Microsoft wraps Project 2010 parcel in Ribbon

Microsoft has unveiled a few more details about its upcoming Project 2010 application, which the firm described as the “most significant” upgrade of the software in a decade.

The next iteration of the project management app includes a snugger fit with MS Outlook email. There are also new collaboration features for customers interested in the Project Professional version of the software.

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft has also wrapped Project 2010 in its Ribbon user interface. The company prefers to call the technology “Fluent”, and it already comes loaded in Microsoft's current Office suite, much to the chagrin of many users.

Microsoft said that the public beta of Project 2010 would land later this Autumn, but it opened up registration as of yesterday.

The vendor will ship three, rather than four, versions of the app that it claims is used by about 20m people worldwide. Effectively it has shut and cut its Project Portfolio Server into Project Server 2010.

The finalised version of the Project Desktop, Project Professional and Project Server software will be released in the first half of next year, which is around the same time Office 2010 is expected to land. ®