Work on Microsoft Office 2010, the next major release of Office is coming together quite nicely. A few screenshots and more information about the suite of productivity apps has started to leak out into the wild.

This release, (build 14.0.4417.1000) is the "Mondo edition" which has stood for an "Ultimate" version in the past. Strangely enough, ArsTechnica points out that all references and SKUs to Ultimate have been removed. This is also the first build that references the applications as "Beta" signifying that Microsoft may be much farther along than originally expected.

According to a Microsoft Office employee, the "Mondo" name is used for testing purposes only and is never planned to have an associated SKU.

Office 2010 will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions and will be released on one DVD. Office includes: Office 2010 includes Access 2010, Excel 2010, InfoPath Designer 2010, InfoPath Filler 2010, OneNote 2010, Outlook 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Project 2010, Publisher 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010, SharePoint Workspace 2010, Visio 2010, and Word 2010.

A public preview of Office 2010 is expected to be released later this year and you can sign up to receive an early copy through legitimate channels.