Gates to Unveil Office XP in May

On May 31, Microsoft founder Bill Gates will be unveiling the latest addition to the slew of Microsoft products, Office XP. One of the most anticipated features this software contains is advanced voice recognition capabilities. Users will be able to manage their Office functions through the power of their voice. Another important add-on is Office XP's 'smart tags', which allow users to link web resources with spreadsheets, databases, and other office documents. Previously codenamed Office 10, Office XP is the first set of XP products Microsoft plans to release.

Along with voice recognition and smart tags, Office XP offers exclusive integration with Windows 2000 Server, the ability to cut, copy and paste multiple data sets, color schemed appointments, and a document recovery feature, which will guarantee no data loss in the event of an error.

Office XP will arrive in retail stores May 31 in four versions: Standard, Professional, Profession Special Edition, and Developer. The cost will range from $239 USD for the Standard upgrade to $799 USD for Developer's loaded feature set.