Microsoft Office 2010

Pros

• Professional-level productivity tools
• Low cost compared to full versions
• Online collaboration and sharing

Cons

• Free trial is limited
• Access and Outlook are not included
• Can only be installed on three computers

Microsoft Office Home and Student is a productivity suite designed to handle everything from creating documents to calculating finances. The Home and Student edition is the lowest tier of the suite behind the Home and Business version and the Professional version. The initial download is very large since the suite contains four different and complete programs. The download is just a limited trial. The actual Office suite needs to be purchased after the programs are opened a certain number of times. The programs eventually deactivate and stop running if a license is not purchased. Although the home and student suite is missing a few programs like Access and Outlook, the applications included are all complete and not crippled in any way.

Microsoft Office Home and Student contains four applications. The first is Microsoft Word. This is the industry standard when it comes to word processing. Word can create simple text files or complex documents with advanced layouts and unique paginations. Word can incorporate images into a document and can convert documents into many different formats for the web or for specialized printers. It even includes an option that can turn a list of items into a simple graphic.

Office also includes Excel. This is a very popular and powerful spreadsheet program. Excel allows users to perform complex calculations in very little time. The application contains a grid of cells that can each hold numbers, text or formulas. Advanced formulas can draw information from multiple cells to arrive at sums automatically. Excel also allows for the creation of interactive forms, dynamic charts and elements like drop down boxes so that data is easier to enter. Excel can be used for tracking finances, performing complex math or generating reports.

The final two programs included in the suite are PowerPoint and OneNote. PowerPoint allows users to create presentations. The presentations are made of a series of frames that can each contain text, images and even videos. The presentations can be printed as a handout or displayed on a projector for an audience. It is one of the most widely used business tools today. OneNote is a program that allows for the creation, organization and sharing of notes. It is a way to help track different tasks and to collaborate with other people at school or in the home. OneNote can be used to supplement scheduling software or as a way to record information fast while at school.

A strong feature of Office Home and Student is that it can integrate with Microsoft's cloud storage and sharing system known as SkyDrive. This means documents and spreadsheets can be seamlessly stored online or shared with other people who are using Office. There are even collaborative editing and revision features in Word that track the changes each person makes to a document and preserves the original version. One of the only drawbacks of this version of Office is that it can only be installed on three different computers.

Pros

• Professional-level productivity tools
• Low cost compared to full versions
• Online collaboration and sharing

Cons

• Free trial is limited
• Access and Outlook are not included
• Can only be installed on three computers