Clippy stars in new Office 2010 promo video

I'm not sure "spell check this" has the same ring as "I'll be back," but I have enjoyed the series of promo videos for Office 2010 that try to cast the software as the plot of an action movie.

Microsoft has a series of videos pitching Office 2010 as if it were an action flick.

(Credit: CNET)

The latest installment shows the grave of Clippy, the oft-mocked help tool that has been absent from recent versions of the productivity software.

It also features an interrogation to find the missing font. However, the female captive will give up only that it is somewhere between "Arial" and "Wingdings." (I guess that rules out Zapf Chancery.)

Anyway, if you are into computer nerd fun like me, it's worth a watch.

For those who want more hard-core information on the next Office, you shouldn't have to wait too long. Microsoft has said it will have a technical preview of the software this month. The software maker says it is taking sign-ups for that invitation-only release on its Office 2010: The Movie Web site.

[imachias]

The geek in me laughed out loud at that video. I liked it! :)

[Perry_Clease]

Personally I consider Office to be the Anti-Christ, but I enjoyed the promo. I like he flashed the W gang sign.

[Chumbo9]

This is just so smart. Microsoft hit all the right notes with this one, definitely the best move that marketing team has done in ages.

[GraphiteCube]

This is really cool. :)

Wow, this is actually funny... I can't believe I'm saying this, but nice job Micro$oft.

[karpenterskids]

Two thumbs up...I loved it, too!

[stringboy]

It was funny and my hand cannot make that Word gang sign, but I would rather have an announcement of the classic menu in Office 2010.

[spiffy1001]

I recently moved to a new house and I found a VHS tape called "Introducing Windows 95: Starring Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston". It billed itself as 'The World's First Cyber Sitcom'. I found an old VHS player and popped it in. It was even worse than I expected it, and that is saying something!

ACUTAL DIALOGUE:

Matthew Perry speaking to Anniston and Bill Gates: "Ooh, that file name is longer than seven dot 3 characters!"

[zephrynn]

This is definitely the best ad I've ever seen Microsoft come up with. I definitely smiled at least for many of the geek references.

[QMT]

Oh. _promo_ video

Get my hopes up over nothing...

[BlitzBoy1120]

Best Microsoft decision since the inclusion of copy & paste.

This was actually funny.

[muskratboy]

as long as i get to dance on the grave of that damn Clippy, i am happy.

DIE CLIPPY, DIE!

and take that damn search dog with you.

[bobmarleypeople]

I use a Mac, but I've got to hand it to Microsoft: They did a good job on the video. Shame 2010 will include the ribbon. If they have an option to change between the two, then I'd get it for my Windows machine. In the meantime, I'm using Office 2008 (which they "forgot" to mention in the video)

[JohnLaCombe]

You can use a program to add the old file menu back.

[jmans1212]

I have used office for years. I wold rather they use the money for the commercials for programing cost and price cuts. This wasn't evena commercial just a bunch of action shots. Boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ebpda9]

that was great

[rcrusoe]

Good flick, but I doubt it will convince anyone to buy Office 10.

I haven't run into a single user in the past 9 years that needs anything more advanced than Office 97 (which we still use along with Office 2000).

In fact, most of our users currently run OpenOffice.org (which IMO, is the equal of Office 2000), and we have a dozen users evaluating Google Apps.

These days, IMO, most businesses run MS Office out of habit, rather than necessity. And as the cost of doing business skyrockets, due all the new taxes and regulations coming down the pike, I would expect more and more businesses will start to look at MSO alternatives.

[mavfan2]

Until one of the alternatives starts offering a really robust alternative to Excel's pivot tables I can't even consider moving. I was disappointed that Numbers didn't have one and the pivot table in Open Office is a joke.

[paulej]

With the exception of Outlook, which didn't get quite the same kind of makeover as the other components, Office 2007 was a product well-worth the upgrade, in my opinion. The new menus require some getting used to, but they are better. More importantly, some really cool functionality was introduced, not the least of which was some really cool graphics features (3D rotation, shadows, bevels, etc.)

I tried Open Office and hated it. It was slow, missing a lot of features I do use in Office and not nearly as complete. It is certainly worth the price, I guess, but I really could not stand it. My teenage son was not terribly impressed with it, either. When I upgraded his OpenOffice to Microsoft Office, he was quite thankful.

Saying that nobody needs more features or better features in their productivity tools is about like arguing that we need nothing more than a typewriter or WordPad. These are tools to get our jobs done and, in my opinion, the better the tools, the better we can get our jobs done. And getting a report out the door is not always about writing it, but also creating a good visual effect. And Office 2007 helps with both.

Office 2007 also has support for the standard XML file formats, which is something lots of folks have been asking for.

I have not even looked at Office 2010, but I'll evaluate it before making the move. But, more likely than not, I'll upgrade. I've never been disappointed with Office, really.

[hermant56]

If they put half of the effort into their product that went into this video - they could make a good product. Unfortunately that rarely happens in Redmond. We end up with things like the Office 2007 medallion that held the key to saving, printing and everything else that users wanted to do but could not find. And why not throw them another curve ball - let's add an X on the end of the file name - that will really mess with everyone's minds.

At the end of the day though - do we really need yet another version of Word? Will my letter look $100 better? My quess is it will look about the same as when I was using the version that came on (2) 5.25 floppies.

[sanjayb]

Loved the video. Finally Microsoft is getting a clue with their advertising. A huge improvement over the Seinfeld and Gates commercials.

[Funny_video]

Now that is close to the Apple ones.... maybe hmmmm
I will put it on the http://whooptube.com

[tmike]

Great vid. Too bad about the reference to "Office twenty-ten" though. Say it slowly MS: Two Thousand Ten.

Ah, off my chest. Much better. Now I just have to go thump the Junior High School dropout who named "America's Got Talent".

[wizkids32]

LOL that was great commercial for Office 2010.