joshua Nelson (Waukegan, IL USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
The new ribbon design is supposed to make it easier to learn and use. It may be for some new users but for experienced users, it isn't. This version takes away some critical nuts & bolts customization features and many tasks now take longer to perform. This is not due to the learning curve, it is the inherent nature of the way the ribbon works. Once you are familiar with the program, nothing is faster than the old menu structure. If Microsoft added an option to allow users to choose between menus and ribbons, it would be the best of both worlds, satisfying the needs of both new and experienced users. The new version does not run macros as fast however. My recommedation for existing users: keep Office 2003 for as long as you can and consider going to Open Office when Microsoft no longer supports 2003 (unless they restore the functionality in a newer release of 2007).
I like it March 22, 2007
M Wags (W.P.B. FL)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I got my upgrade from Amazon for $280. And while it's a little expensive, it is a suite, not just one program. The changes are great, once you get used to them. If you are a long time user of MS Office, you're in for a shock. The entire GUI has changed. All the menus are gone and you have a bunch of buttons along the top seperated by tabs. The shock wears off after a few weeks once you figure out where everything is at. The reason I don't give it full stars is that there was little documentation to cover the changes for someone used to the old style. I was on my own to learn the changes.
Try it for free... Excel 2007 has two plusses, but many minuses April 19, 2007
J. Seder (California)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
You can try this for free for up to 60 days by registering with Microsoft and downloading an evaluation copy. When you're sure you want it, permanently activate it with the product key you get in your Amazon package.
The new version of Excel has two huge advantages:
1. It removes the old 256 column/65,536 row limitation. You can now have 16,384 columns and more than a million rows.
2. Excel 2007 can use all the cores/processors in your computer (or you can restrict it to use only some, so huge background calculations do not tie up your machine). On my dual core computer, Excel 2007 is **way** faster than 2003 at almost every task.
I've seen no crashes, hangs, or hiccups.
But everything else about Excel 2007 is frustrating. The new "ribbon" interface is unnecessary and awkward -- almost every operation takes more pointing and clicking than older releases. Bypassing the ribbon with the new "Quick Access Toolbar" is problematic because (bizarrely) Microsoft has deleted many distinctive command icons, leaving them with identical green circles.
Right now Excel 2003 costs more than Excel 2007. If the two plusses don't help you, you may think that 2003 is worth more.
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