Microsoft, con una email avvisa  i beta tester che la fase di Technical Preview Program di Office 2010 è giunta quasi a completamento; inoltre, annuncia ufficialmente che dal mese prossimo sarà disponibile la beta pubblica. Non solo: viene invece esteso l’Office Web Apps test program.

Ecco l’email:

Hello …,

Thank you for continuing to utilize, evaluate and provide feedback on the Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview.
We wanted to notify you the Office 2010 Beta will be available for you to download next month (November 2009).
The Beta release of Office 2010 marks the end of the Technical Preview program you currently belong to. We will release the Beta on public download sites, where you can download and install a newer build of Office 2010 client software. At that time, you will also get your first look at the exciting new features we have added to server products such as SharePoint.

What this means to you as a Technical Preview Program participant is that the Office 2010 Connect site that you have been using will essentially be shut down and you will be directed to the Beta site (location to be announced) for Beta downloads, product information, links to forums, and more. We will provide you with links to the new Beta site on the current Office 2010 Connect site, but product downloads, articles, product information, and newsgroups currently found there will no longer be available on Connect.

In the weeks between now and the release of Beta, you can still access all of the Technical Preview materials on the Office 2010 Connect site.
A reminder, you can access connect at http://connect.microsoft.com/office.

You can also access product news and updates at http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/.
Thank you for your participation!

The Microsoft Office 2010 Team

Viceversa, come detto sopra, Microsoft ravvisa la necessità che la fase di Technical Preview delle Applicazioni Web per Office si prolunghi.

Dal blog del team Office Web Apps:

“(W)e are opening up the Technical Preview and inviting more people to try out the Office Web Apps.

“For a limited time, you can sign-up for a Technical Preview account here (if you are already a part of the technical preview, this link will generate an error): http://skydrive.live.com/acceptpreview.aspx/.documents?aobrp=browse.

“The features in this expanded Technical Preview are the same as the initial preview; however, during the preview (and beyond) you can expect to see new functionality added over time. Thanks for helping us make Office Web Apps even better!

Nick Simons
Program Manager, Office Web Apps”

Articolo di Sebastiano Cannata