Using the new Ribbon feature in Office 2007 takes time to learn...time you don't have because projects are stacking up.  Today we will look at UBitMenu, a utility that puts the familiar Office 2003 menu into the 2007 ribbon.

When I first tried Office 2007 it took a lot of frustrating time figuring out where all of the features were located.  It is laid out much differently than previous versions of office.  When the "pointy-haired bosses" require deadlines to be met you don't have time to learn where everything is.  This is where UBitMenu comes in, it places the classic 2003 menu in as a new ribbon.

It will add the Classic Menu to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007.  Not only will it allow you to easily navigate through documents, it also adds elements of 2007's extra functionality.  For example in this Excel shot you can see there is the new 2007 means to save the document.

Excel

The Ribbon in PowerPoint is full of new features so if you prepare a lot of presentations you should fine UBitMenu extremely beneficial.

PPT

While in the UBitMenu you can still access the Mini Formatting Toolbar which is a new feature in Office 2007.  If you are annoyed by this feature check out The Geek's article on how to disable it.

mini format

This tiny app is based on standard Microsoft Office add-in technology and integrates seamlessly with Office 2007 with no impact on performance.  It is a free program for personal use protected by the Creative Commons License.  It is a 356KB download that can be installed in just a few seconds.  It is currently available in German, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.  With UBitMenu you will be able to easily complete your TPS Reports by the deadline all while getting to know Office 2007 better.

Download UBitMenu