Office XPosed

Introducing Office XP: Microsoft's revised Office XP suite of applications doesn't just add new features--it also helps you use the old features you could never find.

Easy-to-Understand Chart: Do you want Standard or Premium? We summarize what's included in the different versions and how much they cost.

First Looks at the Major Applications

Word 2002: The premier word processing application gets a facelift and clearly improves on its predecessors.

Excel 2002: Number crunchers will find little to cheer about in Microsoft's latest spreadsheet app.

Outlook 2002: The popular e-mail tool and contact manager offers lots of improvements, but still trails rival Lotus Notes in Web-based collaboration features.

PowerPoint 2002: Small, but very useful, changes make their way into Microsoft's flagship presentation software.

FrontPage 2002: Microsoft's Web page creation utility for novices is still like a bike with training wheels: It'll get you where you're going, but don't make Tour de France plans just yet.

New and Improved in XP

Five New Suite-Wide Features: Integrated features that pop up in every application are the most visible changes to Office. Here's what you can expect.

Voice Recognition: Office XP now lets you talk your way through applications--but don't ditch your keyboard or mouse just yet.

Collaboration: Microsoft's most-improved Office feature integrates updated workgroup tools into Office applications, but the function falls short of collaborative Nirvana.

The Competition

Suite Survivors: Microsoft's Office dominates the office-application-suite market, but it still has rivals. Here's our look at how the competition stacks up.