Microsoft Corp. is giving a select group of technology-savvy testers an early peek at its Office 2010 software, but it's keeping a key development - free Web-based versions of programs such as Word and Excel - under wraps a little while longer.

Microsoft's launch of this "technical preview" indicates Office 2010 is still on track for release in the early part of next year.

The company is updating its highly profitable desktop software package to add more ways for people to work simultaneously on documents, organize their e-mail and edit videos and photographs, among other changes. And for the first time, Microsoft is adding free companion versions that run in a Web browser.