Office XP, the latest version of Microsoft's Office family of desktop tools, was introduced yesterday in 15 countries including the Republic.

New features include smart tags, SharePoint Team Services and XML integration to help users locate hidden features and increase productivity.

Individuals can use smart tags in Office XP to locate information in their Office applications, hard drive or on the Internet; or use new Task Panes to complete tasks more quickly.

Teams can share information easily through SharePoint TeamServices websites and enhanced document and workflow collaboration capabilities.

The standard Office XP product, which includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook, retails from £248 for upgrades and from £535 for new users.