Corel has unveiled the next version of its struggling office automation suite, named WordPerfect 2002.

The troubled Canadian software company, which has struggled recently following the collapse of its merger with development tools company Imprise and the subsequent loss of its chief executive, previewed the new suite at last week's Comdex Fall in Las Vegas. This suite is due for release early next year.

It features revamped versions of the WordPerfect word processor, Quattro Pro spreadsheet and Paradox database, along with a dedicated application for creating presentation slides and another that combines a diary and calendar with an email client, intended to compete against Microsoft's Outlook.

The initial release of the new suite will run on Windows, despite the heavy development and effort that Corel has placed on its Linux applications and Corel Linux OS distribution. A version of the new suite is planned for release some time after the Windows version.

"The preview demonstrates early evidence of our continued commitment to development a suite that addresses our customers' priorities," said Graham Brown, vice-president of business applications.

"As a result of the feedback we've received from our customers and from the work we have done to date, we believe that this will be the best upgrade to the application since the release of WordPerfect 5.1."

Most of the planned enhancements focus around web integration and automation, including improved support for HTML and XML, integrated speech control, support for external digital document formats such as Adobe Acrobat, font embedding in documents, improved 3D graphics for presentations and improved security options including support for digital certificates.

Also new within the suite is the full Pocket Oxford English Dictionary online. The dictionary will be available as a local online resource in addition to the original WordPerfect dictionaries, which include specialised dictionaries.

Despite the massive market dominance of Microsoft - which has recently invested $135m in the Canadian company - Corel has maintained loyal user bases in the legal, local government and education markets the world over.

First published in Computing