Download Microsoft Office Professional 2010 for $99.99
And if you're a student, you can get it for 20 bucks less. But even $100 is fairly reasonable for a suite that normally costs $500. $500!
Microsoft Office has always been outrageously overpriced (and probably always will be). For example, Office Home and Business 2010 has a list price of $279.99, while Office Professional goes for a whopping $499.99. Not in this lifetime, Microsoft.
Fortunately, every now and again a deal comes along--or, in this case, a "steal." Today only (the deal expires at midnight, ET), DailySteals has Microsoft Office Professional 2010 (download) for $99.99.
This version of Office comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access.
Now for the bad/weird news: after you place your order, DailySteals sends your download code and instructions--in 5-10 days.
Why the delay? I tried to get some clarification by chatting online with a company rep, who merely said it takes that long to process the order. Hmm.
My advice: go for it, but pay with a credit card (duh) so you have some recourse just in case. For what it's worth, DailySteals has a pretty good score at ResellerRatings. If you've had any experience with company (and/or this deal, which I believe first ran a couple months ago), please share it in the comments.
By the way, if you're a college student, you can score Microsoft Office Professional Academic 2010 for $79.95. (That's also for the download version, though you can get a "backup" DVD for a few bucks extra.) It includes the same seven programs as the non-Academic version.
Last note: for many users, Office is overkill. Thankfully, there are totally free alternatives, like the ever-popular OpenOffice. Personally, I'm partial to Lotus Symphony 3, a great choice for home and small-business users..
Thanks to reader sjordan25 for sharing this deal!
Bonus deal #1: OfficeDepot has a ridiculously good deal on a new HP g6-1a30us 15.6-inch laptop: $349.99 (after a $50 mail-in rebate). Alas, it's in-store only, so you'll have to take a drive.
Bonus deal #2: Looking for a stylish set of earbuds? If you have an Ebay account, you can get the Skullcandy Riot noise-isolating earbuds for $9.99 shipped. They're available in various cool/wacky colors, but supplies are limited.